Kotkan Kauppatiellä on harjoittelussa kv-opiskelija Erandi Xamkilta. Kesän aikana hän on tutustunut Kotkaan, kotkalaisiin yrityksiin, tapahtumiin sekä nähtävyyksiin. Tässä artikkelissa Erandi kertoo vierailustaan Kotkan Meripäivillä. 

My First Meripäivät: Experiencing Kotka’s Biggest Summer Celebration Through Foreign Eyes

Part 01 – From Behind the Scenes to Day 01

As someone originally from Sri Lanka, I have experienced many festivals and celebrations throughout my life. Sri Lankan festivals can be colourful, energetic, crowded, and filled with music, food, and people spending time together.

But this summer, I experienced something new. For the first time, I experienced Meripäivät in Kotka, not just as a visitor, but also from behind the scenes. Because I work with the City of Kotka, I had the opportunity to see a different side of the festival: the preparations before everything began, the people working behind the scenes, the vendors setting up their businesses, and finally, the moment when the festival came alive.

This is my first Meripäivät story.

Part 01: Before the Festival – When Kotka Starts Changing

Before the crowds arrived, I visited the festival area while preparations were still underway. At first, it was difficult to imagine what the area would look like once thousands of people arrived. There were tents being built, stalls being prepared, equipment being moved, and people working behind the scenes. Vendors were setting up their spaces and making sure everything was ready for the visitors. Watching this process made me realise something I had never really thought about before:

A festival doesn’t begin when the first visitor arrives. It begins days or even weeks before that. There are so many people working quietly in the background to create the experience that visitors eventually enjoy. I wanted to capture this side of Meripäivät because when we attend an event, we usually see the finished product. We don’t always see the work, planning, energy, and people behind it.

Then Suddenly… Meripäivät Was Here

And then came Day 01. The atmosphere had completely changed. The quiet preparation area had transformed into a lively festival space, brimming with people, colours, food, music, stalls, and movement. As I walked around the festival grounds, I could feel the excitement in the air.

People were smiling, meeting friends, exploring the stalls, eating, taking photos, and simply enjoying the summer day. For me, this was the moment when I truly understood what Meripäivät means to Kotka. It isn’t simply an event on the city’s calendar. It feels like a moment when the whole city comes alive.

Meeting the People Behind the Stalls

One of my favourite parts of Day 01 was meeting some of the vendors and hearing their stories. Instead of simply filming what they were selling, I wanted to know more about the people behind the products.

Meeting Mia Koivulehto Keramiikka

One of my first interviews was with Mia Koivulehto Keramiikka, who was participating in Meripäivät for the first time. Speaking with Mia gave me a glimpse into what it feels like for a small creative business to become part of such a large event.

Her ceramics immediately caught my attention because they were not just products displayed on a table. They represented creativity, craftsmanship, and the personal work of the person who made them. As someone experiencing Meripäivät for the first time myself, I found it interesting that there were so many different stories behind the stalls. Every tent seemed to have its own story. And that made walking around the festival even more interesting.

Discovering RikiYaki – Japanese Street Food

Another exciting discovery was RikiYaki – Japanese Street Food. As someone originally from Sri Lanka, food is naturally a big part of how I experience festivals. In Sri Lanka, food stalls and street food are often an important part of celebrations.

So, I was especially interested in discovering the different food cultures represented at Meripäivät. Finding Japanese street food in the middle of a Finnish maritime festival was a perfect example of how international today’s events have become. It was also one of the things I enjoyed most about walking around Meripäivät: you could experience different cultures without leaving Kotka. Finnish festival atmosphere, Japanese food, international visitors, local businesses, and all of it coming together in one place.

More Than Just Shopping

Before visiting Meripäivät, I expected the event to be mainly about entertainment, food, and shopping. But after spending time there, I realised that the festival is also about people. People meeting old friends. Families spending time together. Local entrepreneurs introducing their products. Visitors discovering something new. Artists and performers creating entertainment. And volunteers and workers making everything possible behind the scenes. The festival creates opportunities for people who might not normally meet to share the same space.

Experiencing Finnish Summer Through Meripäivät

Coming from Sri Lanka, I am used to a very different kind of summer. Sri Lankan celebrations often happen in warm, tropical weather, surrounded by bright colours, tropical food, music, and large crowds.
Meripäivät gave me a different kind of summer experience. The sea, the harbour, the cool Nordic atmosphere, the long summer daylight, and the relaxed Finnish way of enjoying an outdoor event all came together. And perhaps that is what made the experience so interesting for me. I wasn’t just attending a festival. I was discovering another side of Finnish culture.

The Unexpected Feeling of Belonging

There was something else I noticed during my first day. Even though I am a foreigner living in Finland, I never felt like I was simply watching the festival from the outside. People were there to enjoy themselves, and everyone seemed to have their own reason for coming. Some came for the food. Some came for shopping. Some came for the music. Some came because Meripäivät is simply a tradition they have grown up with.

And for me? I came to experience it for the first time.

My First Day, My First Impression

After Day 01, I realised that Meripäivät is difficult to explain with just one word.

It is a festival. It is a marketplace. It is entertainment. It is food. It is music. It is community.

But most importantly, it is an experience. As a Sri Lankan living and studying in Finland, I have always been interested in discovering the differences between my home culture and Finnish culture.

Meripäivät showed me something else: sometimes the biggest cultural similarities are found in unexpected places. Whether it is Sri Lanka or Finland, people still love gathering together, enjoying good food, meeting others, supporting local businesses, and creating memories. The atmosphere may be different. The food may be different. The weather may certainly be different! But the joy of being together is universal.

And This Is Only Part 01…

My first Meripäivät experience didn’t end with Day 01. There were still more people to meet, more food to discover, more stories to hear, and more moments to capture. And that’s what made this experience so special for me. I wasn’t simply watching Meripäivät.

I was discovering it. One person, one stall, and one experience at a time.

To be continued…

Author: Erandi H Caldera

Read Erandi’s other articles:

Finland Through Foreign Eyes: 10 Cultural Insights
Finland Through Foreign Eyes: Dark River Festival 2026
Finland Through Foreign Eyes: How Kotka differs from Helsinki