Female festival goers at the Provinssi Festival in Seinäjoki will have a new method of relieving themselves this summer. They will have urinals to squat in, which the festival hopes will shorten bathroom queues.
The pink, plastic urinals designed by Danish company Lapee are for women and anyone else who squats when they pee.
Male urinals have been a mainstay at festivals for decades, but the appearance of the Lapee is the first of its kind at a Finnish festival.
"It's a lovely pink squat urinal that we came across years ago at a big festival in Europe. We've been trying to get it to Provinssi for a long time, but we've never managed to get it delivered until this summer," Peppi Arrimo, Production Manager at Provinssi, told Yle.
Provinssi justifies the use of the new type of urinal as a measure to shorten the toilet lines. Year after year, the festival has received a lot of negative feedback on the queues for the bathroom.
"This way we can easily increase toilet capacity and speed up visits," said Arrimo.
According to the manufacturer Lapee and Provinssi Festival authorities, open space also increases safety. Going to the toilet in secluded places, such as bushes, can expose you to sexual harassment.
"Open space may seem unsafe at first glance, but it's actually the opposite. It means you are close to other people and can quickly reach out to them. You're not locked up in a portable toilet and you don't lose contact with friends, for example," Arrimo explained.
Modern version of a bush
The urinals at Provinssi are like toilets without a roof or a door. While they lack a covering, they still provide some privacy.
"It has three spiral-shaped compartments, each with its own squatting urinal. The user goes behind the wall, where privacy is maintained. Then just pull your pants to your shins, get things done quickly and head back to the festivals," said Petra Kaukua, Chief Operating Officer at Lapee.
There is no seat in the urinal, but the edges are raised to prevent unfortunate accidents.
"The intention is really just to squat. The edges ensure that you don't pee on your own pants or skirt and pee doesn't spill on the floor," Kaukua said.
In practice, it is a modern version of peeing behind a bush, Kaukua explained.
Lapee does not even recommend using toilet paper in the urinal, saying that it is not necessary for hygiene, but simply a matter of convenience.
The lack of doors also makes going to the toilet quicker.
"You don't stay there to read texts or put on make-up or whatever happens behind the toilet stalls," Kaukua told Yle with a laugh.
