We at the Kvarken Council celebrated our 50th anniversary grandiosely on June 18th. The Kvarkenfest festival at Elisa Stadion was a success, and the low ticket price of five euros turned the event into one big folk festival for all the region’s inhabitants.
– This first Kvarkenfest was a success in many respects. We sold over 4,300 tickets, and all arrangements ran smoothly throughout the evening. It did rain a bit during the day but, overall, everything exceeded expectations! says Mr Fredrik Furu, Kvarkenfest’s Event Coordinator and also person behind the idea to celebrate Kvarken cooperation with a festival.
KAJ. Photo: Niclas Glasberg.
The Kvarken Council’s decision to celebrate its 50 years of structured, Nordic cooperation in the region was a success thanks to excellent collaboration between both financiers and cooperation partners, who rose to the challenge in a remarkable way. This clearly shows that the region’s Nordic and cross-border cooperation is stronger than ever.
– I want to thank everyone who contributed to KvarkenTalks and Kvarkenfest – none named, but none forgotten. A very special thank you to our small but tireless staff at the office and our Event Coordinator Fredrik Furu, who all did a phenomenal job, praises Mr Mathias Lindström, Director of the Kvarken Council.
Tove Styrke. Photo: Niclas Glasberg.
The aim of Kvarkenfest was to arrange a bridge-building festival to strengthen the cultural and social ties between Ostrobothnia in Finland and Västerbotten in Sweden. Before Kvarkenfest, a KvarkenTalks event was organised for invited guests from the cultural and business community as well as the public sector.
– The region’s cross-border cooperation is concrete and an integrated part of regional development, which produces visible and positive results for the region’s inhabitants. This gives us a solid foundation to stand on ahead of great, future opportunities and challenges that we have in the region, both nationally and globally. I think I can safely say that Nordic cooperation here in the Kvarken region is among the liveliest in Europe. We will embrace and further develop this. There is only one path, and it leads forward – together, Mr Lindström concludes.
One Desire Philharmonic Rock Orchestra. Photo: Niclas Glasberg.
Kvarkenfest strives to become a recurring cultural event. How this will be carried out in the future remains to be seen.
– Spontaneous feedback from the public, both during the festival and afterwards, has confirmed that the Kvarken region truly needs a cultural event that brings people together and allows entire families to meet across language and national barriers. I look forward to more cultural events that build bridges, Mr Furu states.
Fredrik Furu. Photo: Niclas Glasberg.
On behalf of the Kvarken Council, we want to thank all our cooperations partners and others who participated in Kvarkenfest.
The Kvarkenfest after-movie can be seen on Youtube HERE.