SuomiAreena 2024 Draws Over 50,000 Attendees, KAJ Performance Sets Pori Audience Record

Pori, Finland – The SuomiAreena festival, Finland's largest societal discussion event, concluded its 2024 edition in Pori from June 25 to 28, drawing an impressive crowd of over 50,000 festival-goers to its various stages. The four-day event featured nearly 1,200 speakers across 230 discussions, fostering public dialogue on critical societal issues. This year's festival reaffirmed its role as a vital platform for open discussion and civic engagement.

A notable highlight of the 2024 festival was the performance by the humor group KAJ, which, according to entrepreneur and author Peter Vesterbacka, attracted an unprecedented audience in Pori. Vesterbacka stated in a tweet, > "SuomiAreenaan kokoontui 1 200 puhujaa – KAJ veti yleisömäärän, jollaista Porissa ei ole ennen nähty." The group's appearance underscored the festival's ability to blend serious societal discourse with popular entertainment.

KAJ, a humor group that later gained international recognition by representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, evidently leveraged their growing popularity to draw a significant crowd at SuomiAreena. Their performance contributed to the overall success of the festival, which saw discussions on democracy, culture, mental health, and sustainable development. The event's organizers, MTV and the City of Pori, recently formed SuomiAreena Oy to further develop the festival's impact and reach.

SuomiAreena's format encourages direct interaction between the public and a wide array of speakers, including politicians, academics, artists, and business leaders. The festival's open and accessible nature, with most events being free, is central to its mission of promoting freedom of speech and democratic participation. The strong attendance in 2024, particularly for popular acts like KAJ, highlights the public's continued interest in both civic discussion and cultural experiences.