21 000 Ilosaarirock tickets were sold this year, but in reality the number of festival-goers is much higher. Lots of people who haven’t bought a ticket for one reason or another are spending time outside the main festival area.
For example, 22-year-old Juuso Narsakka came all the way from Lappeenranta to hang out outside the festival area. Why on earth?
- For the social side of things. It’s nice to be around other people, especially around like-minded people, says Narsakka.
- I bought a ticket last year, but only saw one band. The rest of the time I spent getting to know people and just checking out the vibes. I can do that outside the festival area too.
Petri Jormanainen, 25, and Jenni Huttunen, 26, come from Mikkeli. They haven’t got wristbands, but their friend Ville Mertanen, 25, has one.
- We came to meet friends, says Jormanainen when asked about their reason for coming.
Huttunen emphasises that the atmosphere is good also outside the festival fences.
- We’re here for a picnic, says Jenni Huttunen.
- It’s a certain kind of festival feeling around here, says Petri Jormanainen about the atmosphere.
Tiina Luukkonen, 24, and Emilia Mutanen, 25, are a living example of the fact that even though you can not get into the festival area without a ticket there is no way the festival spirit would not seep through the barriers to the surrounding area. Neither of them even considered buying a ticket.
-You can hear the music pretty well from the outside, Luukkonen tells.
-And there are the people who have bought a ticket but still spend a lot of time outside the festival area. They bring the festival feeling to the people outside the gate, Mutanen says.
Who would have thought that having fun without an Ilosaarirock ticket is not just pretending.
Teksti: Jarkko Böhm
Kuvat: Liisa Salonen
Translation: Alma Tuominen, Juha Peuhkuri
