Night of the Arts

We are in the middle of the Helsinki Festival (Juhlaviikot), the biggest art festival in Finland and one of the best festivals in Helsinki. Until September 4 there are countless big and small events taking place around town.

One of the absolute highlights of Juhlaviikot is the legendary Night of the Arts which is on tonight. Tonight the city if filled with free arts performances, exhibitions, music, kids program and much, much more. Check out everything that happens on the map on their website.

Enjoy the Night of the Arts and the rest of Juhlaviikot and have a great time!

Free museum entrance

Are you up for some art? Then come to the Sinebrychoff Museum of Art on Bulevardi just a few hundred meters away from the city center.

They have changing exhibitions on the ground floor and the basement. And apart from that their house museum on the first floor is open to anyone for free.

Have a look and enjoy!

A night full of art

One of the big highlights of every year's Helsingin Juhlaviikot is the legendary Night of the Arts. And today it takes place again.

If you didn't have any plans for tonight so far, now you do. Because the Night of the Arts is definitely something you shouldn't miss. A full night of dance, music, poetry, movies, theater, exhibitions and much much more is awaiting you. The events take place all around town and are all free of charge.

For an overview of what's going on tonight check out the Night of the Arts website. Have a great evening!

Art goes Kapakka

Helsingin Juhlaviikot has a lot to offer. It also brought Art goes Kapakka back to town. This culture city event brings art to the best restaurants, bars and cafes around town.

Experience exhibitions, music, fashion, design, theater plays and much much more in some of your favorite drink or food spots. The program is filled with exciting events every day and still goes on until this Sunday.

And the best thing: all events are free of charge. Check out the official website for more information and enjoy the August in Helsinki!

Flow is coming

The Flow Festival is close. This Friday one of the coolest festivals in Helsinki starts again. At Suvilahti everything is already under construction and you can again expect some awesome art installations, chill-out areas and decoration.

Flow is of course about music. This year you can look forward to acts such as Florence & The Machine, Major Lazer, The Pet Shop Boys, Beck and many more. But Flow is also about so much more. Hang out with friends and just suck in the amazing atmosphere and flair of this extraordinary event.

And don't forget to check out the food. Some of Helsinki's finest restaurants and street food trucks will be there.

You find the line-up of the whole weekend on the Flow website. Tickets are still available for Friday and Sunday as well as three day tickets. For details on prices and dates have a look at Lippupalvelu.

Just hanging around

Did you spot that guy in the center yesterday. He was just leaning against the wall at Lasipalatsi but got quite a lot of attention.

Have a nice Sunday!

Creative and cozy

Wanna get creative? Then check out Rupla. The new place on Helsinginkatu is a so called creative space. You can come here for art exhibitions, to look for cool vintage furniture or designer clothing and accessories, join a workshop, visit one of their many events like from live music to theatre. Or you can just come for a good cup of freshly grainded coffee and a piece of cake.

 

Raw cake, to be more specific. And they are pretty good. One of their most popular ones is the mint chocolate one. They also have a wide selections of organic teas and raw chocolate.

Give it a try! It's worth dropping by!

Lux 2015

Tomorrow the Light Festival Lux starts again in Helsinki. In 13 spots around the city center light artwork is on display. Follow the Lux trail guiding you to all installations. You can start your journey at the Tuomiokirkko at Senaatintori.

Additionally there is also a side program during the whole time of the festival. Lux lights up every day from 15.00 to 21.00 until January 8. Don't miss it!

Art Pop-Up at Narinkka

This week it's worth dropping by at Narinkkatori at Kamppi Kauppakeskus once or twice per day. The artschools of Helsinki have opened an art pop-up container on the square.

And here they have a great program the whole day through and every day until Dec 9. Compose your own Christmas song, sing songs or just listen to beautiful music and of course find out more about the art schools.

It's worth a visit. Check it out and have fun!

Art underground

When waiting for your metro at the Kamppi station you always have something to see. And that it due to the changing art exhibition down there.

The big glass box on the platform already displayed installations from various Finnish and international artist. And there is always something new to discover.

At the moment you can see Dennis Oppenheim's Kissing Rocks on display. You will always also find an explanaition about the artists and their installation in Finnish, Swedish, English and Russian. Take a few minutes for a closer look next time you pass by there.

Protest in wood

Did you spot this trunk in the city center next to Lasipalatsi? It is the work of artist Sanna Karlsson-Sutisna. Until the end of next week this work in progress will be still visible on the same spot while she will slowly finish the piece.

With this Sanna wants to raise attention to the bad working conditions for artists in Helsinki. According to her not just rents for studios in the city are ridiculously high. Also receiving visibility is very costly and leaves the artists in the end with a very small income.

To find out more about Sanna's art visit her website or talk to her in person this week in the center.

Night of the Arts 2014

Don't miss tomorrow's Night of the Arts in Helsinki. The city will once again transform into a stage for hundreds of cultural events and performances.

