Duffy to perform at Finland’s Pori Jazz Festival

Welsh songstress and Brit award winner Duffy is set to make her debut performance at Finland’s Pori Jazz Festival this summer. The internationally renowned jazz and music festival is Finland’s biggest summer event and takes place between the 11th and 19th July.

Pori Jazz Festival dates back to 1966 when a group of local jazz aficionados grouped together to experiment with new acoustic jazz sounds for a small audience of 1000. Since then the festival has gained international recognition and draws in crowds of 150,000 each year. The emphasis is still firmly biased towards jazz but in recent years other music styles such as blues, latino, soul, hip-hop and funk have been integrated into the mix and more mainstream artists have performed.

Pori itself is an old seaside town situated in Western Finland, four hours north of Helsinki. Although normally a relatively tranquil place, during festival time the town literally bursts open at the seams with music and atmosphere. The main open air stage is set up in the park on the island of Kirjurinluoto which is reached by crossing the Kokemäenjoki River by bridge. This stage will play host to some of the lead acts including American artist Raphael Saadiq who has collaborated with artists such as Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder and Joss Stone. The other 1000 performances are spread across the town in specially constructed tents, warehouses and even on the river’s banks.

During festival time the eastern section of Eteläranta converts into ‘Jazz Street’ where makeshift food stalls and bars offer a mix of Finnish and international food including smoked fish, home-made soups, sweet cinnamon buns and coffee. Throughout the week, the atmosphere is buzzing and many of the local bars and restaurants will invite local artists to perform. Of note Café Jazz (Eteläranta 5) really comes to life at nightfall and during the day there is the added bonus of a summer terrace where visitors can enjoy a refreshing beer in the sunshine.

Pori Jazz Festival is a non-profit organization and approximately 70% of the acts are free of charge. For more information on Finland and Pori Jazz Festival see visitfinland.com/uk and porijazz.fi.

Return flights from London Heathrow to Pori via Helsinki in July cost from £180.80 including taxes, fees and an online booking fee. Return flights from Manchester to Pori via Helsinki in July cost from £200.50 including taxes, fees and an online booking fee. For more information and for bookings visit finnair.co.uk. In addition Ryanair serves Tampere airport from Stansted, with free fares available – just pay for the taxes and fees at £28.27. For more information and for bookings see ryanair.com.