July is a holiday month for Finns, with many Helsinki residents taking advantage of the numerous music festivals in town. From big name events like Weekend Festival to smaller indie ones, there’s music festivals for most any taste! To complement the music, July also offers up art shows, public picnics, and two different beer festivals (in case one wasn’t enough). Whatever you’re into, there’s something for you to do in Helsinki in July.
These are the best events happening in Helsinki this month:
Monday 1st – Sunday 14th July
Hilkka Helmi: Body Positive
Hilkka Helmi is a local artist with a strong feminist message. She is showing new work focused on body positivity in Kalleria, an independent art gallery in the trendy Kallio neighbourhood. Gallery entry is free.
Thursday 4th – Saturday 6th July
Craft Beer Helsinki
Craft Beer Helsinki is a celebration of lovingly brewed, high-quality craft beer. Over 30 local and international breweries will be present in Railway Square in the centre of Helsinki, as well as vendors of craft ciders, wines, and street food. Tickets are €35 – €57
Thursday 4th July
Poetry Zine Workshop
Subcultural centre Loukko hosts a lot of free craft and DIY workshops, including this one focused on experimental poetry. Loukko will provide the materials and instruct participants in creating visual poetry for publication in Loukko’s poetry zine.
Friday 5th – Saturday 6th July
Visio Festival
Visio Festival is an immersive spectacle of music and arts. It takes place in Suvilahti, a refurbished industrial space which now houses cultural events. 20+ Finnish and international electronic music acts headline the festival. Single-day tickets are €32 and two-day tickets are €65.
Friday 5th July
Grease Sing-Along
Riviera, an indie cinema in the artsy Kallio district of Helsinki, is dusting off an old classic. Now you can watch (or rewatch) the 1978 musical classic Grease on the big screen – and sing along as well! There are two showings, both cost €16 to see.
Mummotunneli: Abba Night
Mummotunneli (literally “grandma tunnel”) is a cross street/corridor between Aleksanterinkatu and Pohjoisesplanadi, two main streets in Helsinki. It’s lined with bars, clubs, and restaurants, and regularly hosts music events. This time it’s a tribute to the Swedish musical giant ABBA (!!!!!). Tickets are €10.
Saturday 6th – Sunday 7th July
Puska Festival
Finland is known for metal music, and here’s where you can see some live this July! Puska Festival includes 10+ artists from Finland. Make sure to not miss the pre- and post- festival parties either.
Saturday 6th July
Kivinokan Kesäkarnevaali (Kivinokka Summer Carnival)
For the first time this year, Kivinokka beach will host a summer carnival for the whole family. Dress up in carnival attire and enjoy games, face painting, a Samba dance workshop, and great food! Entrance is free.
Sunday 7 July
Tanabata chakai – tea gathering
To celebrate the Tanabata Festival, a holiday with its origins in Chinese legend, nonprofit Chado Urasenke Finland is holding a tea gathering. The gathering will be held in the tea room Tokuyûan on Suomenlinna, an island near Helsinki. Please pre-register for the event by July 4th by e-mailing [email protected]. Tickets are €15, or €10 for discounted groups.
Tuesday 9th – Sunday 14th July
IWS Finland: Kansainvälinen Akvarellitaiteen Näyttely (International Watercolour Art Exhibition)
The International Watercolour Society (IWS) is bringing this exhibition to Finland for the first time. There will be nearly 300 artworks on display, made by artists of over forty nationalities. The theme of the exhibition is nature, strength, and beauty. The exhibition is free and workshops are €50.
Tuesday 9th – Saturday 20th July
Salakino: Romeo + Juliet
Step into the world of Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet! Salakino is a theatre performance, a happening, and a movie screening that you experience with all of your senses. Dress in your 1990s best, have a drink from the bar, and get into the twisted young romance. Tickets start at €30.
Thursday 11th – Friday 12th July
Helsinki Hoop Classes
Dances With Circles is stopping in Helsinki on her European hoop tour and giving a one hour and a three hour class. Her classes combine guided meditation with single and double hoop transitions and tricks. Don’t be scared: the class is accessible and open to beginner students! Tickets are €25-45.
