Helsinki Day celebrates the city’s birthday, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Samba Carnaval. In honour of this special occasion, the fun carnaval spirit and music will take over Helsinki this year for the entire weekend.

Seurasaari Christmas Path (Joulupolku) is a free pre-Christmas event for families with children in Helsinki Region, offering visitors peeks into a fairy-tale world and an old-time Christmas. In 2009 the event was held on Sunday 13 December. The Christmas Path was originally created to offer children an alternative to the season’s commercialism. One person’s vision gradually developed into an annual pre-Christmas family event for the entire Helsinki Region. In 2010 the event will be organised for the 14th time.

The patron of the event is Dr. Pentti Arajärvi and the parties that make it happen are the City of Helsinki, the Joulupolku Association and hundreds of volunteers who prepare the Christmas Path as a present to the region’s children.

Activities along the Christmas Path

Each year the Christmas Path offers lots of activities, from singing and games to a straw maze, sleigh rides and making Christmas treats. The Christmas Gospel and a children’s Christmas scene is also per-formed in the Christmas Arena. The Christmas trees erected on the island await children’s Christmas decorations, and the elves hide along the path waiting to be discovered. Visitors can also bring a torch along to see the miracles of the woods even after dusk. Visitors can also light candles for peace in the Christmas Arena. The animals of the forest circle roam the Christmas Path giving children gingerbread cookies and cinnamon buns, and Santa Claus with his elves listen to children’s gift wishes. Children are served rice pudding, so they should bring their own plate and spoon. When crossing the bridge to Seurasaari Island, visitors should also take the opportunity to see how the inhabitants of Santa Island are preparing for Christmas and whether the sauna elf at Tamminiemi is at home.

Image©Kimmo Brandt

Christmas Path 2009

In 2009 the Christmas Path on Seurasaari Island was blessed by beautiful winter conditions. The snow began to fall right on schedule, creating a real fairy-tale atmosphere on the island.

The event attracted approximately 20,000 visitors, and despite the large numbers of people everything went very smoothly in a festive Christmas spirit.

Dr. Pentti Arajärvi, the patron of the event, spent several hours on the Christmas Path, and his spouse Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland, helped hand out gingerbread cookies to the children.

The Christmas Path received lots of positive feedback that will help plan for the next event. Photos from the 2009 Christmas Path can be viewed here.

A warm thanks to all our partners, and we look forward to seeing you again on 12 December 2010 from 1pm to 5pm!

Helsinki Week will be celebrated in 2010 on 3-20 June and Helsinki Day on 12 June.

Helsinki Week offers and expanded programme of events before, during and after Helsinki Day. This summer residents and tourists of all ages will be treated to exciting things to do and experience. The diverse programme can be seen, heard and even tasted throughout Helsinki, from the city centre to outlying suburbs.

Helsinki Day celebrates the city’s birthday, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Samba Carnaval. In honour of this special occasion, the fun carnaval spirit and music will take over Helsinki this year for the entire weekend.

Details about the programme will be updated on the www.helsinkiviikko.fi website throughout the spring.

See and experience Helsinki in a new light – the Season of Light in January

The Season of Light represents a bright turning point in the midst of the holiday season and the darkest time of the year. The event aims to offer residents and visitors positive, refreshing and surprising experiences. Senate Square – the historic architectural centre of the nation’s capital – and Parliament House opposite Finlandia Park serve as the stages for the light installations at the start of January. Read the press release here.

Lighting Designer Mikki Kunttu has designed unique works of art that reveal these familiar Helsinki landmarks in a new and surprising light that will inspire viewers. Parliament House is illuminated for the first time, while Senate Square is the canvas for reflections.

“Heijastuksia – Reflections” in Senate Square

“Heijastuksia – Reflections” is a voyage through time into the past and onwards into a world of fan-tasy. Senate Square and its surroundings return to the year 1852 when the St. Nicholas Church (now Helsinki Cathedral) was inaugurated.

From history the light installation transforms into the world of fantasy in which imaginary vines climb up the columns of the cathedral, while various lights, colours, shadows and textures play across the surfaces. The cathedral is shown in a time-worn patina, for example. The strong visual effect is enhanced further by atmospheric sounds created by Sound Designer Kasperi Laine. The performance is suitable for the entire family.

“Oratoribus” at Parliament House

“Oratoribus” borrows its name from the name of the winning proposal in the original architectural design competition for the Parliament House in Helsinki. The light installation emphasises the endur-ingly powerful presence of the building while bringing out its architectonic details. The elegantly changing colours and atmospheres add depth to the surfaces and highlight the special position that the building holds in the Finnish mindscape.

Reflections and Oratoribus premiered on 1 January 2010. In Senate Square the performances continued until 11pm, while at Parliament House they continued nonstop until 9am the following morning.

 Close attention is being paid to energy consumption during the Season of Light. The light installations employ LED technology that is more energy efficient than traditional lighting technology.

©Kaapo Kamu

Helsinki – a bright and attractive city break destination

The Season of Light also promotes Helsinki as a travel destination, attracting not only the city’s residents but also visitors to enjoy this free and open urban event. Helsinki wants to create a reputation as a city of light in the Baltic Sea region. The plan is to expand the Season of Light to other parts of the city in the future, including Finlandia Park.

The City of Helsinki joined the network LUCI (Lighting Urban Community International) in spring 2009. Click here to go to the LUCI website.

The Helsinki City Museum’s new “Yö-Night” exhibition could be viewed at Sederholm House on the corner of Senate Square during the Season of Light from 2-6 January 2010. The exhibition told the story of the city during the darkest moments of the night. In the dim rooms of the old merchant house, visitors get a chance to examine the bedrooms of past Helsinki residents, gaze at the stars, take a peek at the life of night workers, celebrate amidst a party atmosphere, interpret dreams and get spooked by ghosts. The exhibition was a relaxing and refreshing time travel through the city at night. Click here for more information about the exhibition.

At the same time Café Engel was operating a seasonal “Glögg Café” at Sederholm House from 5pm-10pm. Visitors could drop in for a warm drink and relax before or after viewing the exhibition. The tradition of drinking glögi, as it is called in Finnish, during the Christmas season came to Helsinki from Sweden in the late 19th century. The tradition became more widespread in Finland only from the 1960s onwards.

In connection with the Season of Light, the popular Ice Park in Railway Square was illuminated with in a bluish light from 1-6 January 2010. In addition, a concert of film scores performed live by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra was shown on a big screen on 6 January 2010. The concert itself was hosted by Finnish film guru Peter Von Bagh and took place at Finlandia Hall.

Special tours of Parliament House were being offered during the event. On Monday 4 January and Tuesday 5 January public tours were given according to the Season of Light theme. Lighting Designer Mikki Kunttu told about his work and ideas regarding Parliament House.

Light up Parliament House online

The Season of Light website can be found online at http://www.valonvuodenaika.fi. The website includes full details about the event, including background information, as well as a feature that allows visitors to illuminate the Parliament House using lights and shadows.