The most awaited weekend of the year began on Friday, when 28,000 people arrived at Suvilahti for the 2025 edition of Flow Festival. The audience was enthralled by stunning stars and top electronic music artists, while the renewed festival area had expanded to the former industrial area of Hanasaari for the first time.

The French art pop duo Air caressed the audience with its beautiful performance of the iconic Moon Safari album. The group soared into the sky over the glowing Suvilahti evening. Later, the ethereal yet immensely powerful FKA twigs lit the Main Stage with her explosive vitality and bodily expression, interweaving song and dance into a flawless, perfectly paced performance.

Electronic music was widely present in Flow Friday. Having moved to Hanasaari’s industrial environment, Front Yard gathered a massive crowd of enthusiastic dancers for the first time. Joy Orbison’s ja NIGHT manoeuvres’ gripping UK Bass sets and Mala’s dubstep washed the audience like a tidal wave. Meanwhile, X Garden’s Sluts Against Techno and DJ Fuckoff excited the crowd to go uncompromisingly filthy and gorgeous, while Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy turned Heineken Backyard into a den of irresistible groove. In Black Tent, Autechre performed in near pitch-black darkness that resonated with its hard-edged electronic sounds, while Bicep filled Silver Arena with electric music lovers to praise its synesthetic sermon.

On the Balloon 360 stage, Fabiana Palladino’s soulful performance had a lasting impression on the festival audience. Meanwhile, Kattilahalli displayed Kalle Vainio’s multimedia installation The Land Where It Always Rains, creating a dream-like atmosphere surrounded by harrowing visuals. In the Other Sound, also taking place in Kattilahalli, Ada Aik enthralled the audience with her multisensory performance, while pianist Keval Shah, playing the grand piano barefoot, performed like a shimmering star amidst the shadowy dusk.

Flow Talks program began with Google’s Flow Talks AI discussion, where Minister of Science and Culture Mari–Leena Talvitie and Google’s AI lead Itxaso Araque talked about the possibilities of artificial intelligence. The Sustainable Food competition announced a winner. The jury decided to hand the title to Greenfinch, whose delicious dishes were a perfect combination of taste and sustainability.

The Flow Festival continues on Saturday and Sunday in an enthusiastic atmosphere. Over the weekend, Nigerian superstar Burna Boy, innovator of contemporary pop Charli XCX, legend of electronic music Underworld, drain gang duo Yung Lean & Bladee, instrumental master group Khruangbin, the rising singer-songwriter phenomenon Lola Young, and many others. In addition to the great artists, festival-goers will enjoy high-quality food, first-class art and a topical talk program throughout the weekend.