19:59 Don't even try to hide the booze!

The Finns are very very innovative when it comes to trying to smuggle booze into the festival area. It says clearly in the festival rules that you are not allowed to bring your own booze into the area, yet the festival goers come up with loads of different ways every year.

Over the years they've hidden the booze in the weirdest of places. An old favourite is inside a Princles tube but it's mostly found inside clothes. Somebody's even baked a loaf bread with a bottle inside! Couple of years ago somebody tried to smuggle a whole load of beer inside an old sofa as they're allowed into the area- it's tradition to buy an old one from a recycling centre and then chuck it away at the end of the festival.

Virpi Repo who's worked at the festival for nine years remembers one case last year: a girl pretended to be pregnant but it turned out her specially made fake belly contained several bottles of booze.

Riitta Jalkanen has a lot of experience as a festival security officer as well:
"The oldest trick in the book are vodka watermelons and we tell people with those to head straight for the Booze Park (where you can leave your drinks for safe keeping for free)
"It's handy that I have kids as they can tell me the latest gossip...where people are thinking of hiding the booze next", she laughs.

But all in all the security staff think the festival goers are a well behaved bunch even though they try to trick them sometimes.

"Most people respect the rules and finish their drinks before entering the site."

Anu Pöntinen
Translation: Lärwi xxx
Pic: Minna Pahkin

PS: Just by the by on the Ilosaari Discussion Board (in Finnish) there is a thread where somebody suggested coming to the festival area maybe a couple of weeks before and digging a hole to hide the booze in. Er, good idea except...what about if there is a stage on top of it or an angry skinhead?

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