All you need to know about Nouxfest – frequently asked questions
How does Nouxfest work in practice? Here you will find the answers – and if you can’t find them, please contact us and we will answer them and update this article as necessary.
Where is Nouxfest?
Nouxfest takes place in Nuuksio, about 30 kilometers from the center of Helsinki. The festival’s activities take place in several locations both in Nuuksio National Park and outside of it. The programs take place in the areas of Espoo, VIhti and Kirkkonummi. The base camp and info point for the event is located at the nature center Haltia event field, address Nuuksiontie 84, 02820 Espoo. Nouxfest Expo is organized during the day on the event field, with lots of interesting products and exhibitors. In addition, an evening program is organized on the field.
At the same address, you can also find Nouxfest Trail trail running race on Sunday 11.8. The event center is at the Solvalla sports institute’s sports field.
What are the Nouxfest dates?
Nouxfest is 8-11 August 2024. You can participate in the whole event or only a part of it.
What does it cost to participate?
You can buy festival tickets of different lengths for Nouxfest, from an event pass covering four days to individual day passes. The different types of passports and their prices are presented on the Tickets page.
We strongly recommend public transport or muscle power. The environment thanks you!
By public transport from the direction of the center of Helsinki, you can get to the nature center Haltia with one change: first take the commuter train E from Helsinki Central Station to Espoo train station, where you change to bus line 245A (stop 32), which brings you right next to the event field. The total travel time is just under an hour. The same connection also runs regularly from the area back to Helsinki. Check the schedule and the connection that suits you on HSL’s website: hsl.fi (destination: Finnish Nature Center Haltia).
There is also a parking area for private cars in the area. If you arrive by car, gather other visitors together if possible! Follow the parking guidance on site. If you want, you can also leave the car about 7km away at the beginning of Nuuksiontie at the Nuuksionkuja 2 parking lot and come the rest of the way by bike or bus, or meet up with friends there and continue there in one car.
For environmental reasons and to avoid parking congestion and for the sake of other outdoor enthusiasts in the area, we hope that participants use public transport or carpools. If you live nearby, you can also get to the area by cycling or even hiking along the light traffic routes.
Is it possible to enter the event area without an entrance ticket?
Yes. Nouxfest also has a lot of free programs open to everyone:
- On the event field, in connection with the nature center Haltia, a Nouxfest Expo open to all is organized during the day (around 9am-6pm), where Nouxfest’s partners, e.g. present their products and services. Many products can be tried in practice, e.g. trail running shoes from several brands, Jack Wolfskin backpacks and hiking boots, Rab sleeping pads and Nemo Equipment tents. You can also shop at the event, attractive offers are coming! See Nouxfest Expo’s exhibitor list.
- Thursday 8.8. at 18-19:30 Haltia Forum, a discussion event with decision-makers and influencers from the ministerial level. Haltia forum is free and open to everyone.
- You can follow the program of the event stage until 18:00 without an admission ticket on all event days.
- The activity program has open exercise opportunities, e.g. a marked trail running route, Suomen Luonto’s nature trail and a forest agility course, which you can freely walk on your own during the event. Use the search word “ilmainen” in the program calendar to see the free programs.
Participating in bookable activities and the event field’s evening program requires the purchase of an event pass.
The separate competitions organized during the festival, such as the Funduro Cup (mountain biking) and the Nouxfest Trail (trail running), have their own entrance tickets, and participation in them does not require a Nouxfest pass.
What is included in the event pass?
With the Nouxfest pass, you can participate in all activity trials, presentations and workshops and the evening program on the days covered by the ticket. View daily schedule (in Finnish).
The pass also includes the possibility to camp in the Nouxfest tent camp on the Solvalla sports field (a tent spot is booked separately) and the use of the Solvalla Areena’s washing and dressing facilities during the event.
What is not included in the event pass?
Some courses are organized during the event, such as an excursion cooking course, for which a small material fee is charged, as well as competitions, the participation fee of which is not included in the Nouxfest pass. In addition, participating in some activity trials requires the use of your own equipment or equipment rental. Such are e.g. guided cycling tours and courses. However, test bikes from partners will also be available for the participants, but their number, type and size selection will not be known until just before the event.
Bikes in the area are rented by biking.fi, which is coming up with a promotional price for participants, and Nuuksio Bikepark
The event pass does not include accommodation other than a tent place and meals.
Do I have to register for the activities in advance?
Yes. This is necessary to manage capacity, ensure safety and send possible advance directives in programs where this is necessary. When you get a Nouxfest pass, an account will be created for you in the reservation system, where you can reserve your place for the activities you want. The user credentials are sent to the system by e-mail after the purchase by hand the next day at the latest.
What equipment do I need?
You need weather-appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear, and your own hiking and sports equipment that you want to use in the programs. Swimwear and towel are also highly recommended, and for those staying in a tent camp, your own tent or hammock. The special equipment needed for the programs can mostly be found on site, but we recommend bringing your own mountain/gravel bike if you own one and plan to participate in the biking programs. Mountain bikes can also be rented in the area, and partner test bikes are also coming, although not gravel bikes.
Where can I eat at Nouxfest?
