Europeade, Europe’s largest folk culture event, will arrive in Finland and Turku on Wed 26–Sun 30 July 2017 with more than 6000 participants.

Europeade hints:

Wed 26.7. Joki - Ån dance performance, Varvintori at 20
Thur 27.7. Europeade Opening Manifestation, Gatorade Center at 19 (www.lippu.fi)
Sat 29.7. World record attempt in humppa, Varvintori at 20
su 30.7. Europeade Closing Manifestation, Gatorade Center at 15 (www.lippu.fi)

Further information: www.turku.fi/europeade2017

More than 288 groups from 24 countries have signed up for the annual celebration of European folk dancers, folk musicians and singers. There will be a total of 6,183 participants, which is an all-time record in the event’s 54-year-old history. The event is expected to have tens of thousands of spectators.

- The citizens of Turku and the visitors that come here will have a unique opportunity to see the entire spectrum of European folk music and folk dance. The rich traditions will be present in Europeade in the form of colourful and fast-paced shows throughout the city centre. You can cast aside all ideas of boring folk dance, says Hilu Toivonen-Alastalo, the event coordinator.

There are many attractions available to spectators, and most of the event programme is free of charge. The event sites include the folklore market at the Varvintori Square, several stages and the Europeade parade on Saturday. The event begins on Thursday 27 July with a great opening ceremony at the Gatorade Center where the groups participating in the event will perform together and individually. A similar closing ceremony will be held on Sunday 30 July. The tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are being sold at www.lippu.fi

Making Europeade together

Toivonen-Alastalo states that the event also fits the theme of Finland’s centenary celebrations: “yhdessä – tillsammans – together”.

- Working together is an integral part of Europeade. The spirit and the programme of the event are created together, and everyone is welcome to join in, she says. 

Everyone is invited to join the event as volunteer organisers. There are various different tasks, but people who speak the rarer European languages are particularly sought after. You can sign up as a volunteer at http://bit.ly/EuropeadeTalkoolaiseksi