The Independence Day celebration for fourth graders in Helsinki, hosted by Mayor Daniel Sazonov, will take place at Finlandia Hall on Monday 8 December. Parents and guardians will be able to watch the event on the Helsinki Channel.
The Mayor’s Independence Day celebration has a long history in Helsinki, stretching back to 1997, when the City of Helsinki organised the first celebration at Finlandia Hall. Messukeskus hosted the event in 2022–2024 because Finlandia Hall was undergoing renovations at the time, but this year the event will return to Finlandia Hall.
The celebration is expecting to welcome around 6,600 fourth graders and their teachers. There will be three celebrations over the course of the day. The Helsinki Channel will livestream all three celebrations. You can also watch recordings of the celebrations afterwards. Additionally, you can follow the celebrations for fourth graders on the City of Helsinki’s social media channels.
This will be Mayor Daniel Sazonov’s first time hosting the celebrations.
“The Mayor’s Independence Day celebration is a fun and much-anticipated tradition, and it’s great that we can once again celebrate independence at Finlandia Hall. I’m looking forward to meeting thousands of schoolchildren from Helsinki. I hope that this Independence Day celebration will be a memorable day for all of them – I remember it also being memorable for me back in the day,” says Mayor Daniel Sazonov.
Sazonov is the first Mayor to have personally attended the Mayor’s Independence Day celebration as a pupil.
The celebration will delight participants with refreshments and a programme that includes a concert by a surprise artist. In addition to Mayor Daniel Sazonov, participants will be welcomed by Deputy Mayor Reetta Vanhanen and Head of the Education Division Satu Järvenkallas.
While waiting in the greeting queue, participants will be entertained by performers from Circus Helsinki, with the Helsinki Police Symphonic Band providing the entrance music. After the greetings, participants will enjoy a welcome toast and sit down for a meal.
The Helsinki Police Symphonic Band also performed at the very first Mayor’s Independence Day celebration. Performing at the celebration is an honour for the band.
“For the entrance music, we’ve chosen Finnish music by our national composer Jean Sibelius and Leevi Madetoja – very solemn music, of course, in keeping with the prestige of the occasion,” says Principal Conductor Sami Ruusuvuori.
The hosts for the events are Anna Norros and Paul Uotila. Rebecca Kurten will be interviewing participants on the Helsinki Channel.
Fourth graders have been rehearsing for the dance at the Independence Day celebration all autumn. The programme includes the old favourites Cicapo, Jingle Bells, Jiffy Mixer, Rock and Letkajenkka, and, as a new addition this year, Bara Bada Bastu.
The Mayor’s Independence Day celebration is part of the cultural path implemented by the City of Helsinki’s municipal comprehensive schools, which is based on the cultural, artistic and cultural heritage education that is part of the curriculum. Participants can dress up or down as they see fit – according to their own style, taste and opportunities. You can also borrow an outfit or look for a second-hand one.
The Mayor’s Independence Day celebration is organised by the City of Helsinki, with the Helsinki Events Foundation in charge of production and overall planning.
