Questions about Tuska & Finland

Tuska Metal Fest - keskustelu
Post Reply
Night
Posts: 245
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 5:55 pm
Location: Riihimäki

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Night »

Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:Good afternoon,

as I'm not from Finland I better write in English, since my Finnish is best called "not that good". ;)
I've got some questions regarding the festival, Helsinki and Finland in general, 'cause this year's Tuska will be my first one:

1. As far as I know the beer in Norway costs 28€ a sixpack, how much does it cost in Finland?

2. Bottles are not allowed at the festival site, plastic bottles are, how about (these infamous 0,5 L) cans?

3. May sound stupid, but can one purchase food and beer at the festival ground? What about the prices? Are they "finnish" or "international"? On German festivals beer costs 2 to 4€ per cup.

4. I'm planning to reside at the Eurohostel. Are there cheaper ways of spending the night in Helsinki? Don't say Tavastia. ;)

5. Tuska website says, as far as I remember, that once you entered the festival ground you may not leave it. If you do so, you won't be allowed to reenter. Is it really that harsh?

So far, so good. Kiitos jokaisesta vastauksesta!

1. Beer is pretty cheap in Finland, at least compared to Norway prices. You should be able to get 24 cans (33cl) of beer for about 20€ here.

2. Don't know, sorry.

3. Yes, you can. I'd guess the price range is from 4-8€. Don't take my word on it, though.

4. You could take a tent with you and rent space at Rastila camping area. I don't know their prices. Here's some info on it, in english: http://www.camping.fi/template_ypage1.a ... &sua=2&q=y

5. I have no idea, maybe some other board member can answer this?
Jigsore

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Jigsore »

2. Cans are not allowed. There's a okayish amount of different plastic beer bottles for sale, just buy yours beforehand as they in example are usually sold out in the Helsinki center area at the Tuska weekend.

5. You can only enter and leave once a day.
Scandal
Imperiumi Assistant
Posts: 493
Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2002 4:48 pm
Location: Kallio, Helsinki
Contact:

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Scandal »

1. Normal/cheap beer costs ~one euro per bottle. Sixpack might be (usually is) more expensive than six single bottles! Plus, the cheapest beer is usually in cans.

2. No cans allowed, only plastic bottles.

3. Yes. Beer is probably 6 euros (for 0,4 liters). So, Finnish prices, not "international". Food is maybe 8 euros and probably all it does is to make you less hungry. No gourmet here.

4. Eurohostel is cheap, also Stadion hostel is cheap. You can camp at the Rastila camping area (20 or so minutes by subway). http://www.tuska-festival.fi/en/?page=accommodation

5. Yes. There's no wristbands, only tickets. You can enter only once a day with one ticket. They cut an edge off or mark it otherwise, depending on the day), so they can see if you've already entered. (Like when going to a movie theater - they tear the edge of the ticket, so you can use it only once. Same here.)
Lanttu
Posts: 79
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:01 am
Location: Jyväskylä

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Lanttu »

Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:1. As far as I know the beer in Norway costs 28€ a sixpack, how much does it cost in Finland?
I don't drink beer and not that much alcohol either but I'd say normal prices are somewhere around 8-10 euros. Add two euros and you get the price of long drink sixpack (cans).
Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:2. Bottles are not allowed at the festival site, plastic bottles are, how about (these infamous 0,5 L) cans?
Cans are off limits too but you can bring pretty much as much alcohol as you wish to in those plastic bottles.
Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:3. May sound stupid, but can one purchase food and beer at the festival ground? What about the prices? Are they "finnish" or "international"? On German festivals beer costs 2 to 4€ per cup.
You can buy both. Don't know about international prices but I could guess "Finnish". Foods are about 6-10 euros per serving I think but I don't think I've bought them last two years myself (too expensive, I'm stingy ;)).

Instead I've used semi-trailer store (don't know right word for it, check picture) which sells stuff about the same prices (a bit higher) you see in normal grocery stores. You can buy triangle sandwiches, micro pizzas, candy, cold soda etc. Nothing with alcohol though. There will probably be one this year too. As Scandal said, there's no gourment available so why should I buy normal, not-so-tasty french fries and sausages when I can buy equally good (or bad) food cheaper without leaving the area.

