Watch bizarre footage from Finland’s first-ever heavy metal knitting championship

Yup, really

This week, Finland hosted its first ever Heavy Metal Knitting World Championship.

Held in the small town of Joensuu, near the country’s border with Russia, the first ever event saw teams of knitters dancing to heavy metal.

Famous for its love of the genre, there are over 50 heavy metal bands per 100,000 people in Finland, making it the highest ratio per capita in the world.

Advertisement

The country’s heavy metal obsession was furthered in 2006, when Finnish metal band Lordi won the Eurovision Song Contest.

Stage names for the festival include the likes of Woolfumes, Bunny Bandit and 9” Needles.

“We have such dark and long winters,” said event co-founder Mari Karjalainen, speaking to The Washington Post. “This really gives us lots of time to plan for our short summers and come up with silly ideas.”

The winners of the first ever title were five-piece Japanese team Giga Body Metal, whose show featured sumo wrestlers among other things.

Advertisement

“It’s a great release,” Elise Schut from Michigan told the Post, after performing with her 71-year-old mother. Family friend Beth Everson added: “Knitting is such a meditative activity but now it’s energetic and heart pumping.”

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories