Helsinki Christmas Market, one of the best Christmas markets in the world, opens on Friday
Helsinki Christmas Market, now featured for the third time on the CNN list of best Christmas markets around the world, opens on Friday. The British Army Band was one of the most popular items on last year’s programme and their concert this year will take place at the Christmas Market on Saturday 7 December. Of the almost 120 vendors at the Market, 25 are there for the first time. Weekly-changing vendors add to the variety of the product range during the Market.
A special feature of Helsinki Christmas Market is its backdrop of the stately historical environment of Senate Square combined with Nordic Christmas traditions. Helsinki Christmas Market is the only Finnish Christmas market to feature on the CNN list of the 25 best Christmas markets around the world. The Market’s centrepiece is a free vintage carousel, available always while the Christmas Market is open, and the Restaurant and Deli yards, where visitors can enjoy seasonal treats in a wintry atmosphere.
“This year we have put even more effort in making the Market more enjoyable. We have increased the number of customer places and atmospheric canopied seating places in the Restaurant and Deli yards. Responsibility plays an important role at Helsinki Christmas Market and we want to encourage visitors to make responsible Christmas purchases direct from small producers while enjoying the unhurried Christmas atmosphere,” says Saara Vanhala, Senior Producer, Helsinki Christmas Market.
Wide range of live music to lift the Christmas spirit
The rich programme offering includes delightful performances and experiences to lift the Christmas spirit in the end of the year rush. This year’s programme is wider than in earlier years. Santa Claus and his elves will visit Helsinki Christmas Market when it opens on Friday, and then on every Saturday and on the last Saturday and Sunday of the Market. Visitors to the Christmas Market will have the chance to experience a diverse range of live music throughout the time the Market is open. Christmas carols and tunes will be performed by the a cappella vocal group Floki, duos and trios from the Pop & Jazz Conservatory and by light music female vocal group CALLA. Last year’s performance by the British Army Band was the most popular item on the Christmas Market programme. This year, another British military band, the British Army Band Tidworth brass band, will play golden classics on Saturday 7 December. Visitors to the Christmas Market can also experience the Student’s Independence Day Torchlight Procession on 6 December and the Lucia Procession on 13 December.
Work demonstrations at the vendors’ stalls will include glass blowing, chestnut roasting and forging metal objects in the glow of a live fire. Aito Iskelmä’s Aito Joulu Christmas music radio will delight visitors to the Market every day.
Creating a responsible Christmas atmosphere
The vendors and food operators at Helsinki Christmas Market have been selected with an emphasis on responsible production and practices. The many primary producers and artisans at the Market sell a range of products providing a sustainable alternative to mass-produced gifts and decorations.
The environmental impacts of Helsinki Christmas Market are assessed using an EcoCompass environmental management certificate. The Market addresses minimising and sorting waste. Renewable energy is used to heat the vendor huts and operate the carousel.
The eateries in the Restaurant and Deli yards highlight organic and local ingredients, and Fair Trade products. The range of products includes vegetarian and vegan alternatives and the restaurants use only biodegradable tableware.