There are several restaurants in the area: Restaurant ThaiThai sells food on the event field. Restaurant Haltia offers food indoors, with a Nature on a Plate lunch (salad, soup, and lunch table in different combinations) and after lunch a special Nouxfest menu at more affordable festival prices than normal.
Other restaurants are Villa Solvalla at Solvalla sports college and Haltia Lake Lodge. Restaurant Haltia’s outdoor bar serves on the event field during the evening programs. Breakfast is served by Villa Solva, reservation in advance needed.
Exhibitors at the Expo have camping foods for sale. Nouxfest’s own kiosk is also coming to the event field, where you can get a quick snack and energy, e.g. NOSHT Jollos energy candies.
There is also a drinking water point on the field for filling your own bottles. Otherwise, water replenishment can be found at the nature center Haltia, Solvalla sports college’s main building and Solvalla Areena. Please note that the programs mainly take place out in the terrain, and during them it is not possible to refill snacks and drinks.
Where can I stay overnight at Nouxfest?
During the event, you can spend the night camping in Nouxfest’s official tent camp on the Solvalla sports field or in a hammock camp near the field. The campsite is included in the price of the pass, and the field’s changing rooms and toilets are available 24h. You can also book accommodation at the accommodation facilities in the event area: Haltia Lake Lodge, Solvalla sports institute and Retkipaikka Skytent village. In addition, accommodation is offered by the Polku hotel located in the northwestern part of Nuuksio National Park, which is a good 10 km mountain bike ride away from the event area. Polku Hotel has an accommodation package for Nouxfest participants that includes the use of an electric mountain bike. Camping is of course also possible in the camping areas of Nuuksio National Park.
Is it necessary to stay overnight at the event?
Is not. You can also participate in Nouxfest during the day, but you can get the best experience by staying the night. If you are participating for several days, we definitely recommend staying overnight in the area, even if you live nearby. In this way, you save the time it takes to move and the environmental burden, you avoid parking congestion and you can enjoy the program and the atmosphere from morning to night.
How are the toilet and washing facilities arranged?
With the event pass, you can use Solvalla Areena’s washing and toilet facilities around the clock. There are also toilets in the nature center Haltia, in the main building of Solvalla sports college and on the event field. All of them also have an accessible toilet.
The beach is available all the time. Solvalla’s beach sauna heats up every evening 5-7pm, sauna tickets can be purchased at Solvalla reception for €5/piece.
What if I don’t own a tent or other camping equipment?
Participating in Nouxfest does not require the purchase of your own camping equipment. The event’s tent camp has pre-set partner presentation tents, which you can book on the Tickets page for €25/night/tent. Individual places are also available in the large expedition tent. There are sleeping pads for test use at Rab booth. Sleeping bags, platforms and tents can also be rented from Haltia’s equipment rental.
If you don’t spend the night in a tent, you only need clothes and shoes suitable for the activities you choose, suitable for the weather, We also recommend swimwear and your own mountain bike or gravel bike, if you own one and participate in related activities.
How does equipment storage work during the event?
Those staying in a tent camp can leave their camping equipment at the tent camp at their own risk. The camp area is not guarded, but there are plenty of program departures on the same sports field, so organizers move around the area regularly. Valuables should be carried with you throughout the event, for example in a small backpack or running vest.
There are lockers for equipment storage in the Haltia Nature Center lobby, which also has a locked bag storage. During the activities, personal belongings can also be left at the information point or in the equipment storage space designated by the information point.
How do I store my bicycle?
There is a bike park near Haltia’s main door, where you can lock your bike to a metal bar. Bring your own lock.
Can I buy a ticket only for the evening program?
Yes, Evening tickets (18-23) are available on the Tickets page for €17. The evening programs consist of outdoor movies, music, stage performances, and interviews. Check out the evening programs.
Also note that you can get to know the evening program when you buy a day pass. With the Friday and Saturday day passes, you can go to the evenings no less than twice, because the day passes are valid from 18:00 the night before until the end of the actual ticket day.
In addition, you can get to know the spirit of Nouxfest through the mountain biking, trail running and orienteering events organized during the festival, which you can participate in with a separate participation fee without a Nouxfest pass. Read more about the games.
How do I move between different activities?
Almost all of the festival’s activities are organized a short walk from the nature center Haltia’s event field. There are only two program points further away: packraft trips in Kattilajärvi and SUP boarding experiments in Haukkalampi. The aim of these is to collect carpools among the participants. Instructions will be sent to those registered for these activities before the event.
How does garbage collection and recycling work?
There is a sorting point on the event field where bio-waste, cardboard and mixed waste are divided. There are separate trash cans for pawned packages. In addition, mixed waste bins and trash cans can be found in different parts of the event area. The goal is that no garbage is left in nature after the event, and previous garbage is also collected from there. Do your best to achieve this goal!
What if I need first aid?
SPR’s emergency team is available daily during the event from 9 am to 10 pm (until 4 pm on Sunday). The first aid room is at the end of the Solvalla sports college, the closest to the nature center Haltia. The team moves around the event area according to the focus of the activity. The first aid phone number is 0402162050. We highly recommend everyone to install the 112 application on the phone for emergencies.