Helsinki Pride is an LGBT pride event in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

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 ...

. The event takes place during the last week of June. The event lasts all week and is usually held the week after

midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr ...

. On Monday, the program opens, and during the week there are usually sporting events, gathering of young people in the evening, and a rainbow fair. In addition, a number celebrate the role of women. The week culminates in Saturday's Pride parade, which runs through the center of Helsinki. The procession ends in the park where celebrations continue. In the park there is generally a celebratory program of music and speeches. Saturday night also sees entertainment in the city's gay nightclubs. In 2018 attendance figures nearly tripled from 2017 numbers to record-breaking 100,000 people making it one of the biggest public events ever in Finland.

History

Helsinki Pride continues the tradition established by Seta's "Freedom Day" in 1975. Previously, the Pride was held in Helsinki in even years (2004, 2006 etc.) and in odd years (2003, 2005, etc.) in one of the other major cities in

. Since 2006, the LGBT pride has been held in Helsinki every year. Also other major Finnish cities have organized prides of their own, including

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

Pride, North Pride in Oulu and

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...

Pride. In 2010 the parade was disrupted on the corner of Aleksanterinkatu and Kluuvikatu by a

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...

attack, in which several people, the youngest less than 1 year old, were injured. Police later arrested three men.

External links

References

{{Pride parades Culture in Helsinki LGBT events in Finland Pride parades in Europe Parades in Finland Summer events in Finland