Ruisrock is a festival in Turku. I have heard of it, when I was in Oulu and I thought, this might fit into my schedule. So I went there.
So far so good, I visited a festival like so many others.
But...
...this is not it.
Ruisrock is 41 years old and herewith the oldest festival in Europe!!!
Ruisrock is held on Ruissalo, a natural park and the scenery is just fabulous!
There even is a stage right at the beach and you can see the big ferries heading to Sweden passing by.
Because flora and fauna should be protected, the campsite is far away from the festival area, and from the bus stop it is also a two km walk to the area. You can't imagine how some people walk that march - one could call it. You can see people carrying huge speakers on their backs, today you could just as well have a pocket speaker playing as well, but I guess it is mainly to show off. So you can walk with the crowd along the shore hearing some music and of course nipping a bear.
Because...
...It is forbidden to take any alcohol into the festival area. And everybody says, alcohol is very expensive to buy there. I thought, it is just the same as buying a drink in any restaurant or bar. So, what people do, they smuggle their bottles into the area, and also they sit in front of the entrance, drinking some boiled beer or cider, just to get rid of it and to get some alcohol. So this is what I experienced at Ruistock, it is all about smuggling and getting drunk before they would even go to the festival. And they have the wildest ideas of how to smuggle their stuff. I will not list it here, but if you need to smuggle some vodka one they, you can drop me a line, I have gained many more ideas then just putting it near your balls or between your tilts.
What was also very funny to me, was the - I like to call it 'grown up areas' - they have special secured places, where they sell alcohol and you are not allowed to take your drink out of these areas. So I was the only one watching a concert with a beer in my hand, since I also know how to smuggle ;)
