The first weekend of July will see a multitude of music festivals and cultural events taking place across Finland.

The three-day Tuska Open Air Metal Festival will begin on Friday in the Suvilahti area of the capital. The heavy metal event was cancelled for the past two years due to restrictions on gatherings. Over 43,000 people attended the festival in 2019.

The capital will also host the first Helsinki Pride parade since 2019. The parade - which celebrates equality and diversity - starts from Senate Square at 12pm and will arrive at the city's Kaivopuisto Park by 1pm.

Elsewhere in the country, the Weekend festival will take place at the Kantola Event Park in the city of Hämeenlinna while Kouvola will host the Rock in the City music festival.

The Himos resort in Central Finland and the west coast city of Pori will also host large-scale pop music events, while one of the most popular summer music festivals, Provinssirock, will take place in the city of Seinäjoki.

The recent heatwave is expected to continue into the weekend, with temperatures forecast to climb above 30 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country on Saturday and Sunday.

Scattered rain showers and even thunderstorms are also expected, especially along the western coast and in Finnish Lapland.