Kyröfest whisky festival expands to two days after decade of success

The Kyröfest whisky festival in Isokyrö, organised by rye whisky distillery Kyrö Distillery, is marking its 10th anniversary by expanding to two days, Yle reports. The festival has sold out in recent years.

The event, held on the banks of the Kyrö River in a municipality of just over 4,000 residents, has become known for its strong atmosphere and unusual programme. This year, visitors can take part in a whisky experience in a sauna, where whisky is poured onto the sauna stove.

Mikko Koskinen, managing director of Kyrö Distillery’s visitor centre and one of the distillery’s founding members, leads the sauna tastings. Participants mix whisky with the water used to create steam, close their eyes and consider the impressions it evokes.

Small festivals are attracting interest in Finland, partly because their tickets are often cheaper than those for larger events. LiveFIN executive director Jenna Lahtinen says that around 470 traditional popular music festivals are expected to be held in Finland this summer, most of them with fewer than 5,000 visitors.

Lahtinen says village and neighbourhood celebrations, park concerts, multidisciplinary arts festivals and food and drink events are currently popular. Rising travel and accommodation costs also make smaller local events more appealing.

Such events bring money to the surrounding area and strengthen local identity, Lahtinen says. They can also create pride in the fact that a cultural event is being organised in one’s own community.

Kyröfest is expecting about 2,000 visitors this year. The festival is built around the distillery’s brand, with programmes including whisky fortune-telling, cocktail workshops and a flower-crown workshop. Indie and alternative music are also central to the event.

According to Koskinen, the festival’s reputation for a good atmosphere has helped it attract well-known artists. Visitors often begin buying tickets for the following year as soon as the festival’s closing fireworks end.

The festival has been organised for the past decade by Toni Sivula, the former managing director of the distillery’s visitor centre. A core team of six or seven people works on the event, while employees from Kyrö Distillery and the visitor centre also take part. Around 100 volunteers help with the arrangements, bringing the total number of people involved to about 150.

The organisers decided to launch the festival after their gin was selected as the world’s best in 2015. The first Kyröfest, held in 2016, attracted just under 1,000 visitors. Since then, the organisers have improved their preparations, including ensuring sufficient food, drink and toilets and keeping the programme running smoothly.