First time at the Flow Festival? These are the tips you need

First things first: what should you wear? Unofficially? Dress to impress. In reality? Anything goes.

Flow has a reputation for attracting seriously stylish crowds, and many festivalgoers spend plenty of time planning their looks. This year’s defining theme may well be Zara Larsson-inspired Y2K nostalgia.

That said, black jeans and a plain white T-shirt are equally acceptable – and plenty of people wear exactly that. No one will look down their nose at you for keeping things understated.

So do not be intimidated by all the statement outfits: enjoy them. Flow offers some of the best people-watching of the entire year.

Veteran festivalgoers tend to value comfort above everything else. Whatever you wear, the most important rule is simple: choose comfortable shoes.

The conventional answer is Saturday: the festival’s main event, when there is no reason to hold back. Sunday tends to be more of a drifting day, with fewer fixed plans and more willingness to simply go with the flow. That, however, is often precisely what makes it the most enjoyable day of the weekend.

Of course, plenty of people take Monday off work and go just as hard on Sunday. Friday, meanwhile, is often treated as a warm-up, as it is only half a festival day. In 2026, however, Zara Larsson performs on Friday – and for many visitors she is the weekend’s biggest headliner, particularly as Florence + The Machine and Nick Cave are already familiar faces at Flow.

So the best day depends entirely on what you are looking for. See our guide to Flow’s must-see acts.

Flow tickets must be exchanged for wristbands, and it is worth doing this before the festival. There is no wristband exchange at the main entrance – the only gate through which you can enter the site.

Exchange points include Lasipalatsi Square in central Helsinki and the Sörnäisten rantatie side of Suvilahti.

The festival’s only entrance is the main gate at Hanasaarenkatu 10. It is around 800 metres from Sörnäinen metro station and one kilometre from Kalasatama station.

There is also an exit at the far end of the festival site, close to Kalasatama metro station.

Cycling is one of the easiest ways to get there. A large bicycle parking area can be found on the Sörnäisten rantatie side of the site.

Flow is a marathon, not a sprint – so take it slow. You do not need to fill every hour or race between stages. When you need a breather, grab a seat at Balloon 360° and simply listen. The stage is often where some of Flow’s most rewarding musical discoveries are made. Or head to The Other Sound and let its experimental sounds send you into a meditative daze.

Food is part of the Flow experience, not just a necessary pit stop. Budget enough time and money for a proper meal or two. Most importantly, pace the drinks and have water between rounds. The less time you spend queuing at the bar, the more time you have for the music – and Sunday-you will be eternally grateful.

Flow is that rare festival where the food is genuinely good. No red meat or poultry is served; instead, the emphasis is on vegetarian food and responsibly sourced Finnish fish.

There are more than 40 food stalls across the festival site, many run by some of Helsinki’s best restaurants. We had an early taste of A perte’s roasted portobello salad (€14), Le Grec’s spanakopita spinach pie (€14) and Shinobi’s crispy rice (€16) – and each was more delicious than the last.

Flow is also an excellent opportunity to try restaurants you have yet to visit. Our own hit list includes Vintero from Vantaa, which will be serving arancini and spelt risotto.

Most of the food stalls are clustered in a dedicated restaurant area towards the back of the festival site, but you will find plenty of good options elsewhere too, including near the entrance.

The price of drinks includes a deposit, which is refunded when you return the bottle or cup.

Festival bars accept deposit items only when you are buying another drink. There are also dedicated return points where deposits are refunded to your card without requiring another purchase.

What about the queues? Should you prepare for a long wait at the entrance or food stalls? Not really. Flow is a well-organised festival, and although queues inevitably form when the site is busy, they tend to move quickly.

Do not be put off by a line outside a food stall: dishes are prepared with festival crowds in mind, so service is usually impressively efficient. There are plenty of loos, too.

Yes. Disturbances and harassment are uncommon, and police incidents tend to be related mainly to drug enforcement.

On that subject, there are plenty of plain-clothes police officers at the festival – some of them dressed very convincingly for the occasion.

Helsinki evenings often turn chilly, so pack something warm – perhaps a thin but insulating cashmere or merino-wool jumper. Bring a rain poncho too.

You can also take an empty water bottle and fill it at the drinking-water points around the site.

Flow is completely cashless, so all payments are made by card or contactless payment.

A small bag or simple tote is usually enough to carry everything you need.

Flow is an over-18s festival on Friday and Saturday, and minors cannot enter even when accompanied by an adult.

The exception is Sunday, when children aged 12 and under can enter with an adult between 1pm and 5pm. Children must leave the festival site by 6pm and do not need their own tickets.

Flow has nine music venues. The Main Stage hardly needs an introduction, but here is an insider tip: in previous years, the terrace of a certain wine bar has offered a good view of the stage – ideal when you want to give your feet a rest.

Silver Arena is the festival’s second-largest venue: an enormous oblong tent with room for 15,000 people.

Balloon 360° is the most atmospheric stage. A circular seated stand surrounds the stage in the middle, while a vast illuminated balloon glows overhead. Its eclectic programme ranges from jazz and soul to indie pop and South Korean punk.

Black Tent is a good place to catch timely artists making the leap from cult status towards an international breakthrough.

Front Yard concentrates on the more techno-driven end of electronic music, while the leafy Heineken Backyard offers a more laid-back dancefloor filled with house, disco and sounds from around the world. X Garden, meanwhile, is rooted in Helsinki’s club culture, with a different collective taking over the space each day.

Next to the restaurant area, Lanson Champagne Bar & Lounge hosts relaxed DJ sets spanning all kinds of music. The Other Sound is devoted to experimental music and sound art.

Flow is effectively divided into two areas, and walking between them takes several minutes. In 2026, Balloon 360°, Black Tent and Front Yard are close to the main entrance and slightly separated from the Main Stage and the rest of the festival site.

There is room for everyone in front of the Main Stage, but arrive early at the smaller venues if there is an act you absolutely want to see.

See the festival map and stage locations.

It’s almost an irrelevant question, as it rarely rains at Flow. When it does, the showers tend to be short, and a raincoat is usually enough to keep you dry. If it really starts pouring, though, things can get a little tricky – as they do at most festivals. There are covered areas, but not enough to shelter the entire crowd, and even the vast Silver Arena cannot accommodate everyone.

The ground is a mixture of sand and asphalt. Heavy rain can produce puddles deep enough to soak your shoes, but Flow never turns into a full-blown mud festival.

The festival is over. After three days of celebrating, dancing and thoroughly exhausting yourself, you catch yourself wondering why you had never been to Flow before. You will not make that mistake again – so you may as well buy next year’s ticket straight away.

Early-bird tickets go on sale soon after the festival and can save you several dozen euros. None of the following year’s artists will have been announced at that point, but that hardly matters. After all, the shows that stay with you are often by bands you knew absolutely nothing about beforehand.

For seasoned Flow regulars, guessing the headliners is part of the fun: you can spend the autumn wondering who the following summer will bring. 

If you want the full festival experience, buy a three-day ticket: the price difference between two and three days is relatively small. If you are coming primarily for one particular artist, a day ticket may make more sense. Buy it early, though, as individual days often sell out.