The Guards Band 200 Festival and Finnish Defence Forces’ Summer Tour in Helsinki
Celebrating its bicentenary this year, the Guards Band will organise, among others, a festival weekend that takes place in Helsinki in June. Over the course of this weekend, music will play at market squares, on the ferry, in the parks, and even in a sauna. Also the Summer Tour of the Finnish Defence Forces’ will be performing in Suomenlinna.
This year marks the bicentenary of the founding of the Guards Band. To celebrate this anniversary year, the Guards Band wants to highlight special moments reflecting its history and to commemorate those individuals who have impacted on its activities.
Over the weekend of 13-16 June 2019, the Guards Band 200 Festival will feature versatile and proficient performances ranging from sauna concerts to figure marching in the centre of Helsinki and in Suomenlinna. The programme will be the responsibility of the Guards Band and visiting Bands featuring top vocalists. On Friday 14 June, the Big Band concert will feature a major refresher training exercise of the military music field.
In conjunction with the Festival, the Finnish Defence Forces’ Summer Tour concert will be organised on the parade grounds of Suomenlinna on Saturday 15 June featuring the Navy Combo with rap artist Adi L Hasla, the Guards Combo with Heini Ikonen as the soloist as well as the Show Band of the Finnish Defence Forces’ Conscript Band, presented by Minna Ruolanto. This event will also allow for familiarising with a static display of Finnish Army equipment, visiting Soldiers’ Home canteen sales points and discussing matters relating to conscript service with representatives of service personnel, conscripts and women undertaking voluntary military service.
The events will be free of charge except for the Karelian Swing concert on 14 June and the sauna concerts on 15 June. Warmly Welcome!
