Presentin a rare, remarkable, and not very usual for Russia phenomenon when a well-known and popular rock, ethno, and electronic music festival was held in a small depressed village with no real economy and no jobs, and when the happening was locally initiated.

The White Noise festival was held in the village of Chupa on the White Sea, at the north end of Karelia, 20 miles from the arctic circle (66°33), on the Medvezhka (bear) peninsula. Performers and guests came here from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Karelia, the Murmansk region, and other places. This year there were about 2000 of them living in tents all over the peninsula. The organizers set up several cafes (including a vegetarian one with Indian food), brought potable water, installed toilet facilities. Also a fire show, art shows and exhibitions, a performance by jugglers, a fair of hand-made products, sea canoe rides, tours of the coast on motor-boats and sailing yachts, and diving were part of the festival.

The festival’s main sponsor was the Lighthouse Foundation fund (http://www.lighthouse-foundation.org/).

Festival’s site: beliyshum.ru. Next year’s dates will be announced there, and of course here on kandalaksha.su.

Out of hundreds of photos of the event floating around images by Maria Brusnikina appeared to us to be most revealing. Below are several of them. All photos of Maria from the White Noise are here >>.

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