Beer question is better answered those who actually know. I haven't ever visited bar area at Tuska.
Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:5. Tuska website says, as far as I remember, that once you entered the festival ground you may not leave it. If you do so, you won't be allowed to reenter. Is it really that harsh?
Yes. They have made this agreement with officials and police to make things simpler. Having a festival in the centre of city adds enough traffic already. It's not that bad though as unlike many (most?) other festivals, you can bring your own alcohol and pretty much of that too if one so wishes. After all, alcohol seems to be the biggest issue for most people.:P
Scandal
Imperiumi Assistant
Posts: 493
Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2002 4:48 pm
Location: Kallio, Helsinki
Contact:

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Scandal »

Best: YMMV, but Koff Porter is commonly rated as the best beer in Finland. Sold in Alkos (see below), less than 2 euros a bottle.

Cheapest: Whatever is on sale at the large supermarket chains, usually ~20 euros for a "case" (24 cans). Earlier it was usually Koff (lager, not porter), at the moment at least my local S-market sells Karjala for that price. Also, Lidl might sell some cheapish beer.

International: Sure, supermarkets sell some international beers (more Czech than German ones). The major problem is the Finnish law, supermarkets or grocery stores are not allowed to sell anything that has more than 4,7% ABV. If your favorite German/Czech beer has 4,8% or more (or you want wine, vodka, whatnot), the only place (besides bars) you can get it is government-owned alcohol store Alko. Alko sells whatever they decide to sell, so the selection isn't the best possible, prices are usually 3-4 euros a bottle. For beer geeks, there's one special Alko with wider selection of special beers in the center of Helsinki. To see what e.g. German beers are sold in Alkos, use this search form.
Jussi
Posts: 10657
Joined: Wed Aug 28, 2002 5:10 pm
Location: Oulu (Rollo)

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Jussi »

Scandal wrote:Also, Lidl might sell some cheapish beer.
Ha, there's the german brands for you in finland :) at least few years back Bürgen Pils & Schwabenbräu were the poison of choice for poor student. But of course there's no way of bringing those bottles & cans to the festival site as stated earlier.
psycoma wrote:If you like cider or long drink ( mild gin) those are sold plastic 0,5L bottles.
Also on one liter bottles. That and it's even bigger competitor have been a standard for me at last Tuskas.

Besides those you can also bring cardboard boxes with you & have some 1-3 L of nice, warm wine at the usual +28 degrees heat. Always a classic!

And I don't think that european import beer 'is always more expensive than finnish'. For example the basic S-store chain sells quite nice Litovel Czech lagers for ~1,80€ / 0,5L can and the domestic ones cost more (in same can size).

Questions about Tuska & Finland & alcohol :P
MacMoney
Posts: 77
Joined: Sun Aug 25, 2002 8:01 pm
Location: Espoo

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by MacMoney »

Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:3. May sound stupid, but can one purchase food and beer at the festival ground? What about the prices? Are they "finnish" or "international"? On German festivals beer costs 2 to 4€ per cup.

5. Tuska website says, as far as I remember, that once you entered the festival ground you may not leave it. If you do so, you won't be allowed to reenter. Is it really that harsh?
3. Haven't bought the food in ages in there, but beer last year was seven euros for half a liter from which two euros bought you the cup so refills were five euros. You got the two euros back once you returned the cup to the "bartender".

5. This is pretty much the truth. You can reason with the security if you need to do a quick trip to get cash from an ATM or something similar. Better be courteous and sober (or at least appear to be sober) for this.
MentalSleiver

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by MentalSleiver »

Jussi wrote: Questions about Tuska & Finland & alcohol :P

Questions about alcohol in Tuska & Finland
ilpero

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by ilpero »

Tuska has probably one of the most friendliest festival atmospheres in Finland. Never had any problems. Of course, there may always be a rotten apple amongst the good ones, but I wouldn't worry about it.
Jussi
Posts: 10657
Joined: Wed Aug 28, 2002 5:10 pm
Location: Oulu (Rollo)

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Jussi »

