FinnFestUSA
FinnFest USA is a summer festival held annually in locations throughout the United States of America. Aiming to celebrate Finland, Finnish America, and Finnish culture, the festival is organized by a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with a national office maintained by its president, located presently in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The first annual festival was held in Minneapolis with approximately 1,000 people attending. Subsequent festivals have taken place in cities through the country, hosted by communities with connections to Finnish-American cultural history. Attendance has varied from 2,000 to 7,000, depending on location. Many attendants and performers and lecturers visiting from Finland. Festival events include lectures, concerts, films, theatrical performances, dances, exhibitions, and ceremonies. The festivals are financed by registration fees, event tickets, raffles, and many forms of donation and sponsorship.
[edit] Past FinnFest USA Locations
- 1983: Leamington Hotel and Loring Park (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
- 1984: Fitchburg State College (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
- 1985: Suomi College (Hancock, Michigan)
- 1986: University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley, California)
- 1987: Schoolcraft Community College (Detroit, Michigan)
- 1988: University of Delaware (Newark, Delaware)
- 1989: University of Washington (Seattle, Washington)
- 1990: Suomi College (Hancock, Michigan)
- 1991: Bryant Park (Lake Worth, Florida)
- 1992: University of Minnesota-Duluth (Duluth, Minnesota)
- 1993: California Lutheran University (Thousand Oaks, California)
- 1994: Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, Illinois)
- 1995: Lewis and Clark College (Portland, Oregon)
- 1996: Northern Michigan University (Marquette, Michigan)
- 1997: Minot Fairgrounds & All Seasons Arena (Minot, North Dakota)
- 1998: University of Southern Maine-Gorham (Gorham, Maine)
- 1999: University of Washington (Seattle, Washington)
- 2000: FinnGrandFest: Mel Lastman Square (Toronto, Ontario)
- 2001: Villanova University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- 2002: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
- 2004: Bryant Park (Lake Worth, Florida)
- 2005: FinnGrandFest: Northern Michigan University (Marquette, Michigan)
- 2006: Astoria and Naselle High Schools (Astoria, Oregon and Naselle, Washington)
- 2007: Kent State University (Ashtabula, Ohio)
- 2008: University of Minnesota-Duluth, the City of Duluth, and the Duluth Convention and Visitors’ Bureau (Duluth, Minnesota)
- 2009: Alaska Cruise (including on-shore programming in Sitka, Alaska and Juneau, Alaska)
- 2010: FinnGrandFest (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario)
- 2011: Town and Country Resort & Conference Center (San Diego, California)
[edit] Scheduled Future Festival Locations
- 2012: Tucson, Arizona
- 2013: Keeweenaw Peninsula, Michigan
[edit] External links
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