Why is the Venetian Festival celebrated far from Italy – on the Arctic Coast of Finland? And why is it held in August?
Chinese fireworks first arrived in Europe through Venice. From there, they spread across the continent, and through maritime trade in the mid-1800s they eventually reached the Finnish capital – and soon also the port towns of the Bothnian Bay. On the western coast of Finland, particularly in the Pietarsaari-Jakobstad and Kalajoki areas, the Venetian Festival – Venetsialaiset in Finnish – has been celebrated for over a century. In Swedish it carries the names Stugsista meaning last night at the summer cottage and lyskväll – night of the light. The coastal region is considered the heartland of Venetian festival celebrations, and today all Arctic Coast destinations host their own version of this celebration, marking the end of the summer, cottage, and boating season.
The Venetian Festival takes place on the last weekend of August, a turning point when the bright nights of summer give way to the dark skies of autumn. Families and friends gather at their cottages, illuminating terraces, piers and beaches with lanterns, candles, and light chains. Bonfires glow once again by the shores, and fireworks reflect on the water. What once was a private cottage tradition has grown into a public celebration: in Kalajoki, for example, thousands of people gather on the famous Kalajoki beach and Sand Dune area to admire Finland’s largest firework event. This is truly amazing as the fireshow is beautifully mirrored by the sea.
The Venetian Festival is both festive and nostalgic – a bittersweet farewell to the warm nights of summer, and at the same time a heartfelt welcome to autumn winds, candlelight, starry skies, and northern lights. Transitioning of seasons is a wonderful moment to pause and reflect, in sync with nature. In nature the shift from summer to autumn comes with deeper colours in the sunsets, the first northern lights and crisp mornings mist over fields of mature grain fields. The first autumn treasures of the forests, blueberries and deliscious cep mushrooms pamper our tastebuds. For visitors, this time offers a unique opportunity to experience Finnish coastal culture in a different light – when water, fire, and tradition come together, harvest season begins and one senses both summer and autumn on the Arctic Coast of Finland.
