Helsinki Day () is an annual celebration in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, held on 12 June, to celebrate the city of

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. The number of attendees in the events on the day exceeds one hundred thousand. On the day, the

Helsinki Medal Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

is awarded to noteworthy citizens by the city council. The event was started by mayor

Lauri Aho Lauri may refer to: * Lauri (given name), including a list of people with the name * Lauri (surname), including a list of people with the name * Lauri, Põlva County, a village in Estonia * Lauri, Rapla County, a village in Estonia * Lauri, Võru ...

and secretary of the Helsinki Society Jorma Waronen in the late 1950s. The first Helsinki day was celebrated in 1959 on the 409th anniversary of the founding of Helsinki. The number of attendees at events on Helsinki Day already exceeded ten thousand in the early 1960s. In the same decade, the events were made more entertaining and diverse. Main events, such as ice hall concerts, were added. As the day gained popularity, the association of neighbourhood societies wanted to expand the celebration to a full Helsinki Week in the late 1970s, but the city council denied permission. Nowadays, Helsinki Week, culminating on Helsinki Day, has been established, and it is directed by the event unit of the Helsinki city council. Since the 1990s, various units of the city council, organisations and corporations have organised events on Helsinki Day. The free-of-charge "Kaivari" concert in

Kaivopuisto Kaivopuisto ( sv, Brunnsparken), nicknamed ''Kaivari'' in Finnish or ''Brunsan'' in Swedish, is one of the oldest and best known parks in central Helsinki, Finland, and also a neighbourhood of about 500 inhabitants where the park is located. Geo ...

is probably the best known among the public. Helsinki Day includes the selection of the annual ''Stadin Kundi'' ("Man of the city") and ''Stadin Friidu'' ("Woman of the city") by Stadin Slangi ry.

External links

Official website
Culture in Helsinki Recurring events established in 1959 June observances {{Finland-stub

See also

External links