Equity and inclusivity take centre stage at Flow, Helsinki's flagship music festival, where electric line-ups meet social consciousness. Amy Rose Everett applauds Finns for daring to do things differently.

Exploring Helsinki, one finds a handful of things to be ubiquitous: Moomins, Marimekko, and smart nods to sustainability and innovation.

Everything works. The trains are clean, quiet, and on time. Hundreds of commuter scooters and bikes line the streets. A UNESCO City of Design (the world’s first city to hire a chief design officer), the Design District is teeming with pre-loved fashion outlets, and ingenious concept stores.       Recycled handbags fashioned from salmon skin? Sure. Zero-waste restaurants? You got it (pioneering Nolla is one of the best in the world). Vegetarian and vegan-centric restaurants are easily found, championing basic principles of regeneration. Reducing its emissions by nearly one third since 1990, Helsinki is on the road to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. It’s fitting, then, that the city’s flagship summer music festival proudly embodies these already embedded commitments.Like thousands of other attendees, I took the HSL tram to the former power plant Suvilahti, the cultural hub of Helsinki, to find out more.

For another year, it’d been rumoured this year’s festival - its 20th anniversary bash - would be the last held at the iconic venue. Clever PR move or not, crowds were record-breaking, with visitor numbers reaching 92,000 across three days to watch the likes of IDLES, Overmono, Vince Staples, PJ Harvey, Alvvays and more.A triumph of queer visibility, an all-embracing crowd streamed in from Friday to Sunday, bolstered by acts including bisexual pop megastar Halsey and non-binary psychedelic funk singer Janelle Monáe, plus Finland’s own non-binary rap sensation Yeboyah.

The 27 year-old’s politically-charged show drew crowds despite their early time slot, finishing with a raucous celebration of drag ball culture and  trans rights, dancers brandishing the flags of Ghana, Palestine and LGBTQI+ Pride.Yeboyah tells Globetrender that Flow festival reflects her own commitment to inclusivity and reinvention through music.

“It’s a celebration of how different we can be. I believe in people; I feel like they’re ready for it. My mother always taught me to be on the side of the bullied, or marginalised. If you don’t speak up about a bully, you too are the bully.”

Famously vocal champions of inclusivity, LBGTQ+ allies Jessie Ware and RAYE also joined the roster, proudly part of the European Keychange initiative, which seeks to balance gender representation in the music industry.Flow hit its target ahead of schedule, with 55 per cent of performers in 2022 featuring women, trans, or non-binary artists. A huge 94 per cent of Flow attendees in 2023 expressed their approval of this commitment to equality.

Right now this feels like an unimaginable success for equivalent top festivals in the UK, where just 13% of UK headliners were female in 2022. Artists and revellers are still reeling from the Government’s rejection of recommendations that would help protect and support women following January’s damning Misogyny In Music report. Representation on lock, sustainability is clearly top of mind for the Finns. Entering the arena, the first thing a punter sees is the now iconic "Flow" sign; the scene of many a selfie, it’s pointedly pieced together from recycled materials.

A partnership with the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation protected 5.3 hectares of old-growth forest in 2023, ensuring offset measures are in place for any unavoidable material use and emissions.This is a festival serious about its messaging - house rules instructing proper waste disposal are plastered on surfaces all around. This is reflected in the food offering, something most festival-goers check out at some stage or another. Every vendor at Flow is required to offer at least one vegan dish, with many focusing entirely on plant-based options. (As of 2022, the festival removed red meat and poultry from all of its menus, which immediately cut the climate impact of its food offerings by 50 per cent compared to previous years.)

This year, N4ku Ravintola was crowned Flow’s Sustainable Food Winner, pairing fresh banh mi made with local ingredients, rice porridge, and natural wines.

To properly measure these efforts, organisers have collaborated with sustainability experts at D-Mat, launching an ambitious research initiative called "Flow Impacts” which thoroughly assesses the environmental consequences of the festival.This ongoing project uses a specially designed tool to calculate the festival’s carbon emissions and consumption of natural resources – how many other festivals are doing that? Even leftover materials from the build are either reused or donated. 

Using insights gathered from the 2023 festival, Flow reduced its carbon footprint by 765 tons of CO₂e from the previous year, as well as decreasing its material usage by 639 tons compared to 2022. I was inspired to see this mindful planning and execution underpinned by the organiser's desire to share knowledge, too; a programme of inspiring Flow Talks features discussions around sustainability from various angles. 

This year, Michelin star chef Kozeen Shiwan partnered with Oatly to create an entirely plant-based menu, while researcher Essi Pöyry from the University of Helsinki’s Consumer Research Center answered questions about her research on sustainability marketing.

