Meidän metsä! is a free, open-to-all music and art festival held in the forest area of Pieni Neulamäki in Kuopio. It invites residents of Kuopio and friends of nearby forests to explore the springtime nature and trails of Pieni Neulamäki through hiking, as well as an alternative land-use plan created by Elonkirjon kaupunki.
On the event day, May 16, the heart of the area—both outdoors and in old storage buildings formerly used by the Finnish Defence Forces—will host music and other art performances by local actors, an open-air gallery, and various activities ranging from environmental art and bird excursions to forest yoga, dance, body care, and more. This roaming forest festival is created together, is waste-free and substance-free, and suitable for all ages.
The event is organized by volunteers in support of forest nature. Kuopion Metsäväki holds the main responsibility for the event and its arrangements. Other participating organizations include, among others, Ars Libera, Humu-klubi, Konepajan tekijät, Kuopion Luonnon Ystäväin Yhdistys, Luontoliiton Savo-Karjalan piiri, Ompeluseurat, Roskatoskollektiivi, Katutaideyhdistys Urbaani, and Vestäjät.
Come join us in Meidän metsä!
Schedule
Bat hall (Lepakkohalli)
12:20 pm Lehtisen pojat
14:00 pm Os. Holopainen & 0500Männistö
16:00 pm Hiekkalapset
(17-19 pm stage break)
19:00 pm Yhteiskunnan pienet porsaat
21:00 pm Tinyhawk & Bizzarro
Tent stage at the Flying squirrel hall (Liito-oravahalli)
12:00 pm Meidän metsä! Festival opening
13:00 pm Kissamaikki
14:30 pm Runopuu – Vestäjät poems
15:00 pm Forest dance hut – Outi Markkula and kantele player Jenni Venäläinen
(16-18 pm stage break)
18:00 pm Vielä Eteisessä
20:00 pm Surupuseroiset
Other program
12:00-17:00 The Finnish Nature Association’s regional branch and Sieppo magazine’s Forest of Your Dreams drawing competition, Liito-oravahalli
12:00-21:00 Poetry trail, near Liito-oravahalli
12:00-21:00 Outdoor gallery: visual art by Janne Erkkilä, Liito-oravahalli
12:00-21:00 Outdoor gallery: Iida Valkonen, Pulse of the Forest, (red dot on the map next to Jäkälähalli) and Maiju Ruuskanen & Jere Veijalainen, Majaleikki, (red dot on the map next to wc)
13:00 and 17:00 Imagination Skills: Stage artist Lasse Forsgren reads forest tales (in Finnish), departure from Lepakkohalli
14:00-18:00 Outdoor gallery: Ulla-Mari Lindström, video installation, Jäkälähalli
17:00 Imagination Skills: Recovery coach and doctoral researcher Silja Holma guides Imagining the Future of Meidän metsä (in Finnish), departure from Lepakkohalli
17:00 Embodied Exercises: Forest Yoga by Wellness by Jaana, Kiskoteka method guided by Elisa Suonmaa, and drama activities led by Alma Tiitinen, departure from Liito-oravahalli
Event Area and Services
Meidän metsä! is an outdoor, hiking-oriented festival, and services in the forest are limited. For this reason, we recommend packing your own drinks and snacks in your backpack. However, festival visitors will also have the opportunity to purchase, among other things, lentil soup and sourdough bread prepared by the chefs of Amma Centre. Please bring your own dishes and eating utensils. Non-alcoholic drinks and trail snacks may also be available for purchase at Liito-oravahalli.
Being waste-free means that we ask visitors to take care of their own waste, and no disposable products will be used at the festival.
The toilet area includes urination spots, a dry toilet for bigger needs, and handwashing facilities. The toilet is not accessible.
The event takes place in the forest area of Pieni Neulamäki and in former Finnish Defence Forces storage buildings. The halls have been named after protected species observed in the area. For example, the event hub known as Liito-oravahalli is located closest to the habitat of the Siberian flying squirrel. Inside the hall, you will find the information point, information about the area, its routes, and the alternative land-use plan. The Liito-oravahalli tent stage is also located in the yard outside the hall.
The festival’s second performance stage is located in Lepakkohalli, named after bat sightings made nearby. Several bands will perform in the hall throughout the day.
The event area also features an open-air gallery, with the artworks marked on the event map using red circles.
The forest area of Pieni Neulamäki has remained cohesive and biodiverse despite being located close to the city, and it is home to several species of significant conservation value, including the Siberian flying squirrel and the Glanville fritillary butterfly.
The forest of Pieni Neulamäki, together with its network of gravel roads and forest paths, offers diverse opportunities for outdoor activities such as jogging, mountain biking, trail running, dog walking, hiking, mushroom picking, and berry picking.
Getting there
There are three entrances to the area. Cyclists are recommended to arrive via the old railway bed from the north through Kolmisoppi (Kolmisopenranta) or from the south via the Kylmämäki area, passing the Pieni Neulamäki business district. This route is marked in blue on the map. From the market square, the ride to the festival area along this route takes about half an hour (8.6 km). The third entrance is located in the northeastern part of the area, on the Levänen-side shore of Lake Neulalampi.
For pedestrians, we recommend the northeastern entrance via gravel roads through the forest area from the directions of Kolmisoppi and Leväsentie (approximately 3 km from the bus stops; route marked in brown on the map). Buses 23 (stop: Kolmisoppi) and 21 (stop: Kotokuja) stop closest to this route.
The area can also be reached on foot via the gravel road along the old railway bed (marked in blue on the map) or the forest paths branching off from it (marked in dark green). The route from the Kolmisoppi stop (bus 23, stop: Suvannontie) is approximately 3.5 km long, of which about 2 km is forest trail. The more western trail passes through dramatic rocky pine forest with beautiful views over Pilpanlahti, while the eastern branch begins beneath a steep cliff in a moist old spruce grove. The area can also be reached on foot via forest paths from the Pieni Neulamäki business district.
If you require accessible access to the area, please contact us by email at metsavaki.kuopio@proton.me .
Elonkirjon kaupunki’s alternative plan
The Elonkirjon kaupunki project, funded by the Kone Foundation, has designed an alternative land-use plan for the Pieni Neulamäki area in Kuopio, in which the forested nature is preserved as a habitat for other species and as a recreational and outdoor area for people. Elonkirjon kaupunki describes the plan as follows:
“Pieni Neulamäki is a diverse forest area of about 400 hectares in Kuopio. The partial plan that came into force in 2018 allows almost the entire peninsula to be converted into a business area.
This would lead to the fragmentation of forests, the loss of valuable natural areas, and the disappearance of the site’s significant potential as a nature and recreational area. —
If the plan were implemented, endangered species and habitats, as well as the natural state of the stream, would be put at risk, and the landscape and recreational values would deteriorate.”
