The diversity in us
Puhos Loves People is a diverse cultural event targeted to the whole family and organized in the old Puotinharjun Puhos outdoor shopping center next to Itis mall in the eastside of Helsinki. The entry is free of charge and the event is open to everyone without an age limit. Puhos Loves People brings together musical and cultural programme, workshops, delicious street food from the community of Puhos as well as different organizations and groups operating in the eastern district of the city. No alcohol or other intoxicants.
FESTIVAL in 2023
Puhos Loves People highlights already for the sixth time in history the most fascinating phenomenon, music, culture and arts of different languages groups residing in Helsinki. The aim is also to encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to various art and sports activities. This year the festival takes place between the early afternoon and evening of Saturday the 5th of August, 2023 in the area of Puotinharjun Puhos shopping mall and its surroundings, including the Stoa square. The festival introduces the independently grown and formed culture of Puhos while incresing peaceful and positive interaction between different groups of the district.
This year Puhos Loves People holds a diverse selection of rhythm music from youth-favoured trap, hip hop and r&b music all the way to live organic music with its background all over the world. The artists include Hassan Maikal, Yeboyah and Nisa, the Arabic-Persian-Kurdish fusion of Meera & The Band as well as the Somali singer Awale Adan, who will be performing for the first time in Finland. Funky Amigos bring their technical production talent to the festival, but also our own highlights into the programme. You will be entertained by the well-distinguished Faso Kan Trio, who have updated their West African soundscape with fresh Afro-American influences, the exciting Venezuelan-Syrian combo Ramithawi and the Spanish act Volver al Mar, who perform their folk rock with a passion to free self-expression and love.
It’s not only about music as you can also expect to enjoy a fashion show conducted by Angela Musse and highlighting clothing by several designers with an African background but residing in Finland or the collective multilingual mural created together with the audience by artist Heidi Hänninen‘s Kontula Art School project. Or maybe you wanna get into street basketball together with the Yökoris team, who will bring the facilities together with deejays to the area? Besides all this, there will be also dance performances and various workshops available. And when you get hungry, you can enjoy delicious world street food. Please find the detailed programme and confirmed timetable on the official website!
Free entry, and no age limit. Alcohol or other intoxicants are not allowed in the area. The festival is all about positive and constructive interaction, so any kind of disturbing behaviour will not be tolerated.
See also Facebook event page >>
Puotinharjun Puhos is located next to the Itäkeskus Shopping Centre in the street address Korsholmantie 2. It is easy and fluent to arrive by public transportation, but there is also a parking lot with limited space for cars.
BACKGROUND
Puhos is one of the most active multicultural hotspots of Helsinki with different linguistically ethnical groups and its own diverse community of people, companies and mosques. It is an area, which has been developed spontaneously by the people operating inside Puhos, and it is gathering a wide range of people from different ethnical backgrounds.
Funky Amigos has been actively involved in the production and planning of the Puhos Loves People festival in 2018 and 2019. The event is a joint production between several parties. The year 2020 festival was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but thus the event has been held successfully every year again.