Yep. As you can check from the annual metalshots.com guy's photos, starting there from last year and backwards, you could get some idea. Very easygoing and so on.
ikk
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:24 pm
Location: Tampere

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by ikk »

The food at Finnish festivals is generally good - a wide variety of ethnic foods etc. - but Tuska is a notable exception. The food at Tuska is seriously crap (and pretty expensive of course), if the vendors are the same as in previous years. So I strongly suggest you bring your own food.
metalglory
Grey Eminence
Posts: 1387
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2002 8:04 pm
Location: Turku
Contact:

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by metalglory »

The cheapest way to accommodate max four people in one hotel room: http://www.omenahotels.com/frontpage (though many abuse this brutally by booking one room and having 10 friends sleeping there...:P)
No staff in that hotel, it's online booking only.

But if you're travelling alone, I suggest Rastila camping site + tent.
NeonBlack

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by NeonBlack »

Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote: What about the prices? Are they "finnish" or "international"? On German festivals beer costs 2 to 4€ per cup.
Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote: Prices of beer seem horrible to me, but I guess I can handle that issue.
The high price for beer on the festival-area is because of fee (or guarantee, if you wanna call it that way). So when you return your cup you'll get some of the money back...was it 2€ or so?
Koskenkorvasieni
Posts: 1133
Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2002 4:56 am
Location: Pohjois-Espoo

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Koskenkorvasieni »

psycoma wrote:If you like cider or long drink ( mild gin) those are sold plastic 0,5L bottles.
You can buy some finnish beers in plastic bottles too, like the 1.25 litre "iso karhu" (big bear), which was a big favourite in the last couple of tuskas. Most people like to make their own festival drink mixes though. I usually take a 1,5 l bottle of cola and replace 0,5 l of cola with spirits. One bottle of of that mix, plus a few beers keeps me going for one day. Has worked fine for me the last ten years. ;)
PG

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by PG »

Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:Yip, I ask a lot about alcohol, as it is the main issue for me regarding the money. Never been to Finland, but to a lot of festivals, and I know that I drink more than I usually eat. ;)
Seeing that you're coming from Germany I would suggest that you bring some spirit from there with you and then make your own mixes here with some elements you like. That is probably the cheapest way.

The majority of the beer sold over here usually is lager (Koff, Karhu, Lapin Kulta) and it is pretty horrible. And beer in plastic bottles, well if you're into something extreme maybe then you could try it... Life is too short to waste on cheap beer.

There is indeed some very good beer in Finland too, but it usually comes from smaller microbreweries and is pretty expensive. For example if you like dunkel weissbier then you definately should try the Finnish traditional Sahti beer, it can be found in the special Alko store mentioned above.

Anyway, welcome and once you're at the festival and drunk enough there's no big difference what beer you'll be drinking and if it's in a plastic bottle or not... :wink:
kimitor

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by kimitor »

Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:Yip, I ask a lot about alcohol, as it is the main issue for me regarding the money. Never been to Finland, but to a lot of festivals, and I know that I drink more than I usually eat. ;)

Edit: By the way: what about the atmosphere on this festival? In Eastern Germany the atmosphere on festivals tends to be a bit aggressive due to the huge amount of nazi idiots.
In ten years, I have seen only one or two fights in Tuska. And they have maybe been between friends who fight over last beer or something.

No nazis in Tuska or they are well behaved.
Jussi
Posts: 10657
Joined: Wed Aug 28, 2002 5:10 pm
Location: Oulu (Rollo)

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Jussi »

Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:the beers sold on German festivals are pretty bad
To quote mr. Roland Grapow at the bar a couple of years ago:

Holstein? Ja, Holstein ist scheisse...

When he & fellow Masterplan's bass player asked about the german beers available here, that was the first that crossed my mind (and the first I tasted of the imports as a teenager) as it is widely available for some reason at K-store chain. As is Löwenbräu :) cheap too!

edit: Mitävit, Suomen Holstein-klubi?!
Scandal
Imperiumi Assistant
Posts: 493
Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2002 4:48 pm
Location: Kallio, Helsinki
Contact:

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Scandal »

Jussi wrote:To quote mr. Roland Grapow at the bar a couple of years ago:
Holstein? Ja, Holstein ist scheisse...
I'm quite sure he didn't say that.

