Helsinki Christmas Market attracted almost 200,000 visitors during the first week

The much-loved Helsinki Christmas Market kicked off in Senate Square on the last Friday of November. It is estimated that the Christmas Market attracted more than 77,500 visitors during the opening weekend, and the first full week of the Market had taken visitor numbers to almost 200,000. Candles and hand-crafted Christmas decorations have turned out to be the most popular products at the Market. As is the tradition, visitors have enjoyed various types of Christmas porridge and mulled wine in the food courts.

The run-up to Christmas has got off to a brisk start at Helsinki Christmas Market, and the changeable weather, wind or hail, has failed to dampen the Christmas spirit of Helsinki residents and tourists alike. Visitors have eagerly purchased responsible gifts and decorations, and the heated customer areas in the Deli and Restaurant courts have been in active use, with customers tempted to indulge in the Christmas treats on the spot. Helsinki Christmas Market, an event brimming with atmosphere and top-quality produce and food, will run for more than three weeks in all, until 22 December.

The best-selling food product so far at Helsinki Christmas Market is N4Ku & Kåska Purobar’s signature dish, which was also a Christmas Market hit and social media phenomenon last year. Other food operators have created their own rice porridge variations and these have also sold well. N4Ku porridge combines traditional rice porridge with miso-caramel, baked apple, almonds and berries. “This year, a dash of habanero has been added to the dish to complement the flavour of the baked apple. An ideal pairing with the porridge is Kåska’s mulled wine spiced with apple and jalapeño. Lengthy market events like Helsinki Christmas Market are important places for food operators like us to meet new customers directly, and they contribute to our goals and growth,” says Valtteri Sinkkonen, N4ku’s founder and head chef.

There are also several stalls at the market earmarked for weekly changing vendors. Products sold by changing vendors this week and next include accessories made from surplus leather from the furniture and clothing industry, hand-milked vendace roe, unique gingerbread art from Vantaa, hand-dyed candles from Vaajakoski, fermented chilli products from Åland and old-fashioned butter toffee.

The programme still features visits from Santa Claus, live music and the Saint Lucia procession

Santa Claus will visit the Market this Saturday and on the last weekend of the Market, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 December. Lucia will be crowned in the Cathedral on Friday 13 December and the ensuing procession bringing light to darkness will set off from Helsinki Christmas Market. Christmas songs and melodies performed by Pop & Jazz Konservatorio does and trios can still be heard on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 December.

You can read the Helsinki Christmas Market programme at tuomaanmarkkinat.fi.

Helsinki Christmas Market is open at Senate Square until 22 December 2024: Sun-Thu 11am-7pm and Fri-Sat 11am-8pm. Free admission.

Image: Dorit Salutskij