This year the arts carnival, which is part of the Helsinki Festival, is already held for the 26th time. The most exciting thing about the Night of the Arts is that it invites not only renowned artist but everyone to show and exhibit their own art that night. To find out what's happening in the city tomorrow visit the website and find a map of all the things happening. Make sure to already pick your favorites. There is just too much going on to see everything.

Have a great Night of the Arts!

A hotel for Amanda

Some of you might have wondered where Havis Amanda suddenly went. Around her fountain between Esplanadi and Kauppatori a black container has been errected and there is no sign of the statue.

This container is a project of the Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi and is part of the Helsinki Festival. It's called Hotel Manta and it actually is a real hotel. With just one room though. And the middle of this room is formed by Havis Amanda. Till October 12 the hotel is already fully booked and unfortunately there is no chance anymore for you to spend one night in the same room with the famous statue.

You can however visit the hotel during the day. Every day from 11.30 till 17.30 the hotel opens for visitors. For an entrance fee of 3 euros you can see the interiour and how Havis Amanda has been integrated into it. To get a first impression of Nashi's installation you can also have a first peek at the pictures by MTV3.

Art goes Kapakka

The art festival Art goes Kapakka already started last week but there is still a lot of great program to come during the upcoming couple of days. Art goes Kapakka is all about combining art and food and is celebrated in 34 restaurants throughout the city. Music, theatre, dance, choirs, food menues, art exhibitions, science panels and fashion shows are awaiting you.

Till August 23 there something is happening every day. Check out the program and find your favorites.

Have a great week!

Helsinki Festival 2014

Today the Helsinki Festival starts. And it will go on till the end of August. Two weeks of full program in and around the city lay ahead of us.

The Helsinki Festival is Finland's biggest multi-art festival and at the same time marks the end of the summer festival season. The heart of the festival will be the KoeHelsinki (Experience Helsinki) festival park at Kansalaistori. Many great performers such as Los Lobos, Ginger Baker and Finnish star Jonna Tervomaa will be on stage during the two weeks.

Find out more about the festival and the whole program on the official website and have great upcoming two weeks!

Happy birthday, Ateneum!

Tomorrow is Ateneum’s birthday. And this occasion of course doesn't go without a big celebration. The renowned museum in Finland that hosts the biggest collections of classical art in Finland starts its special program on Sunday at 11:00. During the whole day the museum is admission free.

Ateneum awaits the visitors with workshops, guided tours, lectures and discussions. For more information check out their website.

Have a nice weekend!

The home of Gallen-Kallela

Akseli Gallen-Kallela was one of the most famous Finnish painters and is well-known for his illustrations of the Finnish national epic Kalevala.

In 1961 his house and studio in Tarvaspää, Espoo was turned into a museum and opened for the public. Here you can find out more about the painter whose work was extremely important for the Finnish national identity. For an entrance fee of 8 € you can visit the museum that shows not only where Gallen-Kallela lived and worked but also has changing exhibitions. Most of Gallen-Kalela’s famous paintings aren’t on display here though but at Ateneum in the city center. If you take your smart phone with you, you can have a free audio tour through and around the museum.

Also the surrounding area is worth the visit. Stop for a short break at the small café next to the museum and go for a walk around the small island the museum is build on. Tarvaspää is perfect for a nice weekend walk.

Night of the Arts

Today Helsinki celebrates the Night of the Arts for the 25^th time. It’s the highlight of the Helsingin Juhlaviikot. Countless activities and events take place. E.g. watch the Harmonic Fieldsinstallation on Kaivopuisto, go to the Open Stage or sing with 40 policemen.

To see tonight’s whole program click on the Night of the Arts website. The first events start already during daytime and many last till midnight and later.

Have a great Night of the Arts!

Happy Birthday Helsinki!

Tomorrow the whole city celebrates. Not just in the city but in many areas in Helsinki there will be something happening. So don’t miss this important day.

The Helsinki Day starts traditionally at 9:00 in the courtyard of the City Hall where the Mayor Jussi Pajunen will hold a speech, followed by some live music. During the day countless events will take place all over the city. One of the highlights will be the free Helsinki Day concert by Radio Aalto at Kaisaniemi starting at 15:00 with performances by Anna Puu, Haloo Helsinki!, Sunrise Avenue and many more. All of tomorrow’s events are listed on theofficial website.

June 12 was chosen as Helsinki Day since this was the day in 1550 that the Swedish King Gustav I founded the city at the mouth of Vantaa River. 

World Village Festival 2013

The world is a village. And for this weekend this village is Helsinki. Artists and musicians from all over the world come to the Finnish capital to perform live and for free. On seven stages the audience can enjoy music, dance, theatre, poetry, movies, opera, panel discussions, interviews, children’s program and much, much more. It’s a festival for the whole family.

The artists are from all continents and come to Helsinki not just to perform but also to share their culture. The World Village Festival starts today at 11:00 and will continue in Virgin Oil Co. after 20:00. Tomorrow the program is from 11:00 till 18:00. For more information and the program see their website.

Have fun!