World Village Festival. Cultures get together at an annual festival in Helsinki. Free concerts, exotic food, and market stand with things from around the world. And at the same time, there are NGOs*, stands of Finnish officials and educational institutions, and companies. Would you like to take part? Here, I would talk about both, what you can find on the World Village Festival and what is needed to participate. In the and, as part of my “Finland expat” series I have added a couple of interviews with people who take part. This Year’s festival is on 26, 27 May. *NGO – non-government organization

World Village Festival, what is it like

First time, I came across the festival by accident. I heard the echoes music and lots people going in that direction. The area around Kaisaniemi and Railway square were taken over by a festival with a large number of multinational participants. It looked like an entertainment program at the beginning, but in fact, it was something more. I think regular people like me, unfamiliar with the purpose of the festival, would first go for concerts and markets. But in the same area, there are representatives of many civic organizations. I think, what makes the festival special – is the fact the “fun part” sits so well next to some important topics. At the end of the festival, you had a good time partying, but also come home knowing something new.

World Village Festival – 2017

Let’s take a photo-walk around the 2017 World Village Festival.

Interview with organizer – Kepa ry

To get the proper picture of the organizations represented at World Village Festival, I have reached the Communication and Fundraising Manager: Johanna Virmavirta.

1. Can you tell what World Village Festival is about?

WVF is mostly about civil society action. The organizer is Kepa ry, a platform for Finnish civil society organizations and an expert on global development issues. Around 250 of the member organizations are represented at the festival. They focus mainly on sustainable development and development co-operation.

2. Apart from Finnish NGO, who is participating?

We have free concerts, documentary movies, a large tent with books from Finnish publishers, and many other things. Foreigners in Finland will find, for example, from Open Finland thematic stand different institutions and authorities, who can provide help for getting work or study and information on how to get official services in Finland. For those who like to travel, there is a stand dedicated to eco-tourism in Finland.

3. I don’t know any festival, where civic organizations get along with entertainment programs so nicely. How do you achieve that?

We try bring Kepa’s themes and messages to a wider audience, to familiarize mainstream with the importance of, for example, sustainable development. From the festival, the audience can find different possibilities to act for a more just world.

4. The festival takes place starting 1995, since that, did anything change?

The idea has been the same, but the festival has grown. At first, we only took the Kaisaniemi park, but later, we expanded to the Central Railway Square.

5. Can you tell more about registration process?

The registration for participants is open during winter, excluding a Street Art Area, for which registration starts 1-2 months. There we also have few slots for late-comers on “street stage” The conditions are a bit different for Kepa’s members and other companies. The members have special discounts. For other participants, it is important that they are in line with our values. For registration to WVF 2019 you should wait for the announcement on our media channels.

6. What is going to happen on 2018 Festival?

In 2018, the main topic is Agenda 2030 – Sustainable Development – the things we want to achieve in 2030. The geographical focus is on Africa. We expect around 50 000 visitors. We will have 18 free concerts, on the main stage would be some of the world’s top artists. There are around 60 food stands and 7 documentary films shown. We have areas for workshops places for kids, and food stands. The event is kids friendly, there is something for everyone.

World Village Festival, participants interview

You can be a visitor, but you also can participate. Few of my friends took part in the festival in 2017 and are going there this year. I asked them to share their experience.

Omar Hernandez, Venezuelan food truck owner

I was selling Venezuelan food from my food truck in 2017. We had a place very close to the main stage. There were two of us working, and we had to cook almost non-stop. So, I would tell it was very successful. This year, we participate as well. To book the spot, you have to register far in advance, the registration was in December-February. The spot for a food truck costs 1300 Eur, 1600 if you want the organizers to provide electricity. I hope the organizers would plan similarly good location for food trucks as last year.

Linghui Zhang, chairman and dancer at HanTang Fashion ry

HanTang Fashion ry is a Chinese art association registered in Helsinki. We focus on Chinese art and cultural research. We had our Chinese Cultural Show on the small “street stage” in 2017. At the World Village Festival 2018, we have created a larger program. The performance is planned for both days from 14:00 until 15:00. We also have an exhibition stand (G473), a place where we would like to network with other organizations. Few words about our show. We have a group, that would bring you into an elegant Chinese dancing world and more dancers from Finnish Thai association. You would hear Finnish songs played on Chinese traditional instrument zither, violin musician and a musician from Indonesia. You will have a chance to meet a master of authentic Chinese kungfu and Shaolin. Regarding prices, we paid 385 Euro for two days 3×3 tent. We hope that in 2019, when the festival is going to be about Asia, we can perform on the main stage.

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