FESTIVAL Info
Ilosaarirock, known as summer's best weekend, is a three-day music festival taking place on 17–19 July 2026 at Laulurinne in Joensuu, a beautiful lakeside venue just a short walk from the city centre. Founded in 1971, the festival will celebrate its 54th edition next summer.
Ilosaarirock is a truly special event, beloved by both its audience and its makers. Every year, around 70,000 joyful and open-minded festivalgoers come together for three carefree, one-of-a-kind and unforgettable days of music and festival magic.
You can read more about Ilosaarirock and its organiser here.
Three-day tickets, three-day VIP tickets, and three-day youth tickets (for ages 13–17) are now on sale. Other ticket types, such as two-day and one-day tickets, as well as children’s tickets, will become available closer to the festival.
All Ilosaarirock tickets must be exchanged for wristbands before entering the festival area.
Official Ilosaarirock tickets are sold by Ticketmaster. You can buy your tickets from Ticketmaster’s online store, mobile app or any official Ticketmaster outlet.
In the Joensuu region, Ilosaarirock tickets are available at the Ticketmaster outlet located inside Ravintola Aiho in Lehmo. The outlet only sells Ilosaarirock tickets. Payment methods at Aiho include common debit and credit cards, cash and popular cultural benefits (Epassi, Smartum and Edenred). Ticketmaster’s order fees are added to all purchases. When paying with a cultural benefit, a 10-euro payment fee is also added at Aiho.
To make your visit smoother, we recommend creating a Ticketmaster account before heading to Aiho.
Ilosaarirock is an all-ages festival. However, we recommend that all minors attend with a guardian. Children aged 12 and under can only enter the festival when accompanied by a guardian who has their own ticket.
Some services at Ilosaarirock, such as all bar areas and the two VIP areas, are age-restricted. These areas are strictly 18+.
Ilosaarirock offers separate three-day and one-day youth tickets, as well as one-day children’s tickets. Youth tickets are for festival-goers aged 13–17, and children’s tickets are for those aged 8–12. A children's ticket holder must be accompanied by a guardian with their own ticket for the same festival day. The age of all youth and children's ticket holders is checked when wristbands are collected.
Children under 8 can experience Ilosaarirock for free on one chosen day together with a guardian who has their own valid ticket for that day. The free children's ticket can be picked up at the main gate info point upon arrival, where the child’s age will also be checked.
If you’re attending Ilosaarirock with children, please make sure to enjoy the festival on their terms and provide them with a safe, substance-free festival experience.
If you’ve already purchased an Ilosaarirock ticket, you can upgrade it to cover more festival days or switch from a standard ticket to a VIP ticket by paying the price difference, along with any applicable upgrade or processing fees. Upgrades must be done directly through the customer service of the ticket provider where the original ticket was purchased.
Upgrades are handled directly through Ticketmaster’s customer service. You can reach them by filling out this form or by calling 0600 10 800 (2,00 €/min + local network charge). Phone service hours: Mon–Fri 8:00–21:00, Sat 9:00–18:00, Sun 10:00–18:00.
Please note that tickets cannot be downgraded or exchanged for shorter-duration tickets, for example, a three-day ticket cannot be changed to a one-day VIP ticket.
Ilosaarirock tickets are not personal, meaning ticket holder identification is not checked when exchanging for a wristband. So feel free to buy a ticket as a gift!
We reserve the right to make changes to the Ilosaarirock lineup, schedule, and other arrangements, with updates shared as soon as possible. In line with live music industry practices, festival tickets cannot be refunded due to individual artist cancellations, and no compensation is provided for such changes.
Please note that Ilosaarirock tickets may not be used as prizes in competitions or raffles without the explicit written permission of the festival organiser.
Elevate your festival experience to new heights as Ilosaarirock’s VIP customer! In addition to the festival's main programme and services, you'll have access to exclusive VIP areas, offering everything you need to create a five-star festival experience, without compromising on quality!
Three-day VIP tickets are now on sale. One-day VIP tickets will be released closer to the festival. All Ilosaarirock VIP tickets are strictly 18+, as the VIP areas are located within age-restricted bar zones.
Your VIP ticket includes regular festival admission, access to Ilosaarirock’s comfortable VIP areas, and a range of exclusive services designed to make your festival experience smooth and enjoyable. Please note that food and drinks are not included in the ticket price.
Ilosaarirock VIP includes two separate VIP areas, both located near the festival’s main stages. Each area offers stylishly designed lounges, top-quality services and convenient water-flush toilets.
Original Long Drink VIP
Original Long Drink VIP is a two-story building rising next to the Main Stage, surrounded by a cozy courtyard with the best views of both the stage and the crowd. The ground floor features a well-stocked bar, and the yard offers plenty of comfortable seating for enjoying the performances or simply soaking up those perfect summer days. The area also has its own indoor toilet facilities to keep your festival flow uninterrupted.
Star VIP
Star VIP, located beside the YleX Stage, is a relaxed spot to unwind, enjoy gigs, sip drinks and socialise. It connects directly to the exclusive VIP front row: a viewing area reserved just for VIP guests right in front of the YleX Stage. The terrace and grassy seating areas provide space for both celebrating and taking it easy.
All VIP customers must exchange their tickets for a personal VIP wristband before entering the festival area. The wristband is attached directly to your wrist at the exchange point, meaning it can’t be collected on behalf of someone else.
