Helsinki Events

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May Day (Vappu)

Finns know how to have fun, and when they party they do so seriously. The best party of the year in Helsinki, particularly for students, is the May Day celebration. Although neighbourhoods throughout the city celebrate to herald the arrival of spring in their own way, the main event takes place in Market Square and along the Esplanade, where crowds gather in the early evening of 30 April (Walpurgis Night) to watch the statue of Havis Amanda adorned with a white cap. Champagne is sprayed over the mermaid statue, launching the festivities, which take the form of an exuberant street party continuing well into the night. For more information contact the Helsinki City Tourist and Convention Bureau (0)9 169 3757.

Venue: Market Square; Date: 30 April to 1 May 2008

Helsinki City Marathon

Helsinki City Marathon

Finland’s popular annual Marathon event attracts thousands of runners from around the world, most probably because the race follows a particularly scenic course along the coastline in and around Helsinki.

Venue: The marathon starts and ends at the Olympic Stadium; Date: 16 August 2008; Time: 3pm; Website: www.helsinkicitymarathon.com

Huvila Festival Tent © Helsinki Festival

Helsinki Festival

The massive Helsinki Festival is designed to showcase Finnish and international performing and creative arts, drawing about 300,000 people every year to enjoy a full programme of classical and contemporary music, dance, theatre, popular and world music, cinema, and art exhibitions. The festival, founded in 1968, takes place in a unique tented venue in the city centre. One of the most popular aspects of the festival is the Night of Arts when the city streets, parks, churches and galleries are given over to dance groups, orchestral groups and buskers. The festival also features a Children’s Festival.

Venue: The Huvila Festival Tent at Hakaniemi, opposite the Helsinki City Theatre; Date: 15-31 August 2008; Website: www.helsinkifestival.fi

Baltic Herring Fair

Helsinki Baltic Herring Fair

Helsinki’s oldest traditional event is dedicated to the humble herring, Scandinavian staple, which has been sold and eaten at the end of the fishing season each year at a fishy fair in the city’s Market Square for about 200 years. Visitors are astounded at the number of different ways this delicacy is served up. Try it salted, pickled or marinated, on the spot or to take away.

Venue: Market Square; Date: October 2008, TBC