Ervin Latimer discussed responsibility – and irresponsibility – with a discerning crowd of fashion lovers dressed to the nines, and accessibility consultant Atso Ahonen from Riesa Consultative considered how accessibility, equality, and disability rights should be realised in cultural events.All this at the same festival that saw dance music phenomenon Fred Again shoot through the sky via a hidden hydraulic platform, Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker belt out Common People and experimental electronic band KOKOKO! perform under a mesmerising light up balloon; a deservedly big moment for the band from humble beginnings in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.

 Refreshing and multi-layered, this is a festival with many sides, and should be globally recognised as such.More intimate, subculture-focused experiences are hidden down alleyways and under tree canopies; the Resident Advisor Front Yard pumps with quality underground electronic music from talented selectors (Helena Hauff and Job Jobse were personal highlights), while the Backyard’s indie, alternative selections create a laid-back respite from bigger crowds.In addition to its work on stage, Flow actively supports marginalised communities through various initiatives. Its partnership with the "We Speak Gay" community reaffirms its dedication to creating an inclusive space, while work with Startup Refugees provides refugees and immigrants with opportunities within the festival’s workforce.

It’s heartening to experience this combination of environmental and social initiatives in such a dynamic, multi-faceted and above all, fun space.Bouncing between smaller, intimate venues and iconic headline acts on main stages, crowds felt safe, manageable and happy – as they should. I was reminded of the die-hard Glastonbury Festival fans compelled to admit that 2024’s event was overcrowded, at times dangerously so.

Even longtime champions of environmental causes, inclusivity and wellbeing certainly have something to learn from the Nordics.Flow Festival has established itself as a trailblazer, proving that large-scale events can successfully balance entertainment with a commitment to ecological and social responsibility while turning a profit.

Pop behemoths, genre-bending sound artists and alternative creators all have a place here, the definition of a safe space. The notion of music lovers uniting to support the one Earth we all share is not only poetic - it’s essential.

Photo credits: Konstantin Kondrukhov, Samuli Pentti / Flow Festival, Petri Anttila, Andrew Taylor, Angelina Ilmast

Green travel in Helsinki

• Public transport

Flow Festival provides free bike parking, but if you prefer to catch the bus, tram or train, Helsinki is well connected. HSL organises additional night services on the Helsinki metro during Flow festival weekend. 

• Electric scooters 

Bird, Bolt, Lime, Ryde, Tier and Voi rent out electric scooters. Electric scooters are equated with bicycles in the Road Traffic Act. Park parallel to the road and as close to the side of the road as possible!

• Car hire

I can highly recommend peer-to-peer platform GoMore, which provides options to carshare, and lease used cars.

This offers a fully insured and sustainable choice of leasing a car at a reduced cost and with a lower environmental impact.

It works by increasing the number of people per car and reducing the number of cars on the streets - it works well for last-minute needs, with plenty of car models and price brackets to choose from.

I found the friendly support team reassuring - and the app is super easy to use, too.

BOOK: Gomore.dk

Green accommodation in Helsinki

Hotel Maria

Brand-new Hotel Maria’s grand opening was celebrated in July 2024, its North and South buildings opening their doors.

A calming cocoon of all-white opulence, the five star luxury hotel has been awarded Green Key status, meeting the standards of the world’s leading sustainability program and certification in the tourism industry.

Work done to preserve the original details and structures of the Finnish Heritage building finished just in time to welcome guests of Flow Festival – handy, as it’s just a twenty minute walk from Suvilahti. 

One couldn’t ask for a squashier bed in which to sleep off the Finnish long drinks, and Maria Spa offers probably the poshest spot in Helsinki to try Finnish sauna culture (freezing cold plunge pool, and all).

A selection of treatments promises to restore your balance ready for Day Two, and you can sample organic products sourced directly from local producers in fine dining restaurant Lilja (think wild fish caught by local fishermen, with reindeer meat from a farm in Sodankylä and ginger grown in nearby Tampere). 

BOOK: Hotelmaria.fi

NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa

Newly opened in May 2024, NH Grand Hansa is another new hotel awarded coveted Green Key status, embracing eco-conscious renovations set across two heritage buildings - the New Student House (1910) and Hotel Seurahuone (est. 1833).

I loved that the on-site wellness centre not only offers a quintessential Finnish sauna and steam room experience but also emphasises eco-friendly practices through energy-efficient infrared saunas, energy-efficient lighting and water conservation technologies. 

The Hansa Café Bar and Brasserie offers dishes crafted from organic, seasonal products (the varied, healthy breakfast selection is excellent), including wild fish, sustainably farmed meats, and regional produce.

Kupoli Bar, up in the iconic dome-shaped tower, provides a stunning 360-degree view of Helsinki - and you can peruse the cocktail menu knowing ingredients are eco-friendly, and locally sourced.

BOOK: Nh-hotels.com