Secondhand Fest 2025 – Creativity, Community, and Conscious Consumption
When autumn sweeps into Turku and students return to campus life, the familiar buzz of new beginnings fills the air, new faces, new routines, new homes. For many, it also means trying to settle into student life without breaking the bank or the planet.
Enter the Secondhand Fest, now in its second year. A two-day festival of reuse, repair, and recycling held at Turku UAS campus on September 17-18, 2025. What’s started as a small idea among interns has grown into a lively community event connecting students, local circular economy operators, and creative minds. The event was organized by Baltic2Hand project, and we decided to collaborate with Ekotori from Turku, Superhood, Circutus, Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto’s textile recycling store Lemppari, Kirpputori Auran Aarteet, Kårenin kirppis and Sinulle Kirpputori & käsityöt.
A festival full of life and curiosity
This year’s festival embraced the same core values as before giving things a second life and promoting sustainable habits.
The festival area came alive early in the morning as flea market sellers and partners set up their colourful tables. Both days were filled with visitors’ students, locals, and many exchange students who eagerly explored the stalls and the circular economy theme.
The flea market tables were overflowing with finds: small electronics, linens, cozy clothes, furniture, and even vinyl records, jewellery, and vintage decorations. For those short on cash, a special free clothing table offered treasures that disappeared almost as soon as they were laid out.
Warm sweaters, wool hats, and mittens were especially popular among exchange students discovering Finland’s autumn for the first time. Prices stayed student-friendly, and good amount found a new home by the end of the event.
At the info and coffee point, people stopped for a warm drink and cookies, took part in small games created by the Baltic2Hand interns, and shared their thoughts through feedback forms. Laughter and chatter filled the space as visitors spun the wheel of fortune hoping for a sweet treat, joined raffles for gift cards, and answered fun questions like “What would you like to rent instead of buy?”
The atmosphere was warm and engaging. People asked questions, showed genuine curiosity, and discovered how sustainability can be fun and inspiring. Vendors and partners alike appreciated the positive spirit. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
The event was once again made possible through collaboration between Turku University of Applied Sciences, Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto (LSJH). Ekotori, Sinulle Kirpputori & Käsityöt, Circutus, Superhood, Lemppari, Kårenin kirppis, and Auran Aarteet. Their combined effort helped create a space where reuse, repair, and recycling became not just concepts but a community experience.
Looking ahead with growing enthusiasm from students and partners, the Secondhan Fest has firmly established itself as an early autumn tradition at Turku UAS. The event continues to show that sustainability isn’t just about consumption. It`s about connection, creativity, and the joy of giving things another chance.
Eino Kajava
Energy and environmental student from Turku University of Applied Sciences.
These materials were created in the Baltic2Hand project which is an Interreg Central Baltic Programme 2021–2027 project that is co-funded by the European Union.