Happy St. Patrick's Day

You are still at home? Off with you to the pub to celebrate the Irish St. Patrick's Day. There is a lot going on in town. Molly Malones, Woolshed, O'Malley's and all the other Irish pubs in town have something special going on tonight.

There will be live music, special offers, green and orange merchandise and of course lots of delicious stout.

Have a great night!

Kallio Block Party

Kallio is the place to be today. Because today is the Kallio Block Party. Starting from 14:00 the neighborhood turns into a giant party with lots of stuff to do, see, eat and hear.

Listen to live music from bands and DJs on several stages. Check out some of Helsinki's best street food. Or just walk around and enjoy the vibe of this anyway extraordinary area of town.

The official part of the party continues until 22:00. But it's Saturday and you are in Kallio. So expect the night to be long.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the party!

Party at the harbor

The weekend is here and it's time to make some plans for the next days if you don't have any so far. If you don't mind about the weather and still want to be outside to enjoy the bright summer nights then you should head to Allas this weekend.

The pop-up terrace right below the Finnair Skywheel is the ideal spot to hang out with a drink in your hand and a wonderful view over the sun slowly setting over the city. And Allas has more to offer. On most nights such as today and tomorrow DJs will take care of the music.

So give it a try if you dare and have a great weekend!

Slush 2014

The biggest startup event in Northern Europe starts again today. Over 12.000 visitors from around the world come to Slush at Messukeskus Helsinki to see what's on in the Nordic startup scene.

Tickets to sold out already and anyway way too expensive for private visitors. But you can still get an idea of Slush. Tonight Apollo hosts the Slush Grand Opening Party. And it is open to everyone. So check it out and meet entrepreneurs, investors, journalists and the organizers.

The party starts tonight at 21.00. Slush continues until Wednesday.

Block Party in Kallio

Do you have any plans for today? No? Then off to Kallio. Today it's Block Party time there. The whole neighborhood turns into a big party with live music, food, drinks, sports, dance, kids program and much more.

The party starts today at 13.00 and continues until 22.00 in the evening. To see what happens when or which stage check out the full program of tonight.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Little Saturday

Why is the working week just so much longer than the weekend? Why couldn't the weekdays be shared a bit more equally? The Finns also saw this problem and found a solution for it. They just divided the working week in half and invented the small Saturday.

Wednesday is the so called Pikkulauantai. Meaning that if there is a day during the week where you would go out for drinks or partying it would usually be Wednesday night.

Walking through the streets of Helsinki on a Wednesday evening you will realize that there are way more people on the street than normally. Especially among students this is quite popular and a good excuse to go for a drink in the middle of the week.

So why not have a Pikkulauantai drink yourself today? To find suggestions for a nice place to go click here.

Less beef, more fun

Despite its name We Got Beef in Punavuori is not a butcher or a steakhouse. Actually they don’t have much to do with beef at all. But what they have is a lot of party, drinks and fun.

We Got Beef is one of the most well know places in Helsinki. Since its opening in 2003 this bar and club has established itself as one of THE places to be in the city. We Got Beef hosts all kinds of gigs from Reggae to Rock, from Hip Hop to Jazz. Show up on the weekend for some DJs and dancing or for just hanging out with your friends for a drink.

Goodbye 2012! Welcome 2013!

It’s the last day of the year and you still don’t have a plan for the evening? You are still searching for a place where you can welcome the New Year?

Then go to the Senate Square tonight. Here is the cities official and traditional New Year’s party. Since 1932 the citizens of Helsinki celebrate the beginning of the New Year in front of the Tuomiokirkko.

Today also the Design Capital year in Helsinki ends. And of course this calls for an amazing final. Starting from 22.15 the city invites everyone for a great show with fire tricks, acrobatics and show acts like Michael Monroe and Sami Pitkämö’s orchestra.

And at midnight it’s time for the great fireworks around the square. And for those who can’t make it to the square in time or prefer to stay at home in the warmth of their apartment the show will be broadcasted live on YLE TV1 starting from 22.50.

Have a happy New Year!

Beetroot Block Party

Summer seems to be almost over but the sun is still warm and it’s probably one of the last chances for a street party this weekend. That’s why you should come to Viiskulma (five corners) in Punavuori.

Here the people from the area invite everyone for their amazing Punajuuri (Beetroot) Block Party tonight. The program starts already in the afternoon. There are activities for families, street performances, food and a lot of music already during the day.

In the night it’s time for the real party to start. Bands and DJs will perform in five different locations in the area. Check out the program on the official website.

Don’t miss it!

Summer Heat at Hietsu Beach

The week is over, the sun is shining and you want to party? Each sunny and warm day during the summer Hietaniemen Ranta and café turn into a big beach club.

Party on the sandy beach with your friends and enjoy the Finnish summer. The Hietsu Beach Jam is from 12 till 18.00. After that the sunset terrace is open for you till midnight.

Btw. it’s the biggest sand beach in Helsinki and is also a great place for swimming and sunbathing. 

Check it out!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Today is St. Patrick’s Day! And of course that’s the day to visit an Irish pub.

If you are searching for a nice and cozy pub to celebrate this very special Irish holyday, maybe try out O’Malley’s. Helsinki’s oldest Irish Pub put up a big program for St. Patrick’s day.

The bar opens at 2 pm. Till 4 you can get hot cider, hot chocolate and small snacks in their winter garden. Then the kitchen opens and has traditional Irish stew on offer for 12 €. The party really starts at 9 in the evening when the Irish band BREGÁIN will play traditional folk music. The whole night through Guinness will of course be on special offer.

But of course also the other Irish Pubs in Helsinki have a lot to offer. And since St. Patrick’s Day is their day you can be sure there will be something going on everywhere. So have fun everybody, happy St. Patrick’s Day and Sláinte!

ABI in the city

Who ever has been to the city center somewhere close to Esplanadi around one o'clock saw it anyway. For the once who missed it: Today was Abi day. That means that the students from highschools in the whole country where celebrating their abitur (a-levels). For that occasion they go around the city center in costumes on the back of big trucks and party as much as they can. The students where quite lucky with the weather choosing a day with mild temperatures of just around -1°C.

Here some pictures:

Since I've never seen something like that anywhere else (at least not with those kind of trucks) it kind of also counts into the category of weird finnish vehicles, I would say. What do you think?