Events in the Saimaa region

#saimaamoments

When planning your holiday to the shores of Lake Saimaa, you’ll probably want to keep an eye out for local happenings. Mostly concentrated around the region’s larger towns of Savonlinna, Mikkeli and Varkaus, there are events to suit just about everyone. Sporting events, music festivals, art exhibitions, food events and unique Finnish competitions like mobile phone throwing are all on offer, as well as great street food and markets.

Sports peculiar to the region

Sporting events in the Saimaa region range from the fairly standard to the outright bizarre. Check out local events like running and athletics, roller skating and horse racing in the summer, and a range of winter activities like skiing and skating. There’s also the fun “swamp volleyball” as well as “norsupallo,” or “elephantball,” played similarly to football but with a giant exercise ball!

Art and music events

Music events in the region include the world famous Savonlinna Opera Festival, Mikkeli Music Festival and Varkaus Summer Classical. There are also concerts through the year in addition to outdoor concerts in the summer like St.Olof and St.Michel Summerfest, Elojubilee in the Olavinlinna castle and many more.

Art exhibitions and galleries include the summer gallery of Lossiranta near the centre of Savonlinna, as well as the Johanna Oras Manor Gallery. There you’ll have unique chance to watch the artist, Johanna Oras, work in one of the converted side buildings and see the process from the starting inspiration to the final result.

Check out the local groups and events

Look out locally for adverts and events during your stay around the region. The marketplaces will have local handicrafts on offer as well as delicious native street food. You might also find that a local group has an event on, such as Savonlinna’s Mustanvirran Medieval Society, which has been known to put on displays of archery and traditional skills at the castle, and hosted huge medieval style banquets for the public. Big or small, there’s bound to be something for you from the events of the region!