Events
Finding Finland Hidden in Plain Sight
FinnFest USA Brings Finnish Culture, Creative Voices, Global Ideas and an Unexpected Pizza-Roll Connection into Focus in Minneapolis.
September 19th, 2026
I arrived at FinnFest USA with limited knowledge of Finnish culture and one immediate observation: after escaping South Florida’s heat and pouring rain, we apparently brought some of the rain to Minneapolis.
Fortunately, FinnFest USA 2026 unfolded largely inside the Hilton Minneapolis, where Finnish history, music, art and ideas filled the hotel.
Held September 17 through 20, the festival offered more than 90 experiences across the Hilton and American Swedish Institute. Its theme, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” focused on the Finnish people, traditions and influences woven into American life without receiving much recognition.
That theme became clearer during my conversation with Eric Brown, a member of the FinnFest USA Board of Directors, and Liam Reedy, a FinnFest intern.
Liam Reedy (L), Eric Brown (R)
Brown pointed to Finland’s increased visibility through its NATO membership, lengthy border with Russia and growing role in European affairs. Finnish President Alexander Stubb has also emerged as a prominent voice among European leaders.
Still, FinnFest reached well beyond international politics.
“FinnFest has always been more than a mere ethnic festival,” Reedy said. “It has always had this emphasis on culture and ideas.”
Visitors could explore Finnish music, art and traditions while attending discussions about immigration, identity, diplomacy, wellness and business.
One prominent session featured Robert G. Strand, a professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Strand examined Nordic capitalism and how Finland and its neighbors combine competitive business practices with employee welfare, sustainability and social well-being.
FinnFest began in 1983 and traditionally moved among Finnish-American communities around the country. Local organizations composed of Finnish immigrants and their descendants often served as hosts.
Brown said that model has evolved as longtime members aged and some community organizations became less active. FinnFest has responded with more centralized planning and programming meant to engage people beyond the Finnish-American community.
That included me.
A panel titled “Five Finnish Women Making Their Mark in America” provided a personal look at the connection between Finland and the United States. The discussion featured Finland-born artists Eeppi Ursin, Ida Metsberg, Petra Jasmiina, Johanna Telander and Ruut.
The women discussed how their backgrounds continued to shape their music, creativity and lives after moving to America. Their stories explored maintaining a connection with Finland while establishing careers and communities in another country.
The roundtable felt less like a formal lecture and more like an honest conversation among artists comparing their journeys.
Music offered another accessible cultural bridge.
Brown highlighted Finnish hip-hop artist Paleface, whose Friday-night performance at The Cabooze brought a modern sound and commanding stage presence to the festival.
“You don’t have opportunities to hear Finnish hip-hop very often,” Brown said.
Reedy also recommended Steve Solkela, the self-described “Overpopulated One-Man Band,” whose act combines musicianship and comedy.
The free Tori Nordic Fair brought together Nordic products, artists, musicians, makers and Finnish-American organizations. Visitors could browse clothing, crafts and sauna accessories while catching live performances.
Sauna culture may be one of Finland’s most recognizable exports, and Brown said American interest has grown considerably in recent years. The same practical Finnish spirit could be seen in the wool clothing displayed throughout the marketplace.
Food presented more limitations because the Hilton’s catering arrangements reduced the festival’s flexibility. However, one of the weekend’s best stories involved a familiar American snack.
FinnFest honored Finnish-American cookbook author Beatrice Ojakangas as a Knight, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The recognition celebrated her career preserving and sharing Nordic and Scandinavian food traditions.
Ojakangas has written dozens of cookbooks, appeared with Julia Child and Martha Stewart, and helped Finnish-American families remain connected to their heritage through food.
She also helped create the pizza roll.
While working in product development, Ojakangas was asked to find new uses for machinery that produced egg rolls. Her experiments included pizza-inspired fillings that eventually became Jeno’s Pizza Rolls and later Totino’s Pizza Rolls.
Reedy connected that unlikely accomplishment perfectly to the festival’s theme.
“There’s a Finland hidden in plain sight in your pizza roll, in your microwave at 3 a.m.,” he joked.
Finnish influence can appear in global politics, modern business ideas, hip-hop, sauna culture, an artist maintaining her identity across an ocean or a frozen snack eaten long after good decisions have gone to sleep.
I entered FinnFest unfamiliar with much of what I would hear. I left understanding that Finnish culture has contributed to American life for generations, sometimes prominently and sometimes quietly enough to remain hidden in plain sight.
The Miami born app celebrated a major milestone with a seriously fun South Florida party, but 100,000 downloads are only part of what’s next.
September 26, 2026
Zéya had plenty to celebrate, and they definitely knew how to throw a party.
