Helsinki Day at the Heart – main event of Helsinki Day

Event Introduction

The area of the Helsinki Day at the Heart event, i.e. the main event of Helsinki’s birthday, is divided into two parts in the heart of Kamppi. At Narinkkatori, visitors will be able to enjoy the thrills and atmosphere of football on a wide spectrum, as HJK football club builds an inflatable football pitch on the square. Helsinki Day invites the whole family to meet HJK role models and to play, compete and enjoy the atmosphere of a summer celebration.

On the mounds of Lasipalatsi Square, visitors will be able to enjoy a large-scale installation by British-Nigerian artist-designer Yinka Ilori under the guidance of Amos Rex’s touring guides. The work will transform the mounds of the square into a participatory and functional space in which to play ping pong and basketball. The equipment needed to play can be borrowed free of charge from the Amos Rex museum shop. During the day, visitors to the Square will also be able learn about Helsinki’s past in Hufvudstadsbladet’s Urban Life photo exhibition, which is based on the photo archive’s press photos of Helsinki. The event day at Lasipalatsi Square will culminate in a full-length gig by Karri Koira, known for his danceable summer hits. People will also be able enjoy the gig via a live streaming on the Helsinki Day Instagram channel.

Current exhibitions at Amos Rex can be experienced free of charge on Helsinki Day. Anna Estarriola’s solo show Staged Circumstances and Piles of Things, Enni-Kukka Tuomala’s Expanding Empathies, which explores empathy and distance, and the recently updated Sigurd Frosterus collection are currently on show.

Gilda Cinema, located on the opposite side of Lasipalatsi Square, will have free screenings of Helsinki-themed films for people celebrating Helsinki Day. The screenings will begin at 12 noon with the film Kanelia kainaloon, Tatu and Patu! and continue at 2pm with a screening of Peter von Bagh’s Helsinki, forever and at 4pm with Kaurismäki’s bestseller The Man Without a Past. Tickets for the screenings can be picked up from the Gilda box office from 13 May onwards, for as long as tickets are available.

Annantalo will bring a triumphant procession of clowns to the event, led by expert clowns Bella & Siss.

Helsinki Day schedule

Lasipalatsi Square

11am–6pm

• Amos Rex, Yinka Ilori’s functional work, chance to discuss with guides, lending of ping pong and basketball equipment
• Hufvudstadsbladet’s Urban Life photo exhibition

4.30pm

• Arrival of Annantalo’s Bella & Siss clown procession

7pm

• Karri Koira’s gig

Narinkkatori

11am–6pm

• HJK’s football-themed activities

Gilda Cinema 

Free film screenings in auditorium 1 at Gilda:

• 12 noon Kanelia kainaloon, Tatu ja Patu! (70 min)
• 2pm Helsinki, forever (75 min)
• 4pm The Man Without a Past (75 min)

Kamppi Chapel

11 am–6pm –  free entry

Categories

Children, Dance, Theatre and Cinema, Music, Open doors, Tours and Exhibitions, Sports and Wellness