During four days in November, we offer various labs (workshops) within different art forms, activities, concerts, and wonderful casual carnival hangouts with other young people!

You register in advance for a lab (workshop). There are labs within performing arts, music, dance & movement, multimedia, visual arts, etc.

If your preferred lab is fully booked at the time of registration, please contact us at kontakt(at)kulturkarnevalen.fi to join the waiting list.

There are various drop-in activities to participate in during the evening, in collaboration with our partners.

The evening programs will be published as the carnival approaches.

Participants sleep in classrooms. There are rooms for girls, boys, as well as non-gender-specific rooms. Bring a sleeping pad or air mattress, as well as a blanket and pillow for the night.

When you register, you can also indicate if you need transport and from where. Bus transportation is organised from different locations throughout the Swedish-speaking regions of Finland. If you have questions related to transportation, please contact adriana(at)kulturkarnevalen.fi

Registration for Kulturkarnevalen opens on September 21th at 12:00 on Eventbrite. The ticket can be paid by credit or debit card, or you can opt to receive an invoice. The invoice will be sent out with your info letter after registration has closed. If you choose to pay by card, have it ready at the time of registration. The ticket price is 60 € + Eventbrite's service fee 5.32 €.

The Swedish-speaking School-student Union of Finland FSS sends a discount code of 10 € to all its members via email before registration, you can join FSS at skolungdom.fi. The fee includes EVERYTHING, i.e., travel, program, accommodation in the school, and food during the carnival.

Kulturkarnevalen is a drug-free event. All of Kulturkarnevalen’s activities are completely free from alcohol and drugs. We do not tolerate anyone drinking alcohol or taking drugs during their stay at Kulturkarnevalen or on the trip to and from the carnival.

If we discover that a participant has violated this rule, we will contact their guardians and send the participant home as soon as possible at the expense of the participant. The school area is a smoke-free zone.

During Kulturkarnevalen, the security company Sokol Security is primarily responsible for safety at the carnival area. Kulturkarnevalen has collaborated with Sokol for many years, and we are glad to have reliable and friendly guards with us! Sokol Security is also responsible for first aid during the Carnival.

At the carnival, there are also volunteers, 'staffisar', who are there to help and guide you. Among the staff, you will also find trust persons whom you can turn to if you feel bad or need to talk. You can also turn to the staff if you notice any harassment or bad behavior during the carnival.

At Kulturkarnevalen, we follow principles for safer spaces in all our operations and events. We are aware that public spaces and events can be perceived as unsafe. Therefore, we encourage all participants to actively create an atmosphere where the safety and well-being of others are prioritized. Let's take care of each other!

• Respect other people's physical and mental states: You cannot know another person's boundaries without asking. Ask for consent before you, for example, touch another person. Listen and change your behavior if someone makes you aware that your behavior is making them uncomfortable.
• Respect everyone, do not make any assumptions: Do not make assumptions about someone's sexuality, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, values, socioeconomic background, ability, or health. Respect pronouns and names. Be aware of your own privileges.
• No body discrimination: Do not comment on other's bodies. Also, avoid comments about other's food portions and eating habits.
• Respect other's opinions, experiences, and differing viewpoints: Do not ridicule, humiliate, or isolate anyone, and do not belittle anyone through what you say, through your behavior, or through your actions.
• Take responsibility for your actions and behavior: Be aware that your actions affect other people even if you have good intentions.
• Make room: Try to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the discussion. Do not run over others' opinions and let everyone speak. Also respect other's privacy and handle sensitive topics with respect.
• Intervene in harassment: If you witness harassment ask the person being harassed if they want help or support. Don't just be a bystander. If you witness harassment or any inappropriate behavior, it is everyone's responsibility to intervene. 

All forms of harassment are, of course, prohibited in Kulturkarnevalen's activities. 

If you experience harassment or any inappropriate behavior, or if you are unsure if it is a case of harassment you can always contact the staff, the trust person, or the Kulturkarnevalen production team. We do our best to make our events safe for everyone, and we gladly receive feedback about it and listen to participant's thoughts and opinions. 

