SOLSTICE FESTIVAL
When long time friend and contributor Oliver Risi asked us if he could cover Solstice Festival for Wanderer, we actually didn’t know too much about it but were super keen on the idea. So during mid summer this year in Northern Finland, Oliver took the trek to Solstice Festival, he captured it beautifully and wrote some words on his adventures. I had so many questions, did you get tired, was it freezing, did your eyes hurt? Here’s how it went down…
It’s midnight but the sun is up and shining bright. I’m standing on top of a mountain in Northern Finland next to the Arctic Circle, with hundreds of people as we dance the night away in complete sunlight. This is Solstice Festival.
At first glance, Solstice Festival seems comparable to other music festivals. But that assumption quickly fades when have to take a chairlift up to stages, you look around to see reindeer on the hills, the carefully curated line up of electronic artists, and the dedication of each person attending. Solstice Festival is a gathering of people who enjoy music, art, and nature. Held in Ruka, an eleven-hour drive north of Helsinki, Finland’s capital, the festival takes place during midsummer. This northern location means the sun does not set… at all. Three days of dancing on an arctic peak that rises 500 meters, showing off a picturesque horizon of endless pine trees and stunning lakes.
The day before the festival, I was standing in line at a small convenience store. I noticed a father’s sweater with the words “funny how time slips away”. Those five words really stuck with me. I reflected on how fortunate I am to be heading to such a unique event so far from home in Australia. The forecast for the first two nights of the festival seamed bleak. With cloud cover, bouts of rain, and a crisp Nordic wind. This didn’t stop my excitement as I’m copping the brunt of it as I’m rising closer to the peak on the chairlift up to the festival. At the top, three distinct stages, each with their own unique vibe hosting over 40 artists throughout the weekend.
Sansibar, a DJ hailing from Finland, opened the festival on the Valley stage. Like bees swarming the first flowers of spring, the dance floor quickly filled. Despite the bleakness of the forecast the sun gleamed down for most of Sansibar's set. The Valley Stage was set on the mountains edge with incredible views and an open air feel. The Peak Stage, true to its name, was perched at the mountain's highest point and housed within a ski lift. The industrial structure perfectly complemented the heavy-hitting tunes of the artists it hosted throughout the weekend. Australian DJ, Kia, played at the Peak stage from 10pm till midnight on the first night. As I danced, my gaze was drawn to the view. A soft glow of light had morphed the landscape into a pastel like painting. As it was approaching midnight I marvelled at this view, realising this festival was really unlike anything else. This was just one of many moments when I felt as though the festival was more like a dream than reality.
Everyone’s spirits were up on the second night, even with scattered rain. The weather added a refreshing touch, creating a carefree atmosphere while everyone danced in their rain jackets. Smiles were abundant, and the tracks spun by DJ Marcelle and Eris Drew kept everyone up and going throughout their sets. As the night came to an end and everyone started heading back down the mountain, the sun broke through the clouds on the horizon, creating a golden ‘sunrise’ look at around 2:30am.
Once you make your way down from the peak… on foot. You reach the nightly after party held inside a traditional log cabin, I walked back through the ski village. The bright 4am sun lit up each pine tree as though I was seeing in higher definition. Walking felt like a conscious dream where I could stay as long as I wanted, but I couldn’t fully grasp what I was feeling. The unending sunlight had taken hold of me, creating sensations beyond anything I had ever experienced. For an event centred around the sun, the last night could not have been any better. I had now experienced endless light, but that night brought unending, uninterrupted sunshine under a cloudless sky, allowing us all to fully appreciate the phenomenon of the midnight sun.
The sun beamed onto the mountain well into the early morning while Nemo and Castro closed the Valley Stage. After three days, I was now surrounded by many familiar faces and new friends. A contagious smile spread through the entire crowd as the last track of the festival played, Miquel Brown’s ‘Close to perfection’, an upbeat disco track from the 80s. As the chorus of the song sung the words “close to perfection,” it really did feel as if the moment was as close to perfection as I could get.
I felt so far removed from civilization and the normal world, that it seemed like this wooden stage sitting on the Arctic Circle with a disco track from the 80s blaring through my entire body, was all that existed. Perhaps it was because I was savouring the moment, knowing I didn’t want the festival to end, combined with the morning pastel sky and how my body was now feeling after living in eternal sunlight.
Whatever it was, it was a moment I won’t ever forget. Funny how time slips away.