Thursday 11th July
Escape Game Festival
Experience a brand new concept – a portable, self-controlled escape room! Cryptic Cargo is promoting their innovative new concept by hosting a tournament of 12 free games that you can join for a chance to win prizes.
Friday 12th – Saturday 13th July
Teurastamo Jazz
For the fourth year a row, the old abattoir (teurastamo) will host to Helsinki’s jazz festival. The event, which is free and open to all, features seven jazz acts over two days. Food trucks and restaurants will round out the experience.
Friday 12th – Saturday 13th July
Shutdown Festival
A newcomer to the Helsinki summer festival lineup, Shutdown Festival brings hip-hop and R&B into the mix. The gritty venue, Ääniwalli, provides a wonderful backdrop for the party. Single-day tickets are €47.50 and two-day tickets are €62.50.
Saturday 13th July
Elephantasy Funky Family Picnic
Elephantasy is a long-standing tradition in Helsinki, and is happening for the eleventh time this year. Alppipuisto in central Helsinki will fill up with funk and soul music from around the world, as well as workshops, food, dance performances, and a children’s area. This is a free event, so go enjoy yourself with the whole family!
Helsinki Synth City
This free, small festival brings five synth-wave artists to Helsinki’s “Free City.” Free City is an artistic and cultural area in the Kalasatama neighbourhood. The artists performing are Millenium Falck, Ace Bunchannon, Kizunaut, Levinsky, and VVOV.
Sunday 14th July
Summer Zero Waste Picnic
Zero Waste Finland is hosting a few picnics this summer, one of which happens in July. The picnics operate on a potluck basis, so bring some food with no disposable packaging, swap with other picnickers, and share your ideas for a more sustainable future. Entrance is free and so are the good vibes!
Afrojazz Club goes Alppipuisto
Celebrate the vibrant music and dance cultures of many African countries this July in Alppipuisto. Both traditional and contemporary beats will be complemented by delicious food, children’s activities, workshops, and a bazaar. The festival is free.
Friday 19th – Sunday 21st July
Weekend Festival
Weekend Festival is a cornerstone of Helsinki’s music festival-filled summer. Big names in electronic and dance music conquer Suvilahti for a weekend, led this year by house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia. Single-day tickets €95 and two-day tickets are €165.
Friday 19th – Monday 22nd July
Helsinki Fashion Week
Like fashion weeks around the world, Helsinki Fashion Week is a showcase of the work done by local and international fashion designers. But Helsinki Fashion Week stands out for its strong commitment to sustainability, which is woven as strongly into Nordic fashion as the fabric fibres themselves. Tickets are €19 or €12 for discounted groups.
Saturday 20th – Sunday 21st July
Seurasaaren käsityömarkkinat (Seurasaari Craft Market)
Seurasaari is a charming island off the coast of mainland Helsinki. This July, their plein air museum will host a craft market where you can pick up some amazing traditional Finnish handicrafts. There are also workshops to participate in. Access to the market and workshops is included in the price of a museum ticket (€10).
Sunday 21st July
Puistokarkelot
Adding some traditional home-grown flavour to the summer festival scene is Puistokarkelot, a free festival of Finnish folk music. You can hear performances on two stages, join a workshop in the dance tent, and take part in a Finnish quadrille at the end of the evening!
1700-luvun piknik Suomenlinnassa
Dress in 18th century costume, grab some era-appropriate picnic food, and join other history (and food!) enthusiasts for a summer picnic. Suomenlinna, where you can wander through centuries-old buildings, is the perfect environment for the event. This is a free event, just bring your own picnic supplies.
Tuesday 23rd – Wednesday 24th July
Ed Sheeran at Helsinki-Malmi airport
Ed Sheeran hardly needs an introduction – the megastar is sure to fill the Helsinki-Malmi airport with thousands upon thousands of fans when he performs there this summer. The British singer-songwriter is one of the headlining acts of the music-filled season. Tickets start at €93.50
Wednesday 24th – Saturday 27th July
Great Beers – Small Breweries
Great Beers – Small Breweries is a touring festival of quality beers that is stopping all around Finland this summer. In Helsinki they will take over Kaisaniemi Park with beers from 30+ small Finnish breweries. A €20 ticket admits two people, so grab a friend and clink your glasses!