The Miami-born swapping app recently marked 100,000 downloads, and SFL Insider joined the celebration for a night that felt much more like a fun Miami get-together than a typical tech event.
The atmosphere was lively, social, and genuinely welcoming, which actually made a lot of sense once we learned more about what Zéya is trying to build. This isn’t supposed to be another faceless marketplace where you post something and hope a stranger buys it. Zéya wants swapping to feel social, easy and connected to your community.
And after spending the evening celebrating with the people behind it, that part of the concept clicked.
Because we all have stuff.
The dress you wore once. The bag you loved until you didn’t. The camera you were definitely going to learn how to use. The random purchase that seemed necessary at the time and has barely moved since.
Zéya’s question is pretty simple: Why keep buying more when someone nearby might want exactly what you already have?
Even better, the app is now getting ready to move beyond swapping just things.
Services are coming too.
And that could make Zéya a whole lot more interesting.
– Creative Director & Strategist: Kateryna Brovkova — @kate.directs – Event Photo & Video Coverage: Yoisker Palmi — @yoiskr7 – Zéya Team: Zéya — @zeya_app – Sounds by: Lacré Studios — @studioslacre
Swipe. Match. Swap.
The easiest way to describe Zéya is old school bartering with a very modern makeover.
You browse what’s available nearby, see something you want and connect with the person who has it.
Then you offer something of your own.
Swipe. Match. Swap.
If the values don’t quite line up, Zéya allows an optional cash top-up to help make the trade work. And now, you don’t necessarily have to swap at all.
Zéya’s new cash-only option is officially live, meaning users can purchase an item directly when they find something they want. That’s a pretty significant shift for an app that started with swapping at its core. You can still trade, add cash to balance out a swap, or now skip the trade altogether and simply buy.
In other words, Zéya is starting to look less like a traditional bartering app and more like a flexible local marketplace where you decide how you want to make the deal.
100,000 Downloads Is a Pretty Big Deal
Zéya has now officially surpassed 100,000 downloads across iOS and Android, an exciting milestone for a company that started right here in Miami.
Founder and CEO Mehdi Taifi sees that number as something bigger than just downloads.
“One hundred thousand downloads is exciting because it shows that swapping can become a real habit, not a last resort,” Taifi said.
That idea stuck with me.
We’re so used to thinking buy when we want something new. Zēya is trying to get us to think swap first.
Earlier this year, the company also closed a $2.45 million strategic growth round led by Storage Innovations LLC, helping support its next stage of development.
Judging by the energy at the celebration, Zéya certainly isn’t treating 100K like a finish line.
– Zéya Team: Zéya — @zeya_app – Founder: Mehdi Taifi — @medimeds – Event Photo & Video Coverage: Yoisker Palmi — @yoiskr7
Zēya 4.0 Makes the Whole Thing Easier
The company has also rolled out Zéya 4.0, designed to make getting from “I want that” to actually completing a swap much faster.
One of my favorite additions is the AI Listing Assistant, mostly because writing listings is probably the least exciting part of selling anything online.
Take a photo, upload it, and the app can generate the item name, description, and category in seconds.
Done.
The update also adds chat before making an offer, group chat, and a visual balance meter that makes it easier to see whether a proposed swap feels fair.
Zéya has expanded its categories too, including Baby & Toddler and Sports & Outdoors.
So that barely used handbag has value.
But so do the golf clubs in the garage.
And Now Zēya Is Moving Beyond Stuff
This might be my favorite part of what’s coming next.
Zéya is adding services.
That changes the whole idea of what you can bring to a swap.
Maybe you don’t have a designer bag to trade, but you’re an amazing photographer.
Maybe you tutor.
Maybe you’re a personal trainer, stylist, graphic designer, pet sitter or the magical person who actually knows how to organize a closet.
Your skills have value too.
The full details of how services will work are still to come, but opening Zēya to services takes it beyond simple bartering. It becomes more about exchanging value, whether that value happens to be sitting in your closet or comes from something you know how to do.
And suddenly the possibilities get much bigger.
It All Feels Very Miami
Maybe that’s another reason I enjoyed the celebration so much.
Zéya feels very Miami.
It’s social. It’s stylish. It’s a little entrepreneurial. And it revolves around discovering something you want without necessarily paying full price for it.
We can absolutely get behind that.
The party reflected that same energy. People were mingling, talking about the app and celebrating what is clearly a big moment for the team, but it never felt overly corporate or stuffy. It felt like a community celebrating something that started locally and is beginning to grow.
That seems especially fitting for a company that wants its marketplace to feel like a community too.
Swap, Don’t Shop
There is an obvious sustainability benefit to giving perfectly good things another life instead of constantly buying new ones.
