Provinssi’s sideshow has now been announced, promising yet another weekend full of surprises and unforgettable experiences. This year, the area program is produced by Mitäs Mitäs Mitäs, known for its work in marginal culture, multidisciplinary art, and participatory experiences.
Roaming Performers Take Over the Festival Grounds
One of the most spectacular parts of this year’s sideshow is the lineup of roaming performers moving throughout the festival grounds among the audience, bringing surprises to every corner of Provinssi.
Festivalgoers will be welcomed at the gates by Muutos Company, whose performances combine contemporary dance, body painting, and physical theatre. Kupla Kopla fills the area with giant soap bubbles and cheerful clown-inspired performances, while FlowingLinda’s flow dancers move through the crowd with spectacular tricks, lights, and eye-catching costumes. Helmi Malinen captivates audiences with hula hoop artistry, and the local circus group Sirkus Muudi spreads across the festival grounds through partner and group acrobatics.
Finland’s first pole dance and aerial acrobatics studio, Rock the Pole, brings pole dance performances to Provinssi as well as the chance to try the discipline yourself. Internationally acclaimed Out of Sync combines dance, lip sync, comedy, and stadium-concert energy in their performances.
Participatory Installations and Community Art
This year’s area program also includes several interactive installations. NeoElement Ry, an association formed by young artists, brings the massive interactive NeoRadio installation to Provinssi, allowing festivalgoers to become part of a collaborative photography project by literally stepping inside the artwork with the knobs turned all the way up.
Meadow Pods, created by Gabriella Presnal, selected as the tenth Summer Artist of the City of Seinäjoki, consists of hollow sculptures filled with wildflower seeds. The work draws inspiration from celebratory rituals in which destruction symbolizes renewal and hope. On Saturday, festival visitors are invited to take part in a ceremonial destruction of the artwork, releasing the seeds into the surrounding environment.
This year, secret festival ties will also circulate throughout Provinssi, carrying small tasks and encounters from one festivalgoer to another. If one ends up in your hands, complete the challenge and pass the tie forward for the next participant!
The Party Continues at Camp Provinssi
There will also be plenty happening at the campsite throughout the weekend. Tampere-based Irtiotto brings daytime beach parties where world music, dancing, glitter, and playful yard games meet in a relaxed atmosphere.
At the Sideshow Tent, festivalgoers can create alter egos, craft custom camping flags for their tent crews, and take part in various creative workshops throughout the weekend. The Free Movement & Flow workshop combines breathing, rhythm, yoga, and free movement into a physical, embodied experience, while Flamma’s Flow Arts workshops offer the chance to try the same props used in the group’s spectacular fire performances, this time without the flames. In addition, a relaxed FOOTBAG circle will run at the campsite on Friday and Saturday, welcoming everyone to test their skills or simply hang out.
Alongside the beach parties, workshops, and roaming artists, campers will also encounter Bingokeisari, whose show bingo combines bingo, rave culture, and theatre into a completely unpredictable spectacle.
Fan Favorites Return Once Again
Of course, Provinssi wouldn’t be Provinssi without some beloved returning favorites.
Flamma returns to the festival with its new Firestarter fire show, while festivalgoers can once again enjoy visits from Kennelliiton Kaverikoirat, bringing warm vibes and furry friends ready for cuddles to the area this summer.
On Saturday, the festival grounds will also host a Pride parade celebrating equality and the rights of sexual and gender minorities, organized by Lakeuden Sateenkaari ry. At the Buddy Tent, visitors can participate in the My Lucky Animal and Festival Wristband workshops.
Previously announced area program performers include Vinski Valos, who writes custom poems for festivalgoers on his old yellow typewriter, as well as AstrologiJenna, known for astrological and tarot readings. The festival area will also feature magician Antti Kalliokoski, the energetic performances of Seinäjoen Tanssiopisto, and RZ Twerkers, bringing vibrant twerk culture to the festival.
Meanwhile, the Karaoke Caravan will park itself in Secret Garden, giving festival visitors the chance to grab the mic and step into the spotlight themselves.
The Goal: Make Guests Wonder, “Mitäs Mitäs Mitäs?”
“The heart of the Mitäs program lies in surprise, participation, and memorable experiences created through interaction between the audience and performers. We want to create a program that’s easy to jump into and leaves visitors feeling like absolutely anything could happen within the festival grounds,” says Anna Meller, who curated Provinssi’s area program together with the Mitäs Mitäs Mitäs working group.
Meller hopes that festival visitors will decorate their faces with glitter, wear festival ties proudly, and dare to join a flash mob if one happens to appear nearby.
“Not everything is meant to be revealed in advance, though. The Mitäs working group still has a few surprises up its sleeve, so let’s just say this: see you in Secret Garden!”
