Ilosaarirock Festival | |
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Genre | Heavy metal, punk rock, rock |
Dates | Second full weekend of July |
Location(s) | Joensuu, Finland |
Years active | 1971 – present |
Founded by | Joensuu Pop Musicians' Association |
Website | ilosaarirock |
The Ilosaarirock Festival is an annual rock festival held on the second weekend of July in Joensuu, Eastern Finland. Founded in 1971, Ilosaarirock is the second oldest rock festival in Finland still active, and one of the oldest in Europe. [1] In 2007 the event had 21,000 daily visitors. The festival sold out in advance every year from 1998 to 2011. [2]
Ilosaarirock is an entity of events that in its entirety, with clubs and side-events, spans Friday to Sunday. The actual festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday. The festival site, called Laulurinne, stages performances on five separate stages with over 50 artists. [3] Including all events, Ilosaarirock weekend hosts over 100 artists.
Ilosaarirock is organized mainly by volunteers and is put together by over 1,500 volunteer workers. The Ilosaarirock festival’s graphic look is chosen through an open design contest every year. The Ilosaarirock festival is organised by Joensuu Pop Musicians' Association, which is a non-profit organisation. The profits of the festival are used to support the North Karelian music scene, bands and artists.
Joensuu is a city and municipality in North Karelia, Finland, located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä at the mouth of the Pielinen River (Pielisjoki). It was founded in 1848 by Russian Emperor Nicholas I. The population of Joensuu is 77,958, and the economic region of Joensuu has a population of 115,000. It is the 12th largest city in Finland. The nearest major city, Kuopio in North Savonia, is located 136 kilometres (85 mi) to the west. From Joensuu, the distance to Lappeenranta, the capital of South Karelia, is 233 kilometres (145 mi) along Highway 6.
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