During the week, you can take part in events such as Sirkus Magenta’s baby and toddler circus, the Cantores Minores boys’ choir’s open day, Cultural Centre Vuotalo’s animal yoga, the Suomenlinna Museum’s museum trails and the Finnish Museum of Photography’s darkroom workshop. There are also theatre and opera performances, films and art workshops on offer in various parts of Helsinki.
The week of events provides families with opportunities to try out different forms of art free of charge and with no barriers to entry, without any obligation to continue them as a hobby. The aim is to encourage especially children and families who are not already familiar with culture activities to take part.
“There is a huge range of high-quality children’s culture activities on offer in Helsinki, but that does not necessarily mean that everyone is able to discover them. We want to show just how many different opportunities there are in the world of art and culture, and that everyone can find their own way to participate,” says Chief of Children’s Culture and Director of Annantalo Pirjetta Mulari.
Children’s cultural activities have a lower reach than physical activities
In Helsinki, participation in instructed arts and culture activities is more common than the national average, but arts activities still reach a significantly smaller proportion of children of comprehensive school age than instructed sports. According to the 2025 School Health Promotion study, for example, only 28% of 4th and 5th grade comprehensive school students in Helsinki took part in instructed arts or culture activities at least once a week, while 79% took part in instructed sports.
Opportunities to take part in arts and culture activities are also not distributed evenly. Participation in arts and culture activities is more common among girls, and there are also differences in participation levels based on ethnic background, neighbourhood and family income. Less than half of young people in Helsinki are aware of the arts and culture activities available in their own neighbourhood.
“A child’s neighbourhood or family background should not determine whether they can engage in the arts. The City can work to bridge these gaps and ensure that opportunities are available across Helsinki,” says Mulari.
Children’s culture is part of child-friendly Helsinki
Helsinki was recognised as a Child Friendly City in 2024, and the wellbeing of children and young people is one of the priorities of Helsinki’s City Strategy. The role of cultural services is to ensure that everyone in Helsinki is able to connect with art and culture throughout their lives. The Children’s Culture for All! week is one practical way of carrying out this work in collaboration with children’s culture organisations in Helsinki.
“For a child, taking part in the arts can be much more than just a pastime. It can also be a way of expressing yourself, discovering your own strengths and feeling that you belong. I have met young people for whom engaging in the arts has provided an important space where they can truly be themselves,” says Mulari.
The Children’s Culture for All! week is organised by the City of Helsinki in collaboration with the city’s children’s culture organisations. You can find all of the week’s events at tapahtumat.hel.fi/en(Link leads to external service).