But Zéya doesn’t make that feel like a lecture.
The appeal is much simpler.
You have things you don’t use. Someone else wants them. And chances are, they have something you want too.
Add AI-assisted listings, local discovery, cash top-ups, cash-only purchases, community features, and soon the ability to exchange services, and it starts looking very different from the bartering most of us remember.
Zéya’s tagline is “Swap Don’t Shop.”
After a fun night celebrating 100,000 downloads and getting a closer look at where the Miami company is headed next, we’re curious to see just how far people are willing to take that idea.
Because if swapping can be this easy and this social, maybe we really don’t need to buy everything new.
– Zéya Team: Zéya — @zeya_app – Venue: One K — @onek_socialbar
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Luli Fama celebrates its Paradise Found Cruise ’27 swimwear and resortwear collection with a luxury Miami launch at its Dadeland Mall boutique.
August 20, 2026
Miami swimwear favorite Luli Fama is stepping into Cruise ’27 with Paradise Found, a new swimwear and resortwear collection inspired by tropical escapes, exotic prints and effortless vacation glamour.
South Florida Insider has already taken a closer look at the Luli Fama Paradise Found collection, and it feels made for Miami.
The new Cruise ’27 collection combines the bold, body-confident swimwear Luli Fama is known for with elevated resort pieces designed to move effortlessly from the beach and pool to cocktails and dinner.
On Thursday, August 20, Luli Fama will celebrate Paradise Found with an exclusive evening at its newest Dadeland Mall boutique in Miami, complete with fashion, light bites, personalized surprises, and a luxe espresso martini bar.
Inside Luli Fama’s Paradise Found Cruise ’27 Collection
Paradise Found is inspired by the feeling of discovering a hidden tropical retreat.
Think lush landscapes, warm golden hour light, exotic patterns, and silhouettes made for somewhere beautiful.
The collection features Luli Fama signatures, including flattering ruched details, seamless construction, adjustable fits, and statement swimwear, alongside an expanded selection of resortwear.
We especially love the pieces that blur the line between swim and ready-to-wear.
Flowing dresses, sleek coverups, and body-skimming silhouettes make it easy to transition from a sun-drenched afternoon to an evening out without losing that relaxed resort feeling.
It is sensual, polished, and unmistakably Miami.
Luli Fama Brings Luxury Resort Style to Miami
There is a reason Paradise Found feels so natural in South Florida.
In Miami, resortwear is not reserved for vacation.
A swimsuit can become part of an outfit. A coverup can take you to lunch. A flowing resort dress can carry you from an afternoon by the water straight into cocktails and dinner.
Luli Fama has always understood that lifestyle.
Paradise Found takes it a step further, creating a Cruise ’27 wardrobe that feels as appropriate for a tropical getaway as it does for a weekend in Miami.
The campaign captures that mood beautifully, pairing the collection with palms, lush greenery, tropical architecture and the kind of sun soaked setting that makes you want to extend your vacation indefinitely.
Paradise Found Comes to Luli Fama at Dadeland Mall
Luli Fama will bring the world of Paradise Found to life on Thursday, August 20 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at its newest boutique at Dadeland Mall in Miami.
The intimate celebration will bring together invited guests, influencers, celebrities and media for an early look at Cruise ’27.
Luli Fama is also dressing invited guests in pieces from the brand, allowing the new collection to be experienced the way it was designed to be worn: in motion, styled and out for the evening.
Luli After Hours Espresso Martini Bar
Fashion is only part of the experience.
For the Paradise Found celebration, Luli Fama is introducing Luli After Hours, an Espresso Martini Bar inspired by the glamour of the collection.
Guests will be able to sip three specialty espresso martinis created for the evening.
The Luli Babe puts a polished spin on the classic espresso martini, while Golden Hour pairs salted caramel with edible gold shimmer. Miami After Dark takes a richer approach with chocolate hazelnut and a cocoa dust finish.
Along with cocktails, guests can expect light bites, curated details and a special personalized surprise.
The result feels less like a traditional retail event and more like checking into a private resort for the evening.
A Miami Swimwear Brand Celebrates at Home
For a brand with such a strong connection to South Florida, launching Paradise Found in Miami feels especially fitting.
Luli Fama has built its identity around colorful, confident swimwear and resort fashion with a distinctly tropical point of view.
Paradise Found carries that identity into Cruise ’27 while giving it a more elevated, escapist mood.
And with Luli Fama’s newest boutique now at Dadeland Mall, Miami shoppers have another destination to experience the brand in person.
After getting our own closer look at Luli Fama’s Paradise Found Cruise ’27 collection, we can safely say the name fits.
Paradise has officially been found, and this time, it is in Miami.
Check out the collection HERE
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