A weekend at the Midnight Sun Festival in Lake Worth Beach
Written By:
Minea Herwitz
By Minea Lindqvist Herwitz, FFN Communications Director
You may have seen pictures from Florida’s Midnight Sun Festival: a man sprinting through a sunny park with a woman slung over his shoulder, Finnish flags and palm trees in the background, and a crowd of smiling spectators looking on. Those iconic images were exactly what I had in mind as I walked into Bryant Park in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, for my first time at the Midnight Sun Festival, which has now been around for 43 years.
Unlike many Finnish festivals I’ve attended around the country, this one is entirely outdoors. But of course, this is Florida. Even in winter it feels like summer. Many of the Finns I met here call themselves snowbirds — they spend their summers in Finland and their winters in Florida, effectively creating a year-round summer. Not a bad way to live!
What struck me in the first hour was how many people walking by were speaking Finnish to each other. In many Finnish-American communities in New England or the Midwest, the language connection has faded over generations (though the desire to keep the language prevails!). But in Florida there are many more recent arrivals from Finland, so you hear Finnish spoken quite a bit.
Executive Director Thomas Flanagan with FF Florida Chapter President Reija Kilpinen and Vice President Anna-Lisa Jakobsson–Zaffke
The sun and rain both came out in full force that weekend, but the tents were up and the Finns were out. Vendor booths lined the park. A large beer garden tent stood near the main stage, where live music carried across the grounds throughout the day. Finnish organizations arrived one after another, setting up tables and displays. My first thought was simple:
Wow — Florida is very Finnish.
The Midnight Sun Festival takes place in Palm Beach County’s Bryant Park, in an area that actually has one of the largest Finnish-American populations in the United States, along with the Upper Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, and New England. Still, I always find it fascinating that so many Finnish people ended up here.
Some stories trace the migration back to Finnish women who worked as domestic helpers for wealthy New York families. When rail lines expanded south, many traveled further down the coast in search of warmer climates. Later, the invention of air conditioning made South Florida far more livable year-round, and more Finns followed. Over time, Florida quietly became a surprising hub of Finnish life.
The Midnight Sun Festival itself is entirely volunteer-run. The core leadership team includes Tiina Rogers (president), Pepe Tiilikka (vice president), Kirsi Proctor (secretary), and Jutta Seeberg (treasurer). Around fifty volunteers help before, during, and after the event. They set up fencing and parking areas, organize programming, staff the information booth, and run the beer garden — yes, there is definitely a beer garden. A planning committee of about thirteen members meets monthly to keep the whole operation running.
Executive Director Thomas Flanagan with Midnight Sun Festival President Tiina Rogers
The atmosphere feels a bit like a county fair in a subtropical climate — but with people from the deep north. When thunderstorms passed through on Saturday, there was a scent in the air that almost reminded me of the humid forests of Finnish summer. The palm trees, however, made it clear that we weren’t in Finland anymore.
Kaija Kalerva, Kaarlo Kalervo, and Peter Mäkelä
Hundreds of people gathered that weekend: Finns, Finnish-Americans, and plenty of curious neighbors and visitors. Everyone was there to enjoy the wonderful and sometimes quirky traditions that make Finnish culture so memorable — from wife-carrying races to Karelian pies. People of all ages and backgrounds filled the park, smiling, laughing, and soaking up the sun.
The wife-carrying competitors celebrate their wins!
The festival kicked off Friday evening with live music from Nashville legend Jay Valor, who serenaded the crowd as people settled in for the weekend. There was even a mixology competition to get things started. The event also marked the first time many local Finns and Finnish-Americans heard from newly appointed Honorary Consul of Finland, Jaana Piira, who welcomed guests to the festival alongside the mayor of Lantana, Karen Lythgoe.
Saturday brought one of the festival’s highlights: Taste of Finland, a celebration of Finnish cuisine. There were pastries, cured salmon (graavilohi), and even shots of salmiakki liqueur — definitely not for the faint of heart, but unmistakably a taste of Finland, albeit an acquired one.
Finland House / Suomi Talo team offering karelian pies during the Taste of Finland competition
For the kids, one of the most delightful events was the hobby horse race. Inspired by Finland’s wildly creative hobby-horse culture, children ran a small course with toy horses, jumping obstacles and racing toward the “Finnish line.” At the end, medals were handed out to the winners, though everyone seemed to feel like a champion. Nearby, the kids’ zone offered crafts and activities designed to introduce younger generations to Finnish culture.
Music continued throughout the weekend, including performances by Steve Solkela, Finnish America’s quirkiest (and only) accordion-playing unicyclist, along with Finnish singer Nina Tapio, a well-known performer in Finland who has built a long career as a singer, songwriter, musical actor, and session musician. Festivalgoers also enjoyed performances by Hanna Pakarinen, the Finnish pop and pop-rock singer who first rose to national fame after winning the inaugural season of Finland’s Idols in 2004.
Performers flanking headliners Nina Tapio and Hanna Pakarainen.
Then came Sunday — the moment everyone had been waiting for.
The Wife Carrying Contest.
This internationally recognized Finnish sport, known as eukonkanto, is the festival’s most famous event. The master of ceremonies, Jan Mikael Pennanen, climbed up a tall ladder to oversee the race and explain the tradition to the crowd. According to the playful origin story, Finnish men once had to carry their future wives across snow or swamp to bring them home. Over time, the legend turned into one of Finland’s most beloved and humorous competitions.
Contestants sprinted across the course with partners slung over their shoulders or on their backs, navigating obstacles like kiddie-pool “lakes” while the crowd cheered. The grand prize? Traditionally, the wife’s weight in beer — or in this case, Finnish Long Drink.
But beyond the laughter and playful chaos, the festival also represents something deeper. South Florida once had an estimated 30,000 Finns living in the region, and over the years they’ve organized themselves into many different groups centered around shared interests and traditions. At the festival you could see just how vibrant that network remains.
There was a table from Finlandia Foundation Florida, a local chapter of Finlandia Foundation National, whose president Reija Kilpinen’s smile is enough to light up the Florida sky. Suomi Talo / Finland House was also represented — a remarkable venue built in the 1940s that continues to host cultural events throughout the year. The Kerhotalo (American Finnish Club) community group was there as well, longtime partners and supporters of Finlandia Foundation National and our Saving Finland in America campaign. And the list of Finnish organizations goes on, from the Finnish American Chamber of Commerce Florida to Lepokoti, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, and our friend Mikko Koskinen, editor-in-chief of Amerikan Uutiset, the United States’ last Finnish-language newspaper.
In fact, the number of Finnish groups in the area is almost dizzying. Yet everyone seems to know one another, and they all work together toward the same goal: keeping Finnish culture alive and shared.
Finlandia Foundation National is proud to be a sponsor of the Midnight Sun Festival and to help amplify this joyful gathering alongside our chapter in Florida. This festival tells a Finnish story here in the United States, but also back in Finland — reminding people that far from the Nordic forests, there is still a community thriving and celebrating its heritage.
It may not be the boreal forest — but the palm trees will do.
To the volunteers and organizers who keep this festival alive year after year: thank you. Thank you for welcoming us with open arms. It is truly wonderful to see Finland brought to life here, passed from older generations to younger ones through joy, humor, and community spirit.
We hope to see you all again next year.
Learn more at midnightsunfest.org
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