The capping event of May Day Eve will be held in the usual location at the Havis Amanda fountain square. May Day will be celebrated through various events held around Helsinki. Cultural centres come alive on May Day with dancing.
One of Helsinki's most beloved May Day traditions is the capping of the Havis Amanda statue, also known as Manta. The capping event is organised by the Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY). The cap is placed on Manta's head by a volunteer team called the Manta Crew, made up of students from the University of Helsinki.
The programme organised by the students will begin at Manta's square on May Day Eve 30 April at 15.45.
The crowning of the Manta statue can also be easily watched on large screens at Market Square and in Esplanadi Park.
For families with children, the University of Helsinki's Think Corner (Tiedekulma) has a dedicated May Day space where they can safely follow the programme from Havis Amanda Square.
The two Esplanadis, their side streets and the area around Senate Square will be closed to vehicle traffic on 30 April from 15.00 to 21.00 for the capping of the Manta statue. Parking will be prohibited in the area.
May Day, 1 May, Iso Puistotie will be closed to public traffic. Ehrenströmintie and Merisatamanranta will be partly one-way streets, with traffic flowing westbound from the Olympia Terminal. Puistokatu will be one-way heading east.
On Laivasillankatu, Tehtaankatu, Laivurinkatu and part of Eiranranta, parking will be prohibited from 30 April to 1 May in order to ensure the smooth flow of public transport.
It is recommended to come to Kaivopuisto by public transport.
The City will provide plenty of additional toilets in Kaivopuisto, Tähtitorninmäki, Sinebrychoff Park, Old Church Park, Kaisaniemi Park, Meripuisto Park and Esplanadi. Additionally, the City will provide event bins, skips and metal barrels for smouldering BBQ waste for May Day revellers in the city centre and Kaivopuisto Park.
In Kaivopuisto, celebrators can sort waste into plastic, glass, cardboard and organic waste collection bins.
The City of Helsinki will organise its traditional collection of sparkling wine bottles at Kaivopuisto. If you deposit 20 of these bottles at the collection points, you will receive a movie ticket. The heavy sparkling wine bottles will be taken to Palautuspakkaus Oy to be recycled into raw material for glass wool.
This year, the theme of the capping of Manta is the Baltic Sea and its wellbeing. Let's all make sure that May Day litter ends up where it belongs.
Youth workers will be out on May Day Eve to support young people celebrating in central Helsinki, along the waterfront and in other popular gathering spots. Many professionals and volunteers will interact with young people, for example by talking with them and providing first aid. The police and emergency medical services will also be there to support young people.
Youth Services and their partners ask that parents talk to their teenagers about where, how and with whom they intend to spend their May Day.
There is plenty of May Day entertainment for young people at youth centres. For example, May Day Eve will be celebrated without age limits or alcohol at Suvilahti's Tiivistämö and the youth centres of Ruoholahti and Tapanila.
More detailed information about youth centre activities can be found at: Youth Helsinki(Link leads to external service)
On May Day Eve and May Day, the City of Helsinki Rescue Department will raise the readiness of both rescue services and emergency medical services. Units from volunteer fire brigades will also be on standby on May Day, 1 May.
The Rescue Department reminds barbequers in particular about fire safety: people should take particular care when using and disposing of disposable grills, which are popular on May Day. Disposing of hot charcoal and disposable grills in waste bins is not allowed.
Helsinki's cultural centres come alive on May Day with dancing.
On May Day Eve, 30 April at 16.00–19.00, Annantalo Children and Youth Art Centre will host the highly popular AnnanHouse disco with a May Day theme. Expect top music ranging from house to disco, along with workshops, balloon animals and glitter tattoos. The disco evening will conclude with a performance by characters from Circus Helsinki in front of Annantalo.
At Stoa's free May Day Eve dance on 30 April at 15.00, people can dance to music led by Amadeus Lundberg and Ari Nylund's orchestra. May Day revellers will be able to dance to evergreen schlager hits and passionate tango. At Café Stoa, people can enjoy May Day doughnuts and a traditional Finnish May Day drink, sima.
At Malmitalo, May Day Eve will be celebrated with concerts by students from the Pop & Jazz Conservatory at 19.00. During the evening, two groups will take the stage: the Pessi Lehtinen Quartet, which blends modern jazz with Nordic sounds, and SADETTA LUVASSA, a tribute band performing music by English singer Sade. The concerts are free of charge.
The Linnanmäki amusement park will open its doors on May Day Eve, 30 April, at 15.00. The amusement park will celebrate Children's May Day, offering a variety of activities tailored for kids.
The May Day celebrations on Friday 1 May will bring Helsinki residents together in places such as Kaivopuisto and Hakaniemi. Various May Day events, including concerts, May Day marches and lunches, will be organised throughout the city.
What would a May Day in Helsinki be without the May Day Matinee of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra? This year, May Day celebrations will be accompanied by music performed by star soloist Maria Ylipää. The May Day Matinee at Musiikkitalo on Friday, 1 May, at 12.00 and 14.00.
More May Day events can be found in the City's event calendar: tapahtumat.hel.fi(Link leads to external service)
