Arrival
The Soiva Metsä Festival takes place at Soiva Metsä in Kaunisniemi, Suomussalmi, located at Lomakyläntie 26–28, 89600. The site is approximately 7 kilometers from the center of Suomussalmi. Soiva Metsä is situated 110 km north of Kajaani and 145 km south of Kuusamo, along Highway 5. Turn onto Lomakyläntie from Highway 5 and continue driving for about 3 kilometers until you reach Soiva Metsä and the summer theatre area. There are signs at the Highway 5 intersection and along Lomakyläntie to guide you to the destination.
How to get to the festival?
By train and bus
The nearest train station to the festival area is in Kajaani (or Kontiomäki, though buses do not stop at that station). From Kajaani, you can travel to Suomussalmi by bus. The nearest bus stop to the festival is located at the intersection of Highway 5 and Lomakyläntie.
More information on trains: https://www.vr.fi/
More information on buses: https://www.matkahuolto.fi/
By car
There is a limited number of public parking spaces at the festival area, with capacity for approximately 500 visitors. We encourage attendees to park in designated areas in Suomussalmi (Ämmänsaari), if possible, and take the festival shuttle bus to the site.
More information: https://visitsuomussalmi.fi/en/travelling-by-car/
Parking instructions:
Follow the directions given by traffic controllers.
Always park so that you do not block any public access routes—emergency access roads must remain clear at all times to ensure that emergency vehicles can reach the festival area.
The designated parking area for campers is located 2.6 kilometers from the festival site, at Lomakyläntie 2, 89600 Suomussalmi.
A larger parking area in the center of Suomussalmi (Ämmänsaari) is located on the grounds of Ruukinkangas School, at Rukinkatu 5, 89600 Suomussalmi.
Festival shuttle bus
A shuttle bus runs several times a day between the Soiva Metsä Festival area and the central square (tori) of Suomussalmi (Ämmänsaari). It’s also easy to hop on the bus at the stop next to the Ruukinkangas School parking area and from the campers’ parking area.
Group transport between Helsinki–Suomussalmi and Tampere–Suomussalmi
Soiva Metsä Festival offers a paid round-trip group transport service between Helsinki and Suomussalmi, and between Tampere and Suomussalmi.
You can also board the bus at various stops along the route. The Helsinki-bound bus picks up passengers along Highway 5 in Mikkeli and Kuopio, while the Tampere-bound bus stops in Jyväskylä and Iisalmi.
The festival bus takes you conveniently straight to Soiva Metsä and offers a great chance to get to know fellow festivalgoers along the way. On the way to the festival, the bus stops in the center of Suomussalmi for a 30-minute shopping break—perfect for picking up any last-minute festival snacks before heading into the forest.
Schedule
Helsinki – Suomussalmi / Suomussalmi – Helsinki
Departure: July 2, 2025 – Departing from Helsinki at 10:30 AM, arriving at Soiva Metsä around 9:00 PM
Return: July 7, 2025 – Departing from Soiva Metsä at 9:00 AM, arriving in Helsinki around 6:35 PM
Reserve spot to the Helsinki–Suomussalmi festival bus here!
Tampere – Suomussalmi / Suomussalmi – Tampere
Departure: Wednesday, July 2 – Departing from Tampere at 10:00 AM, arriving at Soiva Metsä around 8:00 PM
Return: Sunday, July 6 – Departing from Soiva Metsä at 6:30 PM, arriving in Tampere around 3:30 AM (July 7)
Reserve spot to the Tampere–Suomussalmi festival bus here!
Reserve your seat for the group transport by May 30, 2025!
Full bus details and booking information can be found in the registration form.
Please note: This bus trip requires a minimum number of participants. If not enough reservations are made by May 30, the trip will be canceled, and all those who have booked will be notified.
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is also a great way to get to the festival. It’s easy to make your way toward Suomussalmi via Highway 5, whether you're coming from the north or the south.
