The 10th anniversary of Kolibrí Festivaali, themed ‘Whishes’, was without any doubt one of our busiest and most exciting editions yet. Such a special year deserved a unique program!
48 artists from 22 nationalities facilitated 51 activities in 20 languages (in alphabetical order: Arabic, Chinese, Dari, English, Farsi, Finnish, Finnish Romani (Kalo), Hindi, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Latvian, Northern Sámi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Turkish, Ukrainian).
And if we include the languages spoken by artists, audiences, volunteers and the production team, Kolibrí brought together 36 languages this year.
The program included activities for children and families across three Family Days, plus extra events for students, professionals and anyone interested in children’s literature.
As always, the professional sessions were led by our 2025 Guest Artist, Spanish writer Mar Benegas, and our 2025 Guest Illustrator, Argentinian artist Gusti Rosemffet. Also, Mar Benegas offered two engaging storytelling sessions in Spanish at Lastenkulttuurikeskus Pessi, and Gusti facilitated a fun art workshop at Annantalo.
The Children’s Book Fair in Spanish and Portuguese, held at Lastenkulttuurikeskus Pessi and Annantalo, featured Kolibrí’s first-ever guest publisher: the Catalan publishing house A buen paso. Mar Benegas and Gusti also held book signing sessions at the fair.
But, if there’s one figure that makes us especially happy this year, it’s the number of attendees! 3422 people took part in Kolibrí Festivaali, 778 more than in 2024.
Here are the different events:
- 22.8.2025: Community Opening at Caisa (Helsinki) – 52 attendees.
- 23.8.2025: Grand Opening for families at Kulttuurikeskus Caisa (Helsinki) – 111 attendees.
- 13.9.2025: Family Day at Sello Library (Espoo) – 903 attendees.
- 18.9.2025: “As if it were a cherry” – Mar Benegas conference at Helsinki University (Language Centre) – 27 attendees.
- 18.9.2025: “From lullaby to story” – panel with Mar Benegas and Arianna Squilloni (A buen paso) at Kulttuurikeskus Stoa (Helsinki) – 8 attendees.
- 20.9.2025: Family Day at Lastenkulttuurikeskus Pessi (Vantaa) – 763 attendees.
- 24.9.2025: Gusti’s art workshop for students at Ammattiopisto LIVE (Espoo) – 50 attendees.
- 25.9.2025: “Windows for Seeing Difference: Creativity, Image and Expression”: Gusti’s art workshop for professionals working with people with disabilities at Ammattiopisto LIVE (Espoo) – 20 attendees.
- 26.9.2025: Encounter with Gusti at Kuvittajat ry gallery (Helsinki) – 10 attendees.
- 27.9.2025: Family Day at Annantalo (Helsinki) – 1478 attendees.
- Total: 3422 attendees.
Thank you to all the people, associations and sponsors who made Kolibrí 10 Years possible. And a big thank you to all the friends and organisations who helped us spread the word. You’re part of this success too!
And last, but most importantly: thank you from the bottom of our hearts to the amazing team of 49 volunteers who helped us take photos and videos, translate texts, collect feedback, support artists and families, select proposals, upload the program on the website, promote the festival, design materials, and sell books at the Children’s Book Fair.
Kolibrí was born 10 years ago thanks to the energy of volunteers, and that same drive and love still keep the festival going. This wouldn’t be possible without you. Thank you!
A 10th Anniversary Full of New additions
Alongside the positive numbers, Kolibrí Festivaali 2025 brought many exciting new features that made the festival more accessible, diverse and participatory.
Children’s Program Selection Team:
This year’s selection team included a young group of four members who helped choose the artistic proposals for the 2025 program. It was a brilliant experience! In fact, the young team also joined the festival to see if they had made good choices. Thank you so much for your commitment, team!
Sámi and Roma cultures at Kolibrí for the first time:
In 2025, our association Kulttuurikeskus Ninho ry received funding for the first time from Suomen Kulttuurirahasto.
The project aimed to include Sámi and Roma artists in the Kolibrí 2025 program.
Thanks to this, we met Roma artist Anette Åkerlund, who offered a concert at Sello, and Sámi artist Petra Biret Magga-Vars, who travelled from Lapland to share her culture. Petra performed a joik performance with her two daughters and led a craft workshop.
New collaborations:
Also for the first time, Helsinki Juhlaviikot invited us to take part in its program as guest festival. This collaboration helped us reach many more families.
