Odysseus Festival to be held as free events in Helsinki's Torikorttelit

Helsinki's Torikorttelit will host the Odysseus Festival, an event dedicated to adventurous music, offering three free events this summer. Traditionally, the festival has featured a broad range of artists without singling out headliners or specifying their nationalities, fostering an egalitarian approach.

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Our idea is non-commercial, the festival always requires supporters. Additionally, we have an ideological basis and the goal is to discuss equality in the music industry.

This year, the lineup has been condensed from dozens of acts to six. Artistic director Matti Nives explained the festival's non-commercial ethos and its aim to promote discussion on equality within the music industry. He noted that while they don't claim superiority over other festivals, their smaller scale allows them to highlight different values.

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We are not trying to say we are better than any other festival, but as a smaller player, we can highlight different values.

Nives shared that the festival faced significant funding challenges after the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) reduced its support last year. He described the situation as losing an engine mid-flight but managing a controlled landing. Despite these hurdles, the festival continues, now partnering with Helsingin Kaupunkitilat (Helsinki City Spaces).

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For us, it was a bit like the second engine of an airplane shutting down mid-flight. However, we managed to land safely on one engine. This year, the event continues, which is the most important thing.

The festival's schedule includes performances by Finnish indie artist Islaja and rap group Täydil on July 15. The following days feature guitarist Shane Parrish performing music by electronic group Autechre, saxophonist Heli Hartikainen, guitarist Grande Mahogany (Jesse Essel), and singer-songwriter Felix Alexander Lybeck. Previously held on Lonna island and Korjaamo, the festival has garnered positive attention.

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I was left with a very positive feeling from the dialogue with the agency. At the same time, I felt that funding could not be relied upon now, so we are organizing the event on a smaller scale. Fortunately, this year we gained Helsingin Kaupunkitilat as a partner.