We organized the urban nature and science event MUST Festival in Lappeenranta on the eve of International Day for Biological Diversity, from May 20th to 21st, 2026. City residents, researchers, nature lovers, civil servants and decision-makers gathered together to discuss how we can build Lappeenranta where both people and other species – from butterflies to trees – can thrive together.
The MUST Festival, which consisted of several program segments, kicked off on Wednesday, May 20th, in sunny spirits at the Lappeenranta Fortress. Led by biologist Kimmo Saarinen, we explored the green corridors of urban nature from the perspective of butterflies. During an Empathy Walk, we immersed ourselves in the roles of other beings. Meanwhile, a discussion walk to Pusupuisto and the Weeran monttu sparked reflections on who the city belongs to and what kinds of interests are intertwined with urban nature.
In addition, festival visitors could take a moment to engage with biodiversity and multispecies justice through art at the Lappeenranta Art School and craft their own butterfly magnets. At our shared meeting point at Katariinan tori, we shared insights about the research work being conducted by the MUST project. The South Karelia Nature Conservation Association organized a Saimaa ringed seal friendly fish trap workshop, and at the City of Lappeenranta’s urban art station, participants could contribute to community-created urban art rugs and drawings.
To conclude the first festival day, we hosted an evening reception at Kehruuhuone for the partners of the MUST project. We presented research on multispecies justice and heard greetings on behalf of the City of Lappeenranta from Marja-Liisa Vesterinen, the First Vice-Chair of the City Council.
During the evening event, we also launched a new video showcasing the MUST Dome Theatre, where we illustrate multispecies agency through audio-visual experiences. There, participants can experience different environments through images and sounds and construct alternative future scenarios with us. The MUST Dome Theatre gives a voice and agency to those whose experiences and needs often otherwise are unheard.
On Thursday, May 21st, we organized two invitation-only events at the Lappeenranta City Hall. The MUST Forum brought together local officials and experts to discuss how we could support the shared well-being of humans and nature as part of Lappeenranta’s biodiversity program. Following this, we discussed multispecies togetherness during the MUST Dialogue.
The festival was crowned by a theater evening at Nuijamies. Together with around ninety attendees, we enjoyed Starman—a play written by Juha Kauppinen that addresses biodiversity loss and the human relationship with the environment, interpreted through satire by young actors. The play was performed by the youth theater collective Theater Terra.
Additionally on Thursday, the City of Lappeenranta organized a nature yard pop-up event at the Lappee old parking lot, where insect hotels were crafted and decayed wood was distributed for free to support biodiversity in residents’ own yards.
We co-organized the festival together with the City of Lappeenranta. The Economic Development Centre for Southeast Finland and the Priodiversity LIFE project, the Regional Council of South Karelia, and the South Karelia Nature Conservation Association are also involved in making the event happen.
A warm thank you to all festival participants and our partners!
Text: Salla Kässi, Demos Helsinki
Pictures: Kari Jalonen, Nora Fagerholm, Pauliina Rautio
