Arts & Culture

President Sauli Niinistö and first lady Jenni Haukio have announced their plans to host an environmentally friendly Independence Day celebration on 6th December. The invitations have already started going out to Finns who have "distinguished themselves in many different ways in the…

A family-friendly television show meant to educate, inspire and promote a sense of adventurous optimism has sparked a conversation about race, racism and language in Finland. A recent episode of the long-running BBC television show Doctor Who was set in…

You might be wondering why Finnish flags are hoisted on every available pole on a random Monday in November. Today Finland is celebrating Svenska dagen – the Finland Swedish Heritage Day – in order to reluctantly remind ourselves of why the country…

Drag performers have never been more visible. From sold-out review shows at Finlandia Hall, to the hit musical Kinky Boots on stage in Helsinki; to reality television shows, a new Netflix cartoon and your local bar or club, drag acts…

A project to brighten up some of Helsinki’s most boring concrete neighbourhoods is splashing colourful murals onto some pretty big canvases. Inspired by street art movements in other parts of the world, Helsinki Urban Art was founded with the idea…

Flags are flying across the country today to celebrate the annual Day of Finnish Literature, and the life and work of one of Finland’s most revered writers Aleksis Kivi. Born in the 1840s in Nurmijärvi north of Helsinki, Kivi studied literature…

Journalisti magazine says that complaints from staffers were the reason for the sudden departure of Seiska tabloid newspaper editor-in-chief Joni Soila. Soila quit unexpectedly from the Aller Media-owned yellow top publication on Monday, but at the time gave no reason…

Green Alliance MP Antero Vartia is selling his share in one of Helsinki’s hottest tourist attractions to his business partner, actor Jasper Pääkkönen. The duo helped finance the Löyly waterfront sauna, bar and restaurant complex which opened for business in 2016. But…

Helsinki’s brand new Children’s Hospital, which opened its doors to patients in September, has won the prestigious Finlandia Architecture Prize. Designed by SARC Architects and Architect Group Reino Koivula, the hospital was praised for an approach which focuses on the…

Big prints, bright colours, with a mix of new and old. Iconic Finnish fashion house Marimekko has presented its latest collection of clothes at Paris Fashion Week and aims to be fashion forward, while giving a nod to the past. The…