At Kulturkarnevalen, we have staff who have been trained to uphold the principles of safer spaces and who will help you if you are subjected to inappropriate behavior or harassment. You recognize our staff by their staff shirts. You can find the staff at the info desks or in the carnival office. On your name tag, you will find contact information for the staff and security personnel. 

Notify the staff if you are subjected to harassment. Our staff and trust person will help and support you in any harassment situations. The tasks of the staff also include sorting out harassment situations together with the security personnel. 

Rules for Respectful and Fair Discussions 

Everyone has the right to have their own opinion, but it is also important to think about how we express ourselves. There are different power structures in society, which means that some people sometimes find it easier to speak and be heard than others. It is important that we are aware of this when we discuss. When we talk to each other it is good to be open to learning new things, respect each other, and understand that we all have different knowledge and experiences. When you speak, think about what you know and who you represent, and make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.

To make sure our discussions are pleasant and fair, you should avoid: 

• Making assumptions about things about people or groups based on how theylook or where they come from.
• Spreading stereotypes, or preconceived notions, about people or groups. 
• Saying nasty or offensive things about people or groups. 
• Questioning someone's knowledge or intelligence based on personal characteristics. 
• Berating someone else or commenting on their personal traits; we discuss topics and different opinions and stick to the subject.

These rules apply both when we talk and when we communicate in other ways, such as through texts, gestures, or symbols. 

If you participate in a discussion: 

• Speak up if someone breaks the rules, even if it's not directed at you. 
• Encourage others and make sure everyone gets a chance to speak. 
• Try to understand your own position in relation to others, and act consciously about it.

References:

Ministry of Justice (n.d.) Guidelines for safer spaces. Available at: https://yhdenvertaisuus.fi/en/guidelines-for-safer-spaces (Accessed: 6 July 2023).

Nuorisoala.fi (n.d.) Turvallisemman tilan periaatteet ja vihapuheesta vapaan keskustelun säännöt. Available at: https://nuorisoala.fi/palvelut/yhdenvertaisuus/turvallisemman-tilan-periaatteet-ja-vihapuheesta-vapaan-keskustelun-saannot/ (Accessed: 6 July 2023).

We hope that secondary degree schools consider offering course credits for participation in Kulturkarnevalen. Over the years, several hundred students have requested a course certificate after the carnival. A lab is about 12 full hours, including lab presentations. You can discuss your schools course credit policy with your teacher or the study counsellor at your school.

We can provide a course certificate for students who want to apply to have the lab approved for course credit by their school. In that case, contact us by email at kontakt(at)kulturkarnevalen.fi

An info letter is sent out to all registered participants with the invoice (if you have not paid the fee directly via Eventbrite) after registration has closed.

Kulturkarnevalen is organised in partnership with Finlands Svenska Skolungdomsförbund FSS 

Svenska Kulturfonden is the primary funder. Among the other financiers are The Ministry of Education and Culture,  Aktiastiftelsen i Vasa, Harry Schaumans stiftelse, Konstsamfundet, KulturÖsterbotten, Lisi Wahls stiftelse för studieunderstöd, Stiftelsen Brita Maria Renlunds minne, Stiftelsen Emilie och Rudolf Gesellius fond, Waldemar von Frenckells stiftelse and William Thurings stiftelse. 

Kulturkarnevalen is an annual event for school youth and has been organised nineteen times at different locations in the Swedish-speaking regions of Finland and during the coronavirus pandemic as a hybrid event.

Kulturkarnevalen's purpose is: "to promote art and culture among Swedish-speaking youth and offer participants the opportunity to explore different cultural expressions. The carnival should contain traditional art forms but also innovative cultural expressions. The carnival should encourage contact creation across regional borders and be permeated by respect and humility."

Kulturkarnevalen has been organized in Kauniainen (2003, 2004, 2007, 2016), Mustasaari (2005), Pietarsaari (2008), Parainen (2006, 2009), Porvoo (2010, 2022), Närpiö (2011), Karjaa (2012), Loviisa (2013), Vaasa (2014), Kimitoön (2015), Kokkola (2017), Mariehamn (2018), Ekenäs (2019), as a hybrid event (2020) and as a hybrid event in Kauniainen and online (2021). Read more about the carnival's history and check out pictures from previous events here.