A carnival life: inside the Sariola family’s traveling caravan

Sometimes the family’s backyard overlooks a lake, sometimes it’s next to a grassy field, or it might be tucked behind city-center buildings.

Ville and Anna Sariola and their sons Oiva and Iivo live in the caravan for half the year, as Anna and Ville work as entrepreneurs at Tivoli Sariola.

When the carnival trucks roll into a new town, Ville parks the family caravan and opens its five slide-outs, nearly doubling the living space from 37.5 square meters (about 400 square feet) to 70 square meters (about 750 square feet). Opening them takes about ten minutes, after which Anna prepares the carnival home inside. The routine is always the same.

“The most important thing is hooking up the water and electricity right away. Then we unpack and organize. Next, we shop for groceries and end the day with a sauna before bed,” Anna explains.

Not without a support network

The carnival tours Finland from April to late September, visiting ten cities in all. Each time, Anna sets up the family’s home from scratch, placing photo frames in their spots, arranging throw pillows on the sofa, lining up the children’s toy boxes, and setting bath toys by the tub.

The tour starts in Turku, Southwest Finland, each spring. On weekdays, the children live in the family’s permanent home in Kerava, Southern Finland, where the grandparents handle daily life. Anna’s mother Ritva Kontinen stays with the kids, and Ville’s mother Leena Sariola drives them to school and daycare.

On Fridays, the grandchildren are taken to the carnival, and on Sundays, after closing time, the entire family returns to Kerava. On Tuesdays, Anna and Ville head back to the carnival on their own. During the tour, they have to be on-site about 90 percent of the time.

“If we didn’t have such a great support network in Kerava, this lifestyle wouldn’t be possible,” Ville says.

“When the kids aren’t around, both of us give 100 percent to work. When they’re with us, we do our best to ensure that outside the carnival’s opening hours, at least one of us is always there for the boys,” Ville notes.

“In spring and early fall, it feels awful to be away from the kids. But knowing these are only short stretches helps. And we do see each other weekly. If we’re apart five days, everyone really misses one another,” Anna says.

Bringing relatives along for the ride

In summer, the children also move to the carnival. Anna, Ville, and the boys almost always eat breakfast together—no screens allowed. They try to have lunch and dinner together too, though that’s not always possible on carnival days since the workdays can be long, and one parent might still be at the carnival grounds.

“In addition to us, our grandparents and siblings and their families live on-site during the summer. My parents serve on the carnival’s board, Anna’s sister works as our communications manager, and my sister handles tasks like orientation training. Anna’s mom, Ritva, pitches in when the kids need to be somewhere, and she helps as needed in carnival routines. We cook together a lot and spend our evenings catching up,” Ville says.

Ville is the main cook at home, typically serving classic, homemade dishes like macaroni casserole, chicken and rice, or the kids’ favorite tacos. Only on special occasions do they grab something from the carnival grill or a nearby fast-food joint.

“When we chose this caravan, one requirement was that both our families could fit inside at the same time. Those moments when we talk about anything but the carnival are really important. This is our way of life, but it’s refreshing to have conversations that aren’t about carnival matters,” Ville muses.

Heat up in a personal sauna caravan

Grandparents help not only in Kerava but also on tour. On weekdays, Anna and Ville call it a day around eight in the evening, and on weekends, two hours earlier. When they have some free time in the evening, everyone often watches Masked Singer, the Finnish sketch comedy show Putous, or The Voice of Finland together. Almost every evening, Anna and Ville share late-night tea while catching the ten o’clock news.

“The sauna is huge for us as a family. We have our own sauna caravan and we use it several times a week. After a cold day, nothing beats tossing water on those hot rocks,” Ville says.

If the carnival doesn’t open until afternoon, Anna and Ville can spend time with the kids in the morning. They go out, explore shopping centers, and sometimes dine at favorite restaurants.

They have favorite places in every city. In Turku, for example, they regularly visit the Market Hall for sushi, explore Turku Castle, and stop by the Seikkailupuisto Adventure Park near the carnival. In summer, their cousin Vilmeri is also there. Oiva is tall enough for the most extreme rides, and spinning around on them is his favorite part of carnival life.

“The best thing is traveling around Finland. It’s really cool, but sometimes staying in the same town for up to two months can be a bit annoying. It’s also fun meeting friends I’ve made in all these cities,” Oiva says.

On to the next carnival city

One challenge is the entryway—basically, there isn’t one. When it comes to daily life, there’s too little space for shoes and outdoor gear. That’s the only real complaint in these tight quarters.

“It often feels like parents, kids, rubber boots, and grandparents are all piled up by the door,” Anna says.

Even so, the Sariola's don’t usually crave their own separate areas.

“On the rare occasions I have the place to myself, I do laundry, treat myself to facials and manicures, or book a session at a familiar spa. It’s wonderful when I can wander the city without checking the clock. Ville likes to go running with the dog,” Anna says.

“On tour, Anna and I have to be on call almost nonstop apart from scheduled off days. When I finally get a break, I love doing nothing at all—and I usually end up dozing off on the sofa. It’s rare that no one needs me. Our life is really the same as anyone’s—our home just happens to be different,” Ville adds.

When the carnival tour moves on, Anna is the one who packs up the home. She knows exactly where each item goes for travel. Clocks, carousel knickknacks, photos, and vases are laid on beds or couches, padded with blankets, pillows, and towels. She puts loose bathroom items in the bathtub and locks all the cabinets, then rolls up the rugs and places them atop the slide-outs.

Anna is a packing pro, and Ville steers clear of the caravan interior during that phase.

“Things rarely break in transit. If they do, Ville and I argue over whether it was the driver’s or the packer’s fault,” Anna laughs.