#1 Lux Helsinki
The Lux Helsinki light festival is held each January during the darkest time of the year. For a few days, the city is lit up in truly imaginative ways. Marco Brianza’s Moonlight installation on the media screen outside the Helsinki Music Centre created a magical nocturnal atmosphere in the city.
#2 Tour skating
Skating long distances across the frozen sea and lakes is an increasingly popular pastime. Tour skates have extra-long blades, and poles can also be used. Ice claws are essential, however, just in case you go through the ice. Already 2500 Finns practice this sport. To get started, join a group of experienced tour skaters who can give you tips and judge the ice.
#3 Ice swimming
The popularity of ice swimming is also growing, as it is widely believed to have positive health benefits. A quick dip in the freezing water gives you an amazing buzz after your “swim”. Ice swimming is indeed more about emersing yourself quickly than actually swimming long distances, and usually you take a hot sauna before and/or afterwards. There are many places in Helsinki where you can try ice swimming.
#4 Hot air ballooning
Hot air balloons often appear in the skies above Helsinki, especially in beautiful summer days, but also sometimes in winter. A hot air balloon ride is a great way to see what the city is composed of – for example, that almost 40 percent of the land area comprises green areas.
#5 Freedom to influence
Citizen participation is very active in Finland and Helsinki. For example, the Tahdon (I Do) campaign for equal marriage rights that began in 2013 led to the introduction of new legislation in 2017. The Meillä on unelma (We Have a Dream) initiative in turn is campaigning for an open and multicultural Finland, and there is also active public debate about climate change. The steps of Helsinki Cathedral and Kansalaistori square are popular gathering places for demonstrations and petitions. A climate march in 2018 was attended by 8000 activities calling on politicians to take long-term action to combat climate change.
#6 Flow Festival
The Flow Festival has grown from a club phenomenon to one of Europe’s most interesting music, urban culture and art events that is organised annually at the historic Suvilahti power plant. One of the identifying characteristics of the event is responsibility: it has been carbon-neutral since 2009. Flow attracted 83,000 people in 2019.
#7 Tuska Open Metal Festival
Tuska is the biggest heavy metal music festival in the entire Nordic region and has been held in Helsinki over 20 times already. The three-day festival at Suvilahti in Helsinki attracts 30,000 to 40,000 appropriately dressed metal heads each year. The line up features major international bands and top Finnish artists.
#8 Restaurant Day
The Restaurant Day food carnival was first held in Finland in 2011. During the day, everyone is allowed to become a restaurateur and set up a bar, restaurant or café wherever they want, even in their kitchen window. The event proved to be extremely popular and has since grown to become a global phenomenon.
#9 Dinner Under the Sky
The first Dinner Under the Sky event was held along the Esplanade Park on Helsinki Day on 12 June 2013. The street was closed off to traffic and a dinner table with white tablecloths was set up for 1000 people, who were invited to bring their own food. The event is organised annually by the Yhteismaa ry community together with participating cities.
#10 Urban Art
The population of Helsinki was 643,272 at the beginning of 2018, and it is expected to exceed 700,000 by 2030. Among all the local residents and visitors are many artists who work either independently or together with associations, companies, institutions or the city itself. In Helsinki you can stumble across works of art in some of the most surprising places!
