August in Helsinki brings with it more music festivals, including Flow, one of the biggest music festivals in Europe. The month is packed with “last hurrah moments” for the summer with street parties, concerts, visual art, and more. Helsinki won’t be this warm for much longer this year, so enjoy outdoor activities while you can!
Find out about the best events happening in Helsinki this month:
Thursday 1 – Sunday 4 August
Assembly Computer Festival
Assembly is a gathering of professionals and enthusiasts from the booming Finnish game industry. Expect tournaments, demonstrations, cosplay, YouTube streamers, and more. The venue is Helsinki’s largest convention venue, Helsingin Messukeskus. Tickets from €17,50.
Saturday 3 August
Kaljakellunta
Kaljakellunta, literally “beer floating”, is for anyone who loves rivers, water parks, or beer! Participants float down Vaantaanjoki or Keravanjoki on lilos or homemade rafts while drinking beer. Free event, just bring your own floation device.
Saturday 3 August
Heineken x On The Rocks: Teksti-TV 666, Räjäyttäjät, Kynnet
For their 18th birthday, live music club On The Rocks is throwing a big party headlined by three acts. Teksti-TV 666, Räjäyttäjät, and Kynnet all bring their own flavours of loud rock music to the stage. Tickets 19/20€.
Kallio Block Party
Kallio Block Party is a yearly festival taking place on the streets of the hip Kallio district. Its core values are community, non-commercialism, and developing city culture. The festival is entirely run by volunteers and is free to attend.
Sunday 4 August
Hip Hop Yoga at Leblon
For a different kind of yoga experience, sign up for this hour-long session at summer terrace Leblon. It is run by yoga studio Roots Helsinki, and features a DJ who will spin hip-hop tracks while you do your sun salutations. You can also grab brunch after the yoga session! Tickets are €12.
Monday 5 – Thursday 15 August
Etno-Espa
Etno-Espa is celebrating its 15th anniversary as a festival of contemporary Finnish folk music. Etno-Espa takes a stance against climate change and for gender equality by using the international language of music. All concerts are free.
Wednesday 7 August
Ismo Alanko
Ismo Alanko, a legend in the world of Finnish rock music, is performing at one of the city’s most interesting venues: Allas Sea Pool, an urban spa with year-round outdoor pools. Alanko will be playing songs from his new album, “Minä halusin olla niin kuin Beethoven”. Tickets from €29.
Jerobeam Salakyttä Teamin suuri pellehyppyshow (Jerobeam Salakyttä Team’s Big Clown Dive Show)
Is regular diving not exciting enough for you to watch? Check out this performance by Jerobeam Salakyttä Team, a performance group who do trick dives while dressed as clowns. Tickets are 5€.
Thursday 8 August
Illallinen Maunulan taivaan alla / Dinner under the Maunula sky
This is one of the biggest picnics ever! The Maunula talo (Maunula house) is turning the park around the building into a big picnic area. But it doesn’t stop there, as they encourage everyone around Finland – as well as Finns living abroad – to have a picnic on the same day. Free event.
Friday 9 – Sunday 11 August
Flow Festival
Flow Festival is Helsinki’s biggest summer attraction, featuring big-name artists from around the world. This year the lineup includes Alesso, The Cure, Tame Impala, and Erykah Badu. Flow also features amazing food and art. Single-day tickets 105€, two-day tickets 165€, three-day tickets 215€.
Saturday 10 August
Lapinlahden puistokirppis (Lapinlahti’s park flea market)
Lapinlahti is the area around Helsinki’s old psychiatric hospital which now houses restaurants, art galleries, and shops. This summer Lapinlahti is hosting open flea markets where anyone can sell their old items. Any unsold items can be donated to Lapinlahti. Free event.
Wedneday 14 August
UB40 ft. Ali Campbell & Astro
This August Hernesaari beach will play host to one of the world’s biggest reggae acts, UB40. The British legends will be supported by Ali Campbell and Astro. Tickets are 59€, or get the VIP experience for 129€.
Thursday 15 – Friday 16 August
Taiteiden Yö / Night of the Arts
Night of the Arts is a 30-year-old August tradition in Helsinki. Art and culture fill different spaces around the city, including clubs, pubs, parks, and city squares. You can also register to hold an art event yourself! Free event.
Thursday 15 – Friday 16 August
Teurastamo Night Market
Coinciding with Night of the Arts is a community-centric market at the old abbatoir (teurastamo). In addition to a marketplace, the Teurastamo Night Market will include music, performances, art, and workshops. You can apply to run a market stall or other point of interest! Free event.
Thursday 15 – Sunday 18 August
Baila Baila Summer Festival
Dance school Baila Baila wants to teach everyone some new moves this summer. Their summer festival comprises of dance workshops taught by international professionals, plus parties to show off what you’ve learned. Prices from €100 for a beginner’s pass to all workshops and parties.
Friday 16 – Saturday 17 August
Kill Sörnäinen
This festival of hardcore, raw rock is held in Ääniwalli, a converted industrial building in the Vallila neighbourhood. 16+ bands will take the stage during the weekend. Single-day tickets are 20€, two-day tickets are €32.
Friday 16 August
Archares / Oceill / Perihelion Ship – Progressive metal night
Progressive metal and Mexican food? Stranger combinations have worked! Mexican restaurant Ravintola Cactus is hosting a night of progressive metal music with bands Archares, Oceill, and Perihelion Ship. Tickets 5€.
Saturday 17 – Sunday 18 August
Panssarijunan kesäsauna (Panssarijuna’s summer sauna)
Helsinki-based blues band Panssarijuna is gigging in a very unique way this August. They’ll be performing two shows on Vartiosaari (one of Helsinki’s many islands), where the audience can also pop into a sauna after listening. Tickets are 22€, which includes a boat ride to the island and back.