Thursday 25th July
The Offspring
A punk-pop rock mainstay since the 1990s, The Offspring are well equipped to make Helsinki’s Suvilahti their own. They will put on an open-air concert after Canadian band Danko Jones warms up the crowd. Tickets start at €69.
Klub Kids Helsinki presents Manila Luzon
Manila Luzon, a familiar face to any fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, is teaming up with Klub Kids UK and hitting the road this summer. One of her stops is DTM, a popular gay club right on the main street in Helsinki. This is sure to be a lot of fun! Tickets start at €15
Friday 26th – Saturday 27th July
Valli Festival
For Valli Festival, eleven Finnish music acts will take the stage at Dallapénpuisto in the Harju neighbourhood of Helsinki. The artists are complemented by a hip location and amazing street food and drinks! Single-day tickets are €26 and two-day tickets are €45.
European Street Food Awards
The European Street Food Awards is the biggest and most prestigious street food festival on the continent. The winners of each national heat will compete at the finals in Sweden later this year. Come and taste what the best street food vendors in Finland are offering up! Free event.
Friday 26th – Sunday 28th July
Ropecon
As Europe’s largest non-commercial role playing game convention, Ropecon draws thousands of RPG enthusiasts to Helsinki. 2019’s theme, mythology, will be echoed within the lectures, workshops, gaming sessions, and costumes of the convention. Day tickets at the door are €20-33 and weekend tickets €45. Discounts are available for early birds.
VegeStreet
Following a successful first year in 2018, VegeStreet is back this summer to share vegan food with the people of Helsinki! Food trucks and pop-up restaurants will fill Lasipalatsi Square and serve both small bites and full plant-based meals. Free event.
Saturday 27th July
Kundaliiniyoga in the park
Come to a gorgeous park in the equally gorgeous Eira neighbourhood of Helsinki for a calming hour of yoga. Instruction will be in both Finnish and English. The event is free, and tea and a small sweet snack will be offered.
Sunday 28th – Monday 29th July
Suvilahti Jazz
This 11-hour concert marathon includes different styles of jazz, from traditional to contemporary. Gigs will be held at an open-air terrace and Merikerho club. The event is free to attend, but you can book a table for brunch on Sunday for €30.
Ongoing Events in August:
Paints and Wine
This popular drink-and-paint event has been extended with more dates, including three in July. Create abstract artwork with acrylic paints, backed up by advice and help from art instructors. A €49 ticket includes materials and instruction, but bring your own wine. Classes are on the 6th, 10th, 18th, 24th, and 26th.
Iiu Susiraja: Kuivakka ilo
Iiu Susiraja is a contemporary Finnish photographer who explores themes of body image, sexuality, femininity, and honesty. Kiasma is hosting her first extensive museum exhibition, which includes over a decade of work. There’s still time to catch the exhibition this month! On until 28th July.
Fantastista!
Kino Regina, an indie cinema inside Helsinki’s central library, is hosting a summer-long lineup of fantasy films. The selection includes epic tales set in the past, present, and future, where good triumphs in the battle over evil. Titles include Conan the Barbarian, Highlander, and Masters of the Universe. See the films in their original 35mm film format! Tickets €7,50. On until August.
Ars Fennica 2019
Amos Rex’s first exhibition of the summer showcases the work of five artists vying for the Ars Fennica award. The artists are all from one of the Nordic countries. You can contribute by voting for who you think deserves the visitor’s choice award! This award and judges’ choice will the announced at the end of the summer. On until September.
VILLD Helsinki
VILLD is a pop-up restaurant run by chef Ossi Paloneva. The restaurant will have a weekly changing vegan menu and 70% of the ingredients will be foraged from Finnish nature. A ticket for a five-course dinner is €45 with wine and non-alcoholic drink packages available for additional fees. The pop-up runs until early August.
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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