Helsinki is about to get loud again when HKI SKEPU FEST VII takes over Suvilahti’s Tiivistämö on September 19–20, 2025. Known as one of the biggest skate punk festival in the Nordics, it’s two days packed with fast riffs, gritty vocals and the kind of DIY spirit that makes punk so alive. The line-up balances international names like the Danish band Melonball and Swedish acts Satanic Surfers, Lastkaj 14 and Mistakes Were Made with some of Finland’s fiercest punk bands, promising a weekend where nostalgia meets fresh energy.

But Skepu Fest isn’t just about the music, it’s also so much about community brought together by Suomen Skeittipunk RY and local punk label Fast Decade Records. There’s even a skate contest alongside the shows, and the whole event carries a raw, but welcoming underground vibe. It’s an all-ages festival too, welcoming everyone from teenagers to long-time scene veterans, which only adds to the sense of inclusivity and belonging. As summer fades into autumn, there’s no better way to send it off than by sweating it out in the pit, discovering new favorites, and celebrating everything skate-punk stands for.

Get your tickets still here.

When September cools the air and summer starts to fade, Lost In Music 2025 in Tampere lights up the scene and proves that Fall can burn just as bright. On September 25-26, the city center becomes a showcase playground with stages in clubs and live venues all over town pulse with rising talent, unexpected sounds, and boundless energy.

What makes Lost In Music special is its fearless embrace of new voices. With acts like Ani, Goldielocks, Minttu, Asla Jo, Edicti, Figaro, and Vimma on the bill, the festival curates a line-up that bridges indie pop, experimental alt-rock, synth and genre twisting. It’s not headliner-obsessed; it’s about discovering artists before they feel huge, about getting swept up in what’s next. At the same time, there are names like Balance Breach, Ikinä, and Sweatmaster that bring in mature songwriting and visceral live power, giving the festival texture: soft moments and big charged ones.

Lost In Music isn’t just a cluster of gigs, it’s spread across Tampere’s heart: Tavara-asema, Olympia, G Livelab, TTT-Klubi, Telakka and more. It turns the whole city into stages, where cafés, clubs and bars become part of the festival’s fabric. You wander between rooms, false starts of genres, surprise line-ups, and find yourself discovering something unexpected around each corner.

If you like your music fresh, exploratory, alive with possibilities, whether you want to be moved by a voice, startled by a sonic twist, or just dance through the night in clubs you didn’t know existed. Lost In Music is waiting. It’s the kind of festival that doesn’t just present acts but lets you stumble into new favorites. Come for the party; stay for the discovery.

This November, Helsinki turns black and electric once more as Hellsinki Industrial Festival returns for its 7th edition, bringing together some of the most powerful names in dark electronic music, including international acts that are a rare sight in Finland. From November 7 to 8, Tiivistämö becomes the beating heart of industrial, EBM, goth and darkwave, a weekend where relentlessly pounding bass, flickering strobes and raw energy take over.

The festival kicks off with a pre-club show at On The Rocks, featuring the legendary Leæther Strip alongside rising acts Kuro and Manna, delivering the perfect opening salvo to set the tone for what’s to come.

Across the main event, the line-up reads like a dream for fans of the underground: the ethereal darkwave of Clan of Xymox, the cinematic synthpop of Empathy Test, and the brutal intensity of SHIV-R, Freakangel, and Dawn of Ashes. There’s also the sharp edge of Psycholies, Plague Called Humanity, and Finland’s own Cardinal Noire and Levinsky, each bringing their unique take on industrial and electronic darkness. Add in Massive Ego, Phosgore, Motel Transylvania, System Noire, Junkie Kut, Antibody, and Miseria Ultima, and you’ve got a line-up that spans the spectrum from pounding EBM to gothic atmospheres, from distorted chaos to hypnotic synths.

But HIF is more than just a collection of bands, it’s a full experience. It’s where goths, rivetheads, cyberpunks and darkwave dreamers gather under one roof, celebrating the music and culture that thrives in the shadows. With two nights of relentless energy, visuals and soundscapes, it’s the kind of festival where you don’t just listen to the music… you live it.

Hellsinki Industrial Festival 2025 promises to be an unforgettable plunge into the darker side of sound, a place where community and catharsis meet on the dancefloor.

This November, the Baltic Sea turns into a boiling cauldron of metal with the very first Hellsinki Metal Cruise, setting sail from Helsinki aboard Viking Cinderella from November 7-9, 2025. If you’ve ever dreamed of two full nights of uncompromising riff-mass, growls, anthemic choruses, and the kind of energy only the metal community can bring, this is it.

