Following the cancellation of this spring’s event, World Village Festival is making changes starting 2021. The festival is moving to the Suvilahti events area, clarifying its concept and seeking a new name with a public competition. By taking an audience survey, you can help shape the future of the festival.
World Village Festival has been part of Helsinki’s spring for 25 years and is changing location from Kaisaniemi Park and Railway Square to the Suvilahti events area, next to Sörnäinen and Kalasatama. The festival will be held in late May even in the future, with next year’s festival dates set for 29–30 May 2021. The theme of the festival will be the future, which was intended as the theme of the cancelled 2020 festival.
– Kaisaniemi Park is set to undergo renovations at some point, which gave us inspiration to start the festival renewal. We have been looking for the kinds of versatile indoor spaces that Suvilahti offers for a while now. The Suvilahti area is well known and a terrific venue for a refreshed World Village Festival, says Nelli Korpi, the festival’s communications and fundraising manager.
Many changes, but the same heart
The festival will also revise its content and visual image. World Village Festival will continue to be, at its heart, an arena for global issues, an NGO showcase as well as a colourful and joyful free event for all ages.
– Going forward, we will be focusing especially on an impressive talks programme. The festival’s theme will rise in prominence to become a thread that runs through the entire event. Of course, the festival will also feature a diverse line-up of world music, top domestic artists and children’s music. Other core elements are the cuisines from around the world, hundreds of trade fair stands and our documentary films programme, says Johanna Eurakoski, programme manager of the festival.
Suggest a new name, win a Pelago bicycle
The festival organisation calling out the audience to participate in the event’s development. An audience survey gives an opportunity for the public to be heard about the highlights of the festival, what could be changed and what should be added. The name is also on the table: will the event continue to be called World Village Festival, or should it change to something else?
A naming competition has been opened to the public with a Pelago bicycle as a prize. The bicycle will be awarded to the winning suggestion, or raffled among all participants if a new name is not chosen from the suggestions. All audience survey respondents can also enter into a draw for one of 30 t-shirts designed for the 2020 festival.
The audience survey and naming competition close on 24 May. You can participate through the festival’s social media channels, the online audience survey and via email info@maailmakylassa.fingo.fi.
The festival is also mapping out thoughts and development ideas from the event’s stakeholders. A separate survey directed at stakeholders will be sent to all organisations connected to the festival. One can also participate in the naming competition through the stakeholder survey.
Further information
Nelli Korpi, communications and fundraising manager, nelli.korpi@fingo.fi, +358 50 317 6698
