This weekend, the whole family’s Ice Carousel Festival will take place in Lohja thanks to an innovation, the climate carousel.
It has been almost a hundred years since the Lake Lohja, situated 60 kilometres from Helsinki, has been iceless at the end of February. This winter, the warm weather presents an additional challenge for the organizers of the Ice Carousel Festival. Still, a fun and eventful winter festival is taking place.
The Ice Carousel Festival was held for the first time in 2018 and the event attracted 15,000 visitors. The highlight of the festival were the inventor Janne Käpylehto's ice carousels, which were sawn on the ice of Lake Lohja. Käpylehto carried out several ice carousels, one of which was the world's largest to the date. As the planning for this year's Ice Carousel Festival proceeded, the ice forecasts got worse and worse.
All aboard on the climate carousel in the Lake Lohja
Despite the lack of ice, a carousel is built. The inventor of the ice carousel, Janne Käpylehto came up with an idea of a new kind of climate carousel that spins on the Lake Lohja.
A pontoon carousel, about 15 meters in diameter, is being built for the Ice Carousel Festival. The carousel is made up of 42 floating pontoons, Finnish wood, and solar panels. The carousel spins with the energy provided by two electric motors and solar panels. In other words, the carousel uses locally produced renewable energy. About 30 people can get aboard at a time. The carousel also carries wooden animals for children to sit on.
– From the very beginning, one of the ideas of the ice carousels has been to raise awareness about the climate change. We should face the challenge with enthusiasm and innovation, so that there will be ice in the winters to come. Now the historically miserable winter reminds us about this in concrete terms. Innovation is prominent in the event: the carousel does spin in the Lake Lohja, regardless of the ice conditions, says inventor Janne Käpylehto.
Aboard the climate carousel the Finnish actor Ville Haapasalo will host the world's first rotating fishing competition. On Saturday 22 February at 6 pm a Finnish Israeli couple will be married on top of the climate carousel, no matter what the weather conditions are.
Lots of fun for the whole family
The Ice Carousel Festival features two days of the best winter spinning and a program for the whole family. In addition to the fishing competition and wedding, the program includes music, dance, animals, princesses, puppetry, carnival carousel, and food and drink for all tastes.
The Ice Carnival Festival is organized by the City of Lohja and it will take place in Aurlahti, Lohja in February 21–22. The entrance is free of charge. To easily get to Lohja from Helsinki, take the Pohjolan Liikenne bus from Kamppi Bus Station. For a discount, buy the ticket in advance in the web store.
Further information and program (in Finnish): icecarouselfestival.fi
More information about the ice carousels: icecarousel.com
Evita Malm, Marketing Manager, City of Lohja, + 358 44 374 4303, [email protected]
Janne Käpylehto, Inventor, +358 45 359 6945, [email protected]
Minna Ermala, Tourism Manager, Visit Lohja, +358 44 374 1218, [email protected]
Ilmastokaruselli making off Janne Käpylehto.jpg
Koko: 0,59 MB Tyyppi: jpg Resoluutio: 2048x1536Ilmastokaruselli making off Janne Käpylehto.jpg
Koko: 0,59 MB Tyyppi: jpg Resoluutio: 2048x1536thumbnail_2019-10_Jääkarusellifestivaali_tunnus_rgb.png
Koko: 0,90 MB Tyyppi: png Resoluutio: 1280x1280thumbnail_2019-10_Jääkarusellifestivaali_tunnus_rgb.png
Koko: 0,90 MB Tyyppi: png Resoluutio: 1280x1280Lohjan kaupunki
Matkailu, markkinointi, PR- toiminto
Minna Ermala
© Koodiviidakko Oy - Y-tunnus 1939962-1