On board you’ll find a line-up stacked with both legends and anthemic newer names. Covenant tops the bill to bring their icy symphonic black metal; Omnium Gatherum brings melodic death with soaring leads; Horna and Barathrum summon the darker marshes of Finnish black metal; while Gothminister adds gothic industrial textures to the mix. Add in Crownshift, Spiritus Mortis, Havukruunu, Asagraum, Numento, Helsott, Vermilia, Kyy, I Am Your God, Cryptic Hatred, and Omnivortex, and you’ve got a lineup that covers nearly every shade of Finnish metal with touches of rare foreign visitors and enough variety to keep you on your feet night after night.

But this cruise is more than just music. Yes, there will be roaring guitars and drum-blasts loud enough to shake the sea, but also DJ sets, artist meet-and-greets, and the kind of atmosphere you only get when metalheads unite in tight quarters with the ocean roaring outside. The whole experience is built to feel like Hellsinki Metal Festival brought to the waves—raw, loud, communal.

If you’re into the thunderous, the atmospheric, the feral and the symphonic; if you want a festival where you’re not just a spectator but part of a roiling crew breathing in metal, this is your moment. Board the ship, ride the waves, let the riffs roll, and let the lights, sweat, and sound become one. The first Hellsinki Metal Cruise promises to be unforgettable. Sadly though, if you didn’t get yourself a ticket yet, you’ll have to miss out on this one since it’s been sold out for quite some time now. But keep it in mind for next year!

When autumn shadows grow long and the air turns sharp, as usual the Melancholy Mass Festivals series rises up to fill that darkness with something beautifully heavy. Spanning three Finnish cities with Jyväskylä, Helsinki, and Tampere, this festival is a sanctuary for those who live for doom, melancholic metal, and music that grips you by the heart. You’ll find it traveling through Finland from November 20-22, 2025.

At the center of it all this year is the UK doom metal institution My Dying Bride, at the moment fronted by local hero Mikko Kotamäki, better known as the vocalist for Swallow The Sun, bringing decades of sorrow-soaked doom with the kind of gravitas that makes hairs stand up on your arms. Around them swirl other powerful names: Murheenlaakso with its hushed, crushing riffs and melodic depth; The Man-Eating Tree, whose gothic inflections cut through the surrounding gloom; Devenial Verdict, shaping an atmosphere of oppressive beauty; and Sepulchral Curse, whose bizarre, brutal death metal turns heaviness into art.

What makes Melancholy Mass more than just another metal festival is its commitment to atmosphere. It’s not about non-stop blast beats and bright lights, and it’s not about having these big scale events, every stop taking place at intimate venues. It’s a festival that doesn’t need to fill stadiums; it needs to fill souls. If you’re drawn to beauty in bleakness, to the weight of slow riffs and moonlit echoes, Melancholy Mass is calling. This is the place to lean into the melancholy, lean into the dark, and emerge knowing you felt something profound.

When the frost bites and the nights grow long, John Smith Rock Frozen 2025 is where Finland’s winter truly comes alive. On November 28–29 at Jyväskylä’s Paviljonki, the warmth won’t come from the weather but from roaring guitars, pounding drums, and thousands of voices raised in unison. This is the cold season’s loudest celebration, a festival that proves metal thrives even in the heart of winter.

The lineup is as sharp as the icy wind outside. Cradle of Filth bring their theatrical dark extreme metal to set the tone with gothic grandeur. Amorphis, masters of melancholy and melody, return with their deep, sweeping soundscapes celebrating their latest release ‘Borderland’. Stam1na, Finland’s own unstoppable force, will unleash raw energy and chaos, while Sweden’s Mustasch keep the grooves dirty and heavy. Add to that The Halo Effect carrying the torch of Swedish melodic death metal, alongside rising stars Crownshift, the rugged outlaw flair of L.C. Cowboys, and the darkly poetic Viikate, and you’ve got a main stage brimming with character and power.

But Rock Frozen is more than just walls of distortion this year. The Acoustic Stage offers something intimate in contrast: Michael Monroe strips down the swagger to show another side of his rock & roll soul, while Marianas Rest and Rioghan drape melancholy in delicate textures. Acts like Acoustenced, T. Jarva & The Dark Place, and Tuomi & Liekkala Duo bring warmth, subtlety, and a moment to breathe between the storms before the heavy riffs pull you back under.

What makes this festival special is the atmosphere. Inside Paviljonki, winter’s chill is forgotten, replaced by a vibe and look that rivals the main summer version of this event John Smith Rock Festival. It’s the spirit of summer festivals, condensed into two nights of intensity. Vendors, food trucks, good bands, signing sessions,… only here, it’s set against snow and ice, making the fire burn even brighter.

This November, when the outside world is frozen stiff, John Smith Rock Frozen 2025 will be blazing. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the storm.