World Village, a free festival for sustainable development and global discussion, is announcing its first performers. SANNI, Nicole Willis & Gospel Helsinki and Tarja Halonen are among the many performers and speakers. The festival will take place on 29–30 May in Suvilahti, Helsinki – or virtually.
Tens of thousands of people attend World Village Festival every year, and due to the pandemic, the festival organizers are preparing for possible crowd size limitations and other security measures.
– The festival will take place this year, no matter what. A hundred percent virtual festival is also one possibility, if the pandemic situation is still severe at the end of May. The Speaker’s Stage programme will be livestreamed like in previous years, and if we carry out the festival virtually, you will also be able to watch cinema, concerts and kids programme online, says the festival’s Communications Manager Nelli Korpi.
– Naturally our hope is that we can bring people together in Suvilahti – I also believe that our hundreds of exhibitors and tens of performers wish for the same thing. But of course, everything depends on what the officials are instructing, and how far ahead the situation can be predicted. Organizing such a large-scale event means we must make a decision on how the festival will be implemented in March, Korpi notes.
Sustainable future as the festival theme
At this point the festival will release that will carry out regardless of how the festival takes place. One of Finland’s top artists SANNI will perform either on the festival’s music stage, or via a live streamed concert. Nicole Willis, who is originally from the United States but has lived in Finland for years, will perform in a one-of-a-kind show with the Gospel Helsinki -choir, either at the festival or in a church concert that will be live streamed. The concert will be produced by the festival’s main partner, the Helsinki Federation of Parishes (Helsingin Seurakuntayhtymä).
World Village Festival will feature discussions, keynote speeches and documentary films about the state and future of the world. This year, the focus is particularly on a sustainable future.
– We have several interesting cinema screenings regarding the theme. At this stage we are releasing iHuman documentary film, which is about the future of artificial intelligence, says festival Programme Manager Johanna Eurakoski.
The factual programme will feature, among others, president Tarja Halonen who will be speaking about a sustainable future. Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and the Minister for Development Cooperation and Trade Ville Skinnari will be engaging in a discussion as part of the programme produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, a main partner for the festival.
Mayor of Helsinki Jan Vapaavuori is acting as the patron of the festival.
Trade fair stands and advertising space available
The festival’s Trade Fair stands can be reserved until 22.2.2021. You should also take note of the festival’s advertising space, which will be available regardless of how the festival is implemented. By advertising you can let people know that you are a part of a network of sustainable actors and a front runner in the field of sustainable development. Advertising spots can be booked until 1.4.2021. Read more about advertising opportunities and trade fair possibilities.
More information
Nelli Korpi, Communications and Fundraising Manager, nelli.korpi@fingo.fi, +358 50 317 6698
Johanna Eurakoski, Programme Manager, johanna.eurakoski@fingo.fi, +358 50 317 6696
Flickr image gallery (all images can be used by the media)
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World Village Festival will take place 29.–30.5.2021 in Suvilahti area of Helsinki and/or virtually online maailmakylassa.fi. The event is free of charge. More information about the festival programme will be released in February, and a final decision about how the festival will be implemented is made latest in March. The festival offers a range of versatile and high-quality programmes ranging from discussions to music, from documentary films to kids’ programme, delicious culinary culture and hundreds of exhibitors. We bring people together because only together we can change the world. The event is organized by Finnish Development NGOs Fingo ry, which is an umbrella organization for approximately 280 development organizations. The main partners of the festival are the Helsinki Federation of Parishes, Ministry of Environment, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Commission in Finland, European Parliament Information Office in Finland, and Maailman kuvalehti -magazine.