Saturday 17 August
SOMA Kauneus&Muoti (Beauty&Fashion) MiniExpo
SOMA is a fair celebrating fashion, health, and beauty. The day will be filled with workshops, lectures, a fashion show, yoga, and many chances for pampering. Each participant will also recieve a goodie bag. Tickets 40€.
Skidit Festarit Children’s Festival
Skidit children’s festival celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, and it promises to be as fun as ever for little ones. There will be children’s music, play areas, and hopefully Helsinki’s biggest piece of cake! Tickets 13,50€, children under 1 year old are free.
Sunday 18 August
India Day
India Day is a free family-friendly festival of Indian culture in Kaisaniemi park. The park will be brimming with celebrations of music, dance, yoga, ayurveda, food, film, and other facets of India’s rich culture.
Thursday 22 August
Guest Lecture: Lisk Feng
Award-winning New York-based illustrator Lisk Feng will hold a lecture on her work at the Cultural Centre Kaisa. She is visiting Finland as a guest of the Finnish Illustration Association and their Master Class Series. The lecture is free, but advance registration (by 5th August) is necessary.
Chisu in Concert
Making her return to the stage after a hiatus, Finnish pop singer Chisu will fill Hernesaari beach with fans. Chisu is one of the most successful pop artists from Finland, having had her first number 1 single back in 2008. Standing room tickets are 19,50€.
Friday 23 August
Loney Dear & Anna Meredith in Concert
These concerts are a part of the Helsinki Festival, which occurs every summer. Loney Dear from Sweden and Anna Meredith from England both bring unique flavours of pop music to the Huvila Festival Tent (the hub of the Helsinki Festival). Tickets from 33€.
Children of Bodom in Concert
One of Finland’s most successful metal bands, Children of Bodom, is returning home for a gig in Kaisaniemi park. Accompanying them will be fellow metal bands Katatonia, Hardcore Superstar, and Lost Society. Tickets from 59,00€.
Saturday 24 August
Herttoniemi Block Party
Herttoniemi Block Party is a well-loved wrap party for the Helsinki summer festival season. It turns the Herttoniemi industrial area into a festival for the entire family. Expect music on six stages, dance, street food, children’s activities, and more. Free event.
Maunulan Musaa ja Makkaraa & Kirjafestivaali (Maunula Music and Sausage & Book Festival)
Maunula, a neighbourhood in northern Helsinki, is hosting a festival full of music, food, and books by local authors. The grill will be cooking up both traditional and vegetarian sausages, and there will be flea market shopping. Free event.
In the Park
In one of the biggest concert events of the summer, Oasis’ Liam Gallagher, The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft, Franz Ferdinand, and up-and-coming indie singer Jade Bird will all rock Kaisaniemi Park. It’s an extravaganza for rock music fans! Tickets from €79.
Sunday 25 August
D.R.E.A.M.G.I.R.L.S
DJ duo Taika Mannila and Lina Schiffer, also known as D.R.E.A.M, promise to take you to an urban utopia with D.R.E.A.M.G.I.R.L.S. It will be an extravaganza filled with female rap and hip-hop artists and dancers. Tickets from 25€.
Tuesday 27 August – Sunday 1 September
Kalle Nio: The Green
The Green is a performance event which combines theatre, 19th-century stage magic, video projection, and green screen effects. It premieres at the Helisnki Festival with four performances. Tickets from €17,50.
Wednesday 28 August
Waffle Wednesday: Croquis and animations.
This is a unique event for anyone interested in life drawing and animation. There will be a live model for croquis drawing (quick, gestural sketches), and the drawings will then be combined into short animations. Free event.
Friday 30 – Saturday 31 August
Makujen Tapiola
Helsinki’s neighbour city of Espoo is bringing street food and local restaurateurs to the Tapiola neighbourhood. To wash down the food, there will also be a brewery area. Free event.
Friday 30 August
Great Symphonic Journey
Another Helsinki festival event, Great Symphonic Journey is a musical ode to the life of the universe. The Vantaa Pops Orchestra and its soloists will be conducted by Dalia Stasevska. Tickers from 29€.
Saturday 31 August
Espoo-päivän konsertti (Espoo day concert)
As the food festival rages next door, Espoo is finishing up its summer music schedule with a free concert in Tapionaukio Square. Five artists, from hip-hop to big band, will fill the square for the entire afternoon.
Midnight Run Helsinki
If you’re up for running 10km around Helsinki at night, this is your event! The run will begin at Senaatintori and traverse the city streets with live music along the route to amp up the energy. Pre-registration required, cost is 47,00€.
Ongoing
Thursday 15 August – Friday 6 September
Sata Vuotta Ystävyyttä (Hundred Years of Friendship)
Between 1919 and 2019, over 130 artworks have been gifted to Ateneum (the Finnish National Gallery). This exhibition showcases a selection of them, including many of Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck’s sketchbooks. An adult ticket for the museum is 17€.
Thursday 15 August – Sunday 8 September
Relational Figures
Relational Figures is a group exhibition curated by members of Myymälä2, an artist cooperative in Helsinki. It includes work by three performance artists and 20+ fine artists. Free event.
23 August 2019 – 28 May 2020
Alice In Wonderland at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet
Lewis Carroll’s classic story is being retold through the medium of ballet. With choreography by Jorma Elo and costume and set design by Robert Perdziola, the show promises to bring mesmerising storybook scenes to life. Tickets from €15.
If you’re a business or organisation that would like us to add your event to next month’s calendar, please contact us at hello [@] scandinaviastandard [dot] com. Thank you!
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