Helsinki Day is treating residents to hundreds of free-admission events in honour of the city’s 476th birthday on Friday, 12 June. The day begins with the Mayor’s traditional coffee morning at the City Hall, where the first one thousand visitors will get to enjoy their coffee with a Helsinki Day classic: rhubarb pie. Other Helsinki Day traditions include congratulating the first baby born on Helsinki Day, announcing the winners of the Stadin Friidu and Stadin Kundi awards and recognising distinguished residents with Helsinki Day medals and honours.
Wide range of events all across the city
At the heart of the Helsinki Day programme are events organised by residents themselves. This year’s programme features a record number of events ranging from concerts to quizzes, from workshops to walking tours, from outdoor excursions to sports contests and from circus to open-air dancing. Many of the city’s social and cultural venues from museums to lidos are hosting open days and inviting the public to explore the many activities that the city has to offer free of charge.
One of the main events is Helsinki-päivä ytimessä (‘Helsinki Day at the Core’), which is taking place in the Lasipalatsi Square in Kamppi. This all-day event, featuring everything from a lunchtime disco with DJ Windows95man to Radio Helsinki’s live Helsinki Day broadcast, is the perfect way to start the weekend. There will be DJs playing dance music throughout the day, and the programme culminates in stage performances by Pihlaja and Ege Zulu in the evening.
Events hosted by the city’s regional cultural centres from Kannelmäki to Vuosaari also play an important role in the Helsinki Day celebrations. These events are treating local communities to music, public art projects, dance carnivals, live art, circus performances, improvisational theatre and a whole host of other family-friendly activities. The events also include free-admission concerts by artists such as Stig, Laineen Kasperi, F, Hassan Maikal as well as Eevil Stöö and Kriso.
Activities for people of all ages and events organised by young people
The Helsinki Day programme caters for everyone from families with young children to the city’s older generations. This year’s festivities highlight young people both as event organisers and participants, and the award criteria for Helsinki Day production grants gave priority to events organised by young people for young people. Among the many activities planned by the city’s youth for this year’s programme include fishing lessons, a street football tournament, a table tennis carnival, a grown-up play club, punk concerts and graffiti workshops.
“Helsinki wants to invest in young people and to get young people involved in what happens in the city. We took this year’s Helsinki Day as an opportunity to give young people a chance to organise their own events while also ensuring that the programme has more elements that appeal to younger generations”, says Senior Producer Saara Vanhala.
For the full Helsinki Day programme, see helsinkipaiva.fi/en(Link leads to external service). More events may be added up to 10 June.