The Flow Festival in Helsinki is one of the most popular European events for Russian music fans. They head up and over the border to hear some homegrown musicians — this year Kedr Livansky and Lena Popova — perform in a line-up that includes Kendrick Lamar, R&B and soul diva Lauryn Hill, punk rock stepmother Patti Smith, indie powerhouses Arctic Monkeys and Grizzly Bear, and popular Swedish singer Lykke Li.
Over a hundred acts will perform at eleven venues at the defunct Suvilahti power plant not far from the city center. Beyond the music, Flow will offer an arts experience and an array of world spanning cuisine. The festival, which started as a compact jazz event, has been held annually since 2004. Age restriction is 18+.
The Flow Festival runs Aug.10-12. For the schedule and more information, see the Flow site.