Armas Festival to be held in March this year

The national ARMAS Festival will be held for the eighth time in Vaasa in March. The art and culture festival celebrates aging with various events, exhibitions, and performances.

The opening ceremony of the Armas Festival will take place on Monday, March 18, from 13.00 to 15.00 at the Vuorikeskus auditorium (Vuorikatu 2–4, 65100 Vaasa). The program for the open public event includes music and a speech by Irmeli Mandell, Chairperson of the Vaasa Elderly Council.

On Thursday, March 21, from 10.00 to 14.00, Armas Day will offer culture and wellbeing activities for seniors at the main library and Drama Hall (Kirjastonkatu 13, Vaasa). The programme includes film screenings and piano music. Nursing students from VAMK will conduct health check-ups, and there will be information stands about activities and services aimed at seniors by the City of Vaasa and the Ostrobothnia Welfare Region.

Song and Dance

Vaasa Finnish Parish will organize a community singing event on Friday, March 22, at 13.00 at the Ristinummi Parish Centre. Open Sunday Dances will be held on March 24 from 16.00 to 19.00 at Ajurinkatu 14. There will be communal singing and karaoke at Vuorikeskus on Tuesday, March 26, from 13.00 to 14.00.

Wasa Teater will host a singing event on Saturday, March 23, at 14.00 with the artists of the musical Vänd om min längtan led by composer Thomas Enroth. This event with an entry fee is aimed at choir singers and anyone interested in singing, with advance registration required.

Author and teacher Merja Mäki will talk about her evacuee novel Ennen lintuja, whose name translates to “Before Birds,” and the novel’s independent sequel on Monday, March 25, from 18.00 to 19.00 at the Alma Adult Education Center.

Exhibitions and photo identification

Vaasa city museums’ exhibitions can be visited for free by showing your pensioner card from March 18 to 31. Photo identification will be held at the café of the Ostrobothnia Museum on Wednesday, March 27, from 13.00 to 15.00.

Tapani Tammenpää’s art graphics exhibition will be displayed in the art corridor of Vuorikeskus from March 18 to April 1. The works of the local crafts club members will be on display in the main library’s foyer from March 18 to April 2 under the name Käsityökerhossa osataan (in English: the Crafts Club has the skills).

During the festival weeks, various benefits will be available. For instance, tickets for Vaasa City Theatre performances can be purchased at a discounted rate by mentioning the code ”ARMAS” during booking or purchase. Vamia’s Parcos Hair Salon will offer affordable treatments performed by students on Tuesdays, March 19 and 26, from 8.00 to 14.00.

For detailed program in Vaasa: www.vaasa.fi/armas (in Finnish/Swedish)
Information about the national event can be found at: https://armasfestivaali.fi/en/home/