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Festival weekend goes off with few hitches so far

Major events around Finland on Friday and Saturday have mostly passed off peacefully.

Ruisrockin yleisöä.
Image: Joonas Mäkivirta / Ruisrock

In Turku, one of the world's longest-running pop festivals, Ruisrock, attracted a record audience of 35,000 people to the leafy seaside area of Ruissalo on Friday. Police detained seven people on various charges.

Friday's headliners included French house music DJ David Guetta, American punk band The Offspring and bestselling Finnish pop-rapper Cheek. Saturday's international headliner is include English singer Lily Allen, followed on Sunday by US rapper Wiz Khalifa, France's Phoenix and Finnish teen idol Robin.

Now celebrating its 45th year, Ruisrock began in 1970, a year after the Woodstock festival. The second Ruisrock, in 1971, starred US blues-rock band Canned Heat, who had also appeared at Woodstock -- and who played five gigs in Finland earlier this summer.

This year Ruisrock reverted to its original three-day format after ending up deeply in the red last year.

Rap takes over Lahti

Meanwhile in Lahti, nine people were taken into custody at the Summer Up festival, where Cheek also headlined. Summer Up claims to be the largest urban music festival in the country, focusing on hip-hop along with a few electronic, dancehall and reggae acts.

Police have also been kept busy with drunk drivers and traffic accidents, including one in Toholampi, western Finland, that left four young men dead. More on that story here.

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