Sunday, July 19

Nobody expected Tirmo Blues to take place this year because almost all festivals in Finland have paused for this summer. Planning ahead proved impossible and nobody wanted to book bands and then have to cancel.

To everyone’s surprise, and with almost no advertising, notices appeared earlier in the week on social media announcing a one-day Tirmo Blues with a maximum number of 500 attendees.

At the last minute the organisers found a way round the law. They created two separate listening areas, each with the permitted 500 people.

Driving back from Helsinki we stop at Tirmo to wait for the ferry and find ourselves in exactly the right position to peer in at the site and see the arrangements.

They look rather more cramped than the words social distancing might suggest, but a man’s got to make money.

A girl and a dog walk slowly from the jetty to the ferry.