More accessible communication:
Kolibrí’s activities information included the new section: Accessibility Info.
By using simple icons, we shared useful details with families, like what kind of tasks children would be doing, and what kind of spaces or environments they could expect.
Eating Corner gets stronger:
For the second year in a row, Kolibrí offered a space where families could bring and enjoy their own food. We’re still working to improve it, but with so many people joining, we feel this new corner is here to stay.
We also can’t forget the Serenity Corner, which was a big success at venues like Annantalo, with over 90 visitors.
Book Fair with a Guest Publisher:
Also at Annantalo, more than 200 people visited our traditional Book Fair, which featured the Catalan publishing house A buen paso as our guest publisher.
Its founder, Arianna Squilloni, joined us at Pessi and gave a talk with Mar Benegas about creating and publishing children’s books, full of fun and inspiring stories.
All these highlights, plus the festival’s presence on many event websites, its appearance in media like Helsingin Uutiset and Helsinki Today, and the support of many associations and partner organisations who helped share the Kolibrí 2025 program, allowed us to reach even more families.
Thank you all for helping us reach our goal: to offer free, high-quality, multilingual culture for children, so every child can enjoy meaningful time with their family.
What does the audience think of Kolibrí 2025?
Here are some reactions from the audience at this Kolibrí Festivaali 2025, answering the question “What did you like the most?”:
- “Great atmosphere, very well organised and diverse of activities.”
- “It was a wonderful experience, full of joy and creativity. Everything was well organised, and the children enjoyed it a lot. Thank you for such a lovely festival!”
The festival is important for the kids to have contact with others speaking the same language. Also to get in touch with culture.”
What do artists think of Kolibrí 2025?
The welcoming atmosphere, the intercultural exchange and the interaction with the children and their families are some of the topics highlighted by the artists of Kolibrí Festivaali 2025.
Their feedback reminds us that the festival is a place where artists can actively engage with the audience, and network with other creators located in Finland. Actually, this was a year where we could see many artists participating in other colleagues’ activities!
- “The team was attentive and flexible, and I appreciated the effort to accommodate my artistic vision.”
- “It’s always so nice to participate at Kolibrí festival and organise a workshop there. The feeling that festival’s team welcome you as an artist is amazing!”
- “Engaging directly with families and children and seeing their reactions to the work. The intercultural exchange between artists was also inspiring.”
We are so happy to see that after their experience, most artists are already thinking not only in applying again, but also in ways they could create their future artistic proposals.
Check out their answers to the question “Would you be interested in collaborating with Kolibrí Festivaali again?”:
- “Definitely. I value the festival’s mission and the opportunity to reach a diverse audience. In the future, I would love to propose a participatory workshop that combines my art practice with storytelling.”
Absolutely, I feel it is a great platform for children and families, and the best way to connect with them. I would love to collaborate again and offer something more engaging and interacting activities.”
We say see you next year by remembering this edition’s theme, “Wishes”, and the little starry hummingbird that Gusti created.
We hope our tiny bird keeps flying high and far, carrying with it all the wishes shared by children, families and artists throughout the festival.
💛 May Kolibrí continue to grow and spread its love to all children. Thank you to everyone who made it possible.
Kolibrí Festivaali is a Kulttuurikeskus Ninho ry production, possible thanks to the co-production of Kulttuurikeskus Caisa, Sello Library, Lastenkulttuurikeskus Pessi and Annantalo. With support and funding from the City of Helsinki, Taike, Svenska Kulturfonden, Suomen Kulttuuri rahasto, Dirección General del Libro, del Cómic y de la Lectura of the Ministerio de Cultura of Spain, City of Espoo, Otto A. Malm Foundation, William Thurings Stiftelse Foundation, City of Vantaa, Helmet Espoo, Instituto Iberoamericano Finlandia, Embassy of Argentina, Embassy of Brazil, Embassy of Colombia, Embassy of Chile, Embassy of Spain, Embassy of Mexico, Embassy of Peru, Embassy of Uruguay, Embassy of Portugual, Instituto Guimarães Rosa, Pequeño Mundo, Jizo Oy, Globe Art Point, Wood Program of Aalto University, Ammattiopisto LIVE, Kuvittajat ry, University of Helsinki, APPF – Associação de Professores de Português na Finlândia and A buen paso.