700 young adults gather in Finland for international YSA conference

HELSINKI, Finland — About 700 young adults gathered in Finland for Festinord 2026, an international young single adult conference marking 60 years since the event first brought Nordic Latter-day Saint youth together in 1966.

The conference, hosted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Ikaalinen Spa, welcomed young adults ages 18 to 35 for several days of devotionals, institute classes, workshops, service projects, sports, dances and other activities centered on strengthening faith in Jesus Christ and building lasting friendships.

This year’s gathering, held under the theme “Use the Gems of His Happiness,” marked Festinord’s diamond anniversary and drew the largest attendance in the conference’s history.

Organizers said interest exceeded available space, with around 200 additional young adults placed on a waiting list.

“The interest has been incredible,” said Jarna Laine, who served with her husband, Miiko Laine, as the conference advisory couple. “We had around 200 young adults on the waiting list who were hoping to join us, but we simply ran out of space.”

Young adult coordinators Sami Jäkkö and Renette Laine also helped organize the event.

A conference built on faith and friendship

Festinord began in 1966, when young Latter-day Saints from Nordic countries gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, for what would become an annual regional tradition.

An account published at the time in Valkeus, the Finnish-language predecessor to today’s Liahona magazine, described Relief Society sisters preparing meals for hundreds of participants while young men from Sweden worked through the night making beds for more than 500 visitors.

Sports competitions, music, roadshows and folk dancing were also part of the early gatherings.

Jarkko Metsätähti attended the first conference as a teenager and later returned as an organizer decades afterward. The event would eventually become part of his family history.

Metsätähti attended the 1966 gathering with the woman who later became his wife. In later generations, both his daughter and granddaughter met their future spouses at Festinord, and his great-granddaughter attended the 2026 conference.

“Festinord has been a special spiritual experience and a chance to meet new people,” Metsätähti said. “As a participant and an organiser, it has provided experiences that have been helpful in many areas of life — at home, at church and at work. I am very grateful for them.”

That tradition of forming lasting relationships continues today.

Renette Laine, one of this year’s young adult coordinators, met her fiancé, Jörgen, through Festinord. She said helping organize the conference allowed her to give other young adults opportunities similar to those she experienced.

“Festinord is a great way to meet new people and it feels extra meaningful to me to be able to give others the chance to experience the kind of spiritual growth and personal connections I did,” she said.

Church leaders emphasize lasting happiness

Spiritual instruction remained at the center of the 2026 conference.

Elder Kevin W. Pearson, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Europe North Area, spoke at a devotional with his wife, Sister June Pearson. Their messages focused on finding lasting happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ and trusting in God during difficult periods of life.

Sister Pearson told young adults that putting the Lord first had shaped her family’s experience through both blessings and challenges.

“We made a commitment to each other and to the Lord, that we would put Him first in our life,” she said. “That eternal perspective has made all the difference in the world.”

She also encouraged participants to continue praying and relying on Heavenly Father when life becomes difficult.

Elder Pearson urged the young adults to remain faithful in their discipleship.

“God bless you, our young friends, to be true and faithful — to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus,” he said. “And as you do, we promise you, you will find happiness.”

Elder Mark G. Stewart, an Area Seventy from the United Kingdom, and local Church leaders also addressed participants during the conference.

‘After the manner of happiness’

The conference theme, “Use the Gems of His Happiness,” was inspired by 2 Nephi 5:27 in the Book of Mormon: “And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.”

Organizers connected the theme both to Festinord’s 60th, or diamond, anniversary and to the conference’s broader emphasis on finding happiness through faith in Jesus Christ.

Throughout the week, young adults participated in spiritual instruction alongside recreational and social activities designed to help them form friendships and strengthen their connection with the gospel.

Festinord traditionally serves young adults from Nordic and Baltic countries, while also welcoming participants from other areas. The conference rotates among countries in the region and has grown over six decades into one of the most established young adult gatherings for Latter-day Saints in northern Europe.

As participants returned home to congregations across Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and beyond, organizers said the core purpose of Festinord remained much the same as it was in 1966 — bringing young adults together to strengthen faith, build friendships and find greater happiness through Jesus Christ.