Significant number of new vendors at Helsinki Christmas Market opening in late November
Helsinki Christmas Market opens at the Senate Square on 29 November, ushering in the festive winter atmosphere. This year will see a record number of completely new vendors at the market. This year, more emphasis has been placed on experiencing food on-site, and the event’s programming has been enhanced. Helsinki Christmas Market is open until 22 December.
Helsinki Christmas Market, which is the most traditional and imposing outdoor Christmas market in Helsinki, brings the festive spirit to Senate Square. The market will highlight delicious food experiences, personalised and top-quality gifts and an unhurried Christmas atmosphere. At the heart of the event are the free carousel and Deli and Restaurant courts, which invite visitors to enjoy and savour the flavours of Christmas.
Emphasis on on-site food experiences
The Deli and Restaurant courts at Helsinki Christmas Market have been improved compared to previous years to enhance the customer experience. There are now more customer seats in the Restaurant court, which serves as a licensed serving area, and now larger groups will also be able to enjoy the delicacies of the Christmas Market in heated dining pavilions decorated with soft hides. Two similar dining pavilions will also be built in the Deli court. A wider selection of sweet products and Christmas drinks than in earlier years will also delight visitors to the market.
The Restaurant and Deli courts allow visitors to enjoy, for example, mulled wine made from organic strawberries, a variety of Christmas coffees, salmon cooked on site, artisan sausages, mushroom and salmon soup, lörtsy pasties with side dishes and many variations of rice porridge, with flavours such as salted caramel and Asian-inspired flavours. Last year, N4ku’s rice porridge flavoured with miso-caramel, oven-baked apple and berries were hit products at the market and a social media phenomenon. Besides organic and local food, the food selection at Helsinki Christmas Market takes into account vegetarian and vegan food – portions to also take away.
Particularly many new vendors and products this year
Of the almost 120 vendors at Helsinki Christmas Market, 25 are completely new operators and the market’s product range has grown with them. You will again find a wide range of more sustainable alternatives to mass-produced gifts and decorations as well as Christmas delicacies. This year, for example, Patisserie Teemu Aura’s fresh sourdough bread, hand-milked vendace roe and bags and slippers made from surplus leather from the furniture and clothing industry will be available at the market.
Programme to feature many types of live music
The main attractions at Helsinki Christmas Market, bringing visitors from neighbouring municipalities and abroad, are the traditional various programme contents. This year, there is a broader programme than in earlier years: in addition to visits by Santa Claus, visitors will be able to experience diverse live music. The market will feature Christmas carols and compositions performed by a cappella ensemble Floki, Pop & Jazz Conservatory duos and trios and the light music female vocal ensemble CALLA. The market will also see the Students’ Torchlight Procession on 6 December and the Lucia Day Procession on 13 December.
Helsinki Christmas Market will open on Friday, 29 November. Santa Claus will be present on the opening day from 2pm to 7pm, and Flok, who stands out on the a cappella field with their new pop music written by themselves, will perform vocal music at 4 pm to lift the Christmas atmosphere. Work demonstrations at the vendors’ stalls will include glass blowing, chestnut roasting and forging metal objects in the glow of a forge.
Helsinki Christmas Market is open at Senate Square from 29 November to 22 December 2024, Sun-Thu at 11am – 7pm and Fri-Sat 11am-8pm. Admission to the Market is free. The Students’ Independence Day Torchlight Procession will end at the Market Square on the evening of Finnish Independence Day 6 December, and the Lucia Day procession will set off from the Senate Square on the evening of 13 December.
Image: Vessi Hämäläinen