Rovaniemi hosts Int´l Market from Thursday

About 120 merchants from as many as 30 countries from around the globe will set up stalls with their unique, original, disparate and of the very best quality products on display in this year’s International Market in the heart of Rovaniemi on September 7 to 10.

Launched in 2012, this matchless event is held every year in 16 cities and towns across Finland, including Rovaniemi, Tampere, Pori, Oulu, Vantaa, Lahti, Kotka, Turku, Rauma, Tornio, and Helsinki, witnessing a rapid and vertical rise of its popularity.

The key idea of the International Market is to bring spectacular products from different countries and present and sell them together with their original manufacturers or producers, said Ari Kallas, the contact person of the event organising company Service Centre for Finnish Outdoor Markets Oy (Markkinaperinteen tuki). Only selected traders in certified and specialised products from the participating countries are permitted to join the market.

According to Kallas, this year’s International Market is going to be a lot bigger than the previous one. Most of the traders are coming from the renowned trading countries like Italy, France and Germany, besides some new merchants coming from Asia and Africa, adding more exotic colours to the trading extravaganza, which is simply one of its kind.

A significant fact about International Market 2017 is that it will be held under the umbrella of Finland’s independence centenary celebrations. So, the organisers have added an International Culinary event to the market where the local stalls will introduce their best local specialties in cuisine. These stalls dyed in blue and white will be placed right at the centre of the market.

At the International Market, all traders are responsible for building their own premises. The organisers have the right to check the places and order the salespersons to carry out any changes, if required.

The event is like an oriental bazaar in a hub of the Silk Route in the middle ages where the local people and international visitors have a pleasant opportunity to find and enjoy the display of a world-wide range of products and cuisines and buy what one’s heart desires the most. This market is a commercially inspired cosmopolitan sphere where they can hear different languages and sounds representing all the corners of the planet Earth.

The very first International Market in Finland was held in 2012 by Ari Kallas and his partner Jari Mäkelä. Two events, the International Market in Tampere and the Kotka Maritime Festival, were chosen as trial runs and both exceeded their expectations, raising international traders’ interest in Finland. Since then, every International Market has inevitable been a success.

Talking about this year’s outcomes, Kallas cited the market in the southern city of Kotka where the number of visitors made a record of around 200,000, while 70,000 people came to the market in Oulu. The response is so encouraging that Markkinaperinteen tuki has already started planning the next round of market in 2018.

Over all, the International Market has grown to such importance that it has already become a matter of national pride. “This is something completely different to what we were used to see in Finland,” remarked a proud Ari Kallas.