The caravans of the Summer Services spread out to Kauhava Airport last summer. The Lakia-Jukola competition center will be located in the foreground of the image. Photo: Image Service, Summer Services.
Kauhava Airport serves as an excellent venue for major events, according to both the Communication Manager of the Summer Services, Harri Vähäjylkkä, and the Secretary General of Lakia-Jukola, Pauli Mäkelä.
The airport had its trial by fire as an event venue last summer during the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church Summer Services. The event brought together up to 86,000 people to the airport, surprising the organizers.
The Summer Services were held in Kauhava for the first time. According to the Communication Manager of the Finnish Lutheran Evangelical Association (SRK), Harri Vähäjylkkä, the experiences were “really good.”
– The sense of success was influenced by smooth traffic arrangements, local interest in the event, and seamless cooperation with the airport management, authorities, landowners, and local residents. We felt welcome, he said.
The three-kilometer-long runway poses its own challenges.
– In some feedback, it was noted that airports are rarely circular. For some people, the distance to the celebration tent unavoidably became longer, Vähäjylkkä said.
Kauhava Airport is close to the city center, with only about two kilometers to the Kauhava city center. Vähäjylkkä speculates that the central location increased the interest of Kauhava residents in the event.
– The situation was similar in Pori, where Kirjurinluoto is even closer to the city center.
Some of the Summer Services guests return home after the celebrations, but many families combine the Summer Services with a vacation trip. This has also been noticed by holiday destinations.
– For example, Ähtäri Zoo advertised family tickets in the Päivämies magazine, Vähäjylkkä said.
The Summer Services stand out among summer events in Finland and even in the Nordic countries. There were a staggering 9,000 motorhomes and caravans, and a total of 7,000 tents.
Lakia-Jukola is expected to attract around 20,000 orienteers. The population will increase to about 40,000 when guardians, officials, and volunteers are included. The Lakia-Jukola event center is located at the northern end of the runway. Mäkelä appreciates that the event area is cohesive. The infrastructure is in place. Cars can be parked on asphalt, and tent villages can be set up on even and hard grass next to the runway.
Both the Summer Services and Jukola are carried out with ironclad routine.
– Another common factor is voluntary and volunteer work. It’s worth maintaining, Harri Vähäjylkkä said.