Kaustinen folk festival draws 6,000 fiddlers

The 59th Kaustinen Folk Music Festival is under way this week, with 800 bands from 15 countries and more than 6,000 fiddlers performing in the central Ostrobothnian municipality of 4,000, Yle reports.

The fiddle is deeply rooted in Kaustinen’s identity, even featuring in the municipal coat of arms and a central roundabout. In 2021, Kaustinen fiddle playing was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Nearly 400 children signed up for this summer’s Näppäri beginner fiddle course, forcing organisers to split it into two sessions. Additional courses in Kerava and Kuhmo drew hundreds more.

Last year’s Konsta Jylhä competition winners, Erkki Virkkala, 19, and Iikka Huntus, 17, are preparing to record their first album together. The duo, who met through the Näppäri programme, now perform in several line-ups, including the Veikko Virkkala Band, which blends folk with rock and jazz.

“The fiddle grows on you. It almost feels alive,” Huntus said.