Helsinki Christmas Market begins at Senate Square on Thursday
Making its return to Senate Square after a few exceptional years, Helsinki Christmas Market will begin with an opening programme on 1 December. Santa Claus will visit and there will be musical performances, also on other days throughout December. Helsinki Christmas Market is open daily until 22 December.
Offering more responsible alternatives to mass-produced gift and decorative goods, the Helsinki Christmas Market event area on Senate Square has been divided into gift alleys. Delicacies and food products will be located in their own alley, with other gift and artisan products grouped by different themes. This makes it easier for market visitors to see what is on sale.
This year’s Helsinki Christmas Market brings together nearly 90 artisans and small producers as well as over 20 vendors of delicacies and cafe and restaurant operators. The most traditional Christmas Market in Helsinki provides high-quality and durable Finnish gift and design products as well as taste experiences to warm you during the Christmas season. The delicacy and restaurant yards offer, for example, pizza, lörtsys and sweet treats as well as drinks made with The Helsinki Distilling Company’s whiskeys and gins. The Christmas decoration and gift selection includes Kukonkuusi’s pillowcases printed with old photographs, underwear inspired by the uniforms of old sports teams by Mähöne and handmade board games about Finnish history. Some stalls are reserved for vendors that change weekly, so there will be something new at the Christmas Market every time you visit.
“Often included in international top Christmas market lists, Helsinki Christmas Market is an important Christmas tradition for many locals and visitors to Helsinki. I am very happy that the oldest and largest Christmas market in Helsinki once again returns to Senate Square to create a warm Christmas atmosphere and delight everyone with its fantastic setup and responsible selection of goods”, says Juhana Vartiainen, Mayor of Helsinki.
The Helsinki Christmas Market programme includes delightful performances by choirs and organ grinders as well as brass bands. There are also glass-blowing and forging exhibitions over the flames of a fire. More detailed information about the performers can be found on the Helsinki Christmas Market website.
Children and adults alike can enjoy a ride on a wooden horse carousel, which has become a Christmas tradition for many families. Santa Claus will visit the Market on the opening day 1 December, each Christmas Market Saturday and on the final day 22 December.
Helsinki Christmas Market is a responsible Christmas event, the environmental impacts of which are assessed using the EcoCompass certificate. The vendors and restaurants at the Market have been selected with an emphasis on responsible production and operation. When selecting this year’s vendors, special attention has been paid to social responsibility. Renewable energy is used to heat vendor stalls and power the carousel.
Helsinki Christmas Market is open at Senate Square from 1 December to 22 December 2022 Mon–Thu and Sun at 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Fri–Sat at 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. The Senate Square will be the final destination for the students’ Independence Day procession on 6 December and initial meeting point for the Saint Lucia’s Day procession on 13 December. Admission to the Market is free.
Image: Kim Öhman