(It's Holsten. Without the i.)
Jussi
Posts: 10657
Joined: Wed Aug 28, 2002 5:10 pm
Location: Oulu (Rollo)

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Jussi »

Ah, damn I should have google-checked the name, but yes, Holsten. And at least both of them agreed with me. :mrgreen:
I prefer even the Löwenbräu (that I spelled correctly, even with the umlauts :roll: ), and might as well add that by 'cheap' I mean the same as before: less than 2€ per 0,5L.
Scandal wrote:I'm quite sure he didn't say that.

(It's Holsten. Without the i.)
OooO

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by OooO »

According to our national TV 1:
"Satan symbols dominate the field in celebration with the Nazi symbols. And so the soup would be perfect, perfect harmony of these servants of evil with metal music will enjoy conscientious objectors, vegetarians and other eco-activists."

Like all good money saving Germans, bring your own booze.
scorpse

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by scorpse »

Maybe the cheapest german beer you can find is from Lidl's. I remember that best of the cheapest of them (IMO) was Grafenwalder. It's "drinkable" for the price.Then there was something that was sold in blue cans, don't remember the name but it tasted like it has been drank already once before, u know what i mean :P .

Like mentioned earlier, you can find better beers in bigger markets and Alkos. Example some of Spaten, Ayinger, Hofbräuhaus, Paulaner, Franziskaner (especially the weiss) beers are often on sale, as well as Urquell and Velko, but the price is a higher in Alkos. Of the smaller finnish breweries I recommend Laitila's pils or lager and Mallaskosken kuohu.

I'll try to answer to your other questions too.

A sixpack is usually 5-7 euros, a 12-pack from 9 to 14 euros and a case of 24 from 17 to 22 euros. NEVER buy alcohol from gas stations (or anything else besides the gas), the price is hellish. Are there those cases in Germany, and what are the prices?

In case you want to sit down in a bar and have a cheap beer, go to the district of Kallio. You can have the normal tasting finnish beer for 2 euros a 0,5l and see the nice finnish bar atmosphere.

Well it seems that all your questions have been answered already. But if you want to explore the REAL finnish cuisine, go to the street grills, a "snägäri" in Helsinki slang after the Tuska and have a meat doughnut or kebab with all the spices :lol:

If you have anything else you wanna ask, just ask.

Welcome to Finland and have a nice Tuska :beer:
Jussi
Posts: 10657
Joined: Wed Aug 28, 2002 5:10 pm
Location: Oulu (Rollo)

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Jussi »

scorpse wrote:a case of 24
Are there those cases in Germany, and what are the prices?
NO! They are not alcoholics :P with their civilized 4 x 0,5 bottle cases, hehe
Sakari

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Sakari »

Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:
scorpse wrote:Are there those cases in Germany, and what are the prices?
You can get the 24x0,33 or 20x0,5 case really cheap in Germany. The cheapest beer costs 8€, the most expensive (normal) beer costs around 18€ (including 3,42€ deposit).
Good to know. Next week I'm in Berlin. :pint:
Dunwich
Posts: 93
Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2002 1:26 pm
Location: Tampere
Contact:

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Dunwich »

As PG said, making your own mix of spirits and juice/soda/etc would be better choice than carrying around plastic beer bottles. No matter what brand the beer is, it's going to taste awful after standing in the summer heat.
scorpse wrote:But if you want to explore the REAL finnish cuisine, go to the street grills, a "snägäri" in Helsinki slang after the Tuska and have a meat doughnut or kebab with all the spices
For REAL Finnish experience, you could also greet the line with something like "painukaa homot vittuun, minä tilaan ensin". Saying that in poor Finnish likely makes the experience even more intense. ;)
Jussi
Posts: 10657
Joined: Wed Aug 28, 2002 5:10 pm
Location: Oulu (Rollo)

Re: Questions about Tuska & Finland

Post by Jussi »

Bodenlose Dosenhose wrote:or "Fuck the fags, I order first"?
Pretty well done with translation, "fuck off fags, I'll order first" would be literal I guess. And noo: when spiced with sympathetic accent, no one could possibly be offended by that :D
Post Reply