With your VIP wristband, you can enter the festival quickly through dedicated VIP lanes at the main gate and security check. Larger belongings can be left at the cloakroom’s VIP counter near the main entrance.
VIP Age Restrictions and Accessibility
The age limit for Ilosaarirock’s VIP areas is 18. Please be prepared to show ID at the VIP entrance. Children aged 12 and under are welcome to visit the VIP areas with their guardian until 7 p.m. each festival day. A VIP ticket is also required for the child.
The VIP areas are not fully accessible. Ilosaarirock takes place in a park area, with most routes covered by gravel paths. The festival site is mostly flat except for a small slope leading to the back area. Star VIP is located on a grassy hill behind the Laululava stage. Accessible toilets are available in both VIP areas, but the regular water toilets are not wheelchair-accessible.
Ilosaarirock takes place in Joensuu, a lakeside city that’s easy to reach from almost anywhere in Finland – whether you’re travelling by train, bus, car or plane. The Joensuu railway station and long-distance bus stops are located right in the city centre, only about 1.5 kilometres from the festival area.
The festival is held at Laulurinne in Joensuu. The easiest way to arrive is on foot, by bike or using public transport. A paid bicycle park operates close to the gates, and there’s also a paid, paved parking area for cars right next to the festival grounds.
Please allow a bit of extra time for your arrival to the festival site. During mass events, occasional queues and traffic may occur.
For those travelling from outside Joensuu, there are plenty of options for a good night’s sleep during the festival weekend. You can stay in the city’s hotels, at camping sites (including caravan areas) or in private homes offered by local hosts during the event weekend.
Check out the local hotels:
Sokos Hotel Kimmel
Sokos Hotel Vaakuna
Scandic Hotel Joensuu
GreenStar Hotel Joensuu
Lietsu Boutique Aparthotel
Omena Hotel Joensuu
Johanssonin Talo
Hotel Julie
Ilosaarirock doesn’t have its own official campsite, but right next to the festival area you’ll find Holiday Linnunlahti, a year-round camping site that welcomes both campers and caravanners. Holiday Linnunlahti takes care of all accommodation arrangements and ticket sales for the camping area.
Another nearby campsite option is the Jokiasema Caravan Area, located close to the festival site. It serves motorhome guests throughout the festival weekend and also offers a guest marina for those arriving by boat. All arrangements and caravan site bookings are handled directly by Jokiasema.
If you prefer a more home-like stay, you can find plenty of private accommodation options through websites such as Tori.fi and Airbnb.
Ilosaarirock is fully committed to ensuring that everyone is welcome and can attend our festival.
Festival visitors who need an assistant or use mobility aids may bring an assistant or an interpreter free of charge. There are no separate assistant or wheelchair tickets. You don’t need to book the free assistant or interpreter ticket in advance, it can simply be picked up at the festival info point upon arrival.
All Ilosaarirock tickets are exchanged for wristbands before entering the festival area. The guest and their assistant can exchange their tickets for wristbands at the festival info point. Wristbands are always attached directly to the customer’s wrist, so they cannot be collected on someone else’s behalf.
We don’t require a separate certificate of disability. However, an EU Disability Card or a doctor’s note can make things easier at the info point if the disability is not visible.
Ilosaarirock takes place in a park area, where most of the site is navigable via sandy paths. The terrain is mostly flat, with the exception of a few gentle inclines leading to the back areas of the festival.
There is an accessible entry lane at the main gate. From there, the route to the festival area runs through a small wooded section. Some parts of the paths may be uneven. The area has extensive signage to help with getting around.
A paved parking area is located near the festival site. It includes a limited number of free accessible parking spaces, available with a valid disabled parking permit. These spaces cannot be reserved in advance and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
You can enter the festival either through the main gate or via a separate accessible entrance located close to the accessible parking area.
All Ilosaarirock stages have viewing platforms for customers with reduced mobility, users of mobility aids, and, for example, short-statured guests. The platforms are accessed via a gentle ramp.
Accessible toilets are available within or immediately next to Ilosaarirock's large toilet areas. These facilities are reserved for people with reduced mobility and, for example, holders of a Toilet Pass (Vessapassi).
Safety instructions and some information shown on the stage screens are provided with visual interpretation, with the assistive text being in Finnish. Ilosaarirock's assistant policy also applies to interpreters.
If you have any questions, concerns or feedback regarding our accessibility, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].
Equality has always been one of Ilosaarirock’s core values. Our visitors, volunteers, performers, employees and partners are all welcome at our festival as they are. We want every single person to feel safe and free to express themselves at Ilosaarirock. We do not allow or tolerate any kind of discrimination or harassment at Ilosaarirock.
We have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment or abuse at Ilosaarirock. Our security guards and entire festival staff have been trained to recognise incidents of harassment and how to intervene. Additionally, a sexual harassment support person works on site and the police will keep the threshold for reporting crimes low.
We are all responsible for our own actions – even in the festival frenzy. Please respect the physical and mental integrity of each and every one of your fellow revellers and take others into consideration in the midst of having fun. If you witness or experience any inappropriate behaviour, alert or turn to any of the festival security guards or Ilosaarirock staff members.
Ilosaarirock’s principles for a safer space have been compiled in the festival’s Rock Etiquette, which you can find in the next section below. In addition, the Ilosaarirock Gig Etiquette provides guidance for festival-goers on how to help create an enjoyable concert atmosphere for everyone.
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