On 10 October 2026, Finland will be organising Hiljaa Fest, the world’s first Festival of Nature Listening. Set in the Valkmusa National Park in the municipality of Pyhtää, the free event is being dubbed ‘Quietchella’ by its organisers.
What does the world’s happiest country need to make it an even happier place? As it turns out, not a mainstream festival with amplifiers, gigantic stages, or expensive entry tickets. Instead, the Finnish municipality of Pyhtää, located some 90 minutes from Helsinki, aims to attract visitors with an event where natural beauty and the sounds that come with it take centre stage.
Hiljaa Fest is being marketed as the world’s first Festival of Nature Listening and even as ‘Quietchella’, in reference to the more worldly, California-based, star-studded event. According to the organisers, 13 unique nature stars of Valkmusa will show their talents across four different stages.
“Valkmusa’s beauty can be found in its small details: how the wind whispers, how the moss faintly rustles, how the birds sing to you. We have planned the first-ever Festival of Nature Listening so that visitors get to tour the national park and really listen to the music nature creates. It is a festival trip designed to nurture one’s soul and one’s mind,” said the creative director of Hiljaa Fest, wilderness guide Simo Peri.
At the Räme Stage, closest to the main entrance, visitors will encounter the fragrant marsh Labrador tea and windswept gnarled pines of the mire – the festival’s aromatic opening stage.
At the Neva Stage, the festival’s main stage and the heart of the open bog, attendees will be able to meet the Sphagnum Moss, Sundew, Cloudberry, Cranberry, Morning Mist, and the ever-changing scents of the wind.
At the Simonsaari Stage, offering an elevated viewing stage overlooking the entire festival grounds, birdwatchers and boardwalk wanderers alike might catch a sight of the Black Grouse, Common Crane, and Common Lizard.
Finally, at the Moronvuori Korpisuo Stage, festival-goers will be able to enjoy the area’s finest viewpoint and most dramatic scenery, with the magnificent Moronvuori Cliffs to take their breath away.
@visitkotkahaminaofficial What if the stars of the festival were… nature itself? 🌿🎶 Welcome to Quietchella – the world’s first festival of nature listening at Valkmusa National Park. Here, the headliners aren’t pop stars but black grouse, cranes, wind, peat moss and the sounds of the mire 🐦🌾 Instead of rushing from one act to another, slow down, listen and explore Valkmusa at your own pace 😍The festival continues throughout the autumn as a self-guided experience. Come for the nature. Stay for the silence 🤍 📍 Valkmusa National Park, Pyhtää – just a 1-hour drive from Helsinki 🚗 #finland #nature #mire #pyhtää #thingstodo ♬ original sound – Visitkotkahaminaofficial
“We wanted to place the spotlight on our beautiful national park. We believe in the Hiljaa Fest being our own little Quietchella: it encourages visitors to stop, truly enjoy the silence, and take in the vast surrounding nature with all their senses. Valkmusa is an enchanting place to experience all year round, but especially in the fall as the foliage changes colour and the leaves shine in a rich spectrum of shades,” Terhi Lindholm, municipal director of Pyhtaa, shared in a press release.
Hiljaa Fest will start off on 10 October during a free but invitation-only event. However, afterwards, visitors can continue to enjoy the festival grounds until 31 October 2026 as a self-guided festival experience, open to everyone. The festival area is accessible via boardwalks and forest trails, and the event is therefore currently not suitable for visitors who require mobility aids. Festivalgoers are asked to follow Finland’s outdoor code: respecting nature, leaving no trace, and treating the environment and its performers with care.