Carpooling
If you’re driving to the festival or looking for a ride, you can offer or request a ride here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/4085351888365244/?notif_id=1746509648603033¬if_t=group_complete_new_creation&ref=notif
Accommodation
Camping
There is a designated area near the festival site where you can camp with your own equipment. A limited number of spots are also available for camper vans, but due to the limited space, please make a separate reservation by emailing: soivametsafestivaali@gmail.com
Washing and sanitary facilities for campers
A lake borders Soiva Metsä, and swimming is allowed. There is a beach near both the festival area and the camping site. The camping area includes two portable toilets, and the nearest flush toilets are about 200 meters away.
There is also a floating sauna at the festival site. For proper washing facilities, we recommend visiting the Kiannon Kuohut Spa.
You can also look for accommodation independently through the SMF Accommodation Facebook group or via the Suomussalmi Facebook group.
Other accommodation options in Suomussalmi:
Hotel Kiannon Kuohut
https://kiannonkuohut.fi/Majatalo Oilola
https://visitsuomussalmi.fi/tuote/majatalo-oilola/
Accessibility
Soiva Metsä and the festival village are accessible by car. The forest trails that lead through Soiva Metsä—where the forest instruments and many of the art installations are located—have been widened, are relatively level, and have firm surfaces. Portions of these trails are wheelchair accessible, but some inclines and declines along the forest paths are quite steep.
Most of the festival's performances and artworks can be accessed with a wheelchair or limited mobility, but due to the long distances and steep terrain, we strongly recommend bringing a personal assistant. Some areas and installations, such as the floating sauna and certain site-specific works, are unfortunately not accessible.
In addition to the widened trails, there are narrower paths in the terrain that are not accessible. These lead deeper into the forest. We encourage all visitors to primarily use the marked trails, but stepping off them is allowed when necessary—such as when attending performances or exploring and discovering personal favorite spots in the forest.
The festival area includes a total of 12 flush toilets and 5 portable toilets. In the festival village, there are 13 flush toilets in the service building, one of which is an accessible toilet (accessible via a ramp). Portable toilets are located at the campsite and at the far end of the nature trail. Additionally, there is one accessible portable toilet along the nature trail. Please refer to the map for the exact locations of the restrooms.
Other important information
Food and drink
Food stalls at the festival area:
JanPen Thai Food Truck
Retiree’s pancake-sausage-coffee stand
Tonttubaari (Elf Bar), serving 100 vegan meals on Saturday and Sunday.
All food vendors at the festival will have vegan options available.
There are water stations at the festival village and near the forest stage. Recycling points are located throughout the festival area. Please refer to the festival map for the exact locations of the water and recycling stations.
What to pack for Soiva Metsä and consider for the forest festival
It’s important to be prepared with weather-resistant and warm clothing, as the entire festival program takes place outdoors. Additionally, we recommend bringing your own seating pad, eating utensils, swimwear, and a towel.
We also encourage everyone to bring their own musical instrument. We will organize several open jam sessions at the festival, and there is an open stage where anyone is welcome to perform! Also, bring a USB stick, as those interested can play during the open deck event on Saturday night.
If you’re camping, we encourage you to pack all the necessary camping gear, as well as a portable stove (Trangia) for your own forest cooking!
As a visitor, please keep in mind that getting to performance areas and settling in may take some time, as the seating areas are mostly located on different slopes in the terrain, where the audience is free to arrange themselves on seating pads. There will be seating pads available close to most performance locations. For most performance areas, there will be dedicated spaces for accessible seating and a few bench seats.
Services in Suomussalmi
Soiva Metsä is located 7 km by car and approximately 5 km on foot from the center of Suomussalmi. In the town center, you will find grocery stores (K-market, S-market, K-supermarket, Tokmanni), the Kiannon Kuohut spa hotel, a pharmacy, a gas station, a health center, a flea market, and a few specialty stores. The adult entry fee to the Kiannon Kuohut spa is 8.30€.
Kiannon Kuohut Spa:
https://www.suomussalmi.fi/fi/kulttuuri-vapaa-aika-ja-nuoret/kylpyla-kiannon-kuohut
Suomussalmi:
https://suomussalmi.fi/fi
Located 2.6 km from Soiva Metsä, at the intersection of Highway 5 and Lomakyläntie, there is a fantastic flea market & antique store called Kiannan Aitta.https://visitsuomussalmi.fi/tuote/kiannan-aitta/
