Jutajaiset Folklore Festival

Jutajaiset, first staged in Sodankyla in 1973 as a showcase of Lapland folk music and village tradition, relocated to Rovaniemi during Finland's 1990s recession and grew into a broader folklore and performing arts festival there. Its programming has since expanded from strictly traditional music to a wider mix of styles, while retaining folklore as its core identity.

Jutajaiset traces its origin to 1973, when the first edition, then called Summer Jutajaiset, was staged in Sodankyla with more than a hundred folk musicians and singers performing, born from a desire in 1970s Lapland to create a dedicated event for folk music and regional tradition that could showcase the distinct cultural practices of different villages across the north.