August's Week of Major Events

Updated 24.8.2017, incorrect opening hours in the article corrected

What suitable activities for children can be found in Helsinki? Where to go with young children on weekends? What to do on a rainy day? Little Helsinki’s weekly series searches for activity tips and recommends child-friendly places in Helsinki and the surrounding area. The target audience of the website is children under school age.

The end of August and many summer-closing events are approaching. This week in Helsinki offers a variety of activities: Night of the Arts takes over all of Helsinki on Thursday, August 24th, and the weekend will feature celebrations such as Herttoniemi Block Party and Vuosaari Venetian Festival. There’s also no reason to forget the wonderful Finnish Nature Day and Espoo Day, which has been extended to three days this year. This event-packed week also offers story hours and the opportunity to peek into Kumpula school garden.

It’s an excellent time to visit playgrounds and tell instructors about your wishes for autumn programs. Don’t hesitate to tug at the instructors’ sleeves, as playground staff work for children. The parks’ weekly programs are gradually starting and parks are buzzing with late summer activity. Program updates for playgrounds will be updated in early week once parks have updated their program information.

[caption id=“attachment_1089” align=“aligncenter” width=“960”] Night of the Arts is celebrated on Thursday in Helsinki.[/caption]

MONDAY 21.8.2017

Event: Story hour at Puistola Library at 10 am.

Tip: Have you spotted a submarine in Helsinki yet? Or a fighter jet? And where is the police boat dock? These and many other spotting tips can be found here.

TUESDAY 22.8.2017

Event:

Summer Sports Event for Families takes over the area around Vanhankaupunginkoski (Pornaistenniemi) from 6-8 pm and offers children and adults an evening of sports with demonstrations and activity trials. Admission is free. The event is organized by sports club Helsinki Jyry and cultural neighborhood association Artova. Read more about the sports event here.

[caption id=“attachment_1196” align=“aligncenter” width=“1825”] The sports event is held around Vanhankaupunginkoski.[/caption]

Tip: To a playground? Little Helsinki’s project to photograph all of Helsinki’s play areas and playgrounds is progressing slowly but surely. Check it out here!

WEDNESDAY 23.8.2017

Events:

Story hour at Arabianranta Library at 9:30 am.

Story hour at Kontula Library at 9:30 am.

Story hour at Käpylä Library at 10 am.

Harvest Festival invites you to Kumpula school garden on Wednesday from 4-8 pm. The Children’s and Youth Garden Association invites everyone to explore the garden and admire the harvest season garden. The festival features music from the Helsinki Festival Orchestra and various workshops for children. Cafe treats are also available for purchase. Free admission. More information about the event here.

Tip: If you haven’t yet visited Päivälehti Museum and the “Five Wonderful Treasures” exhibition, you should hurry in the coming weeks. The wonderful interactive exhibition is open only until the end of September. Check here to see what the exhibition has to offer.

[caption id=“attachment_491” align=“aligncenter” width=“1000”] At Päivälehti Museum there is a child-friendly exhibition “Five Wonderful Treasures”.[/caption]

THURSDAY 24.8.2017

Events:

Story hour at Pukinmäki Library at 10:15 am

Night of the Arts! This year’s Night of the Arts events take place throughout the city. There’s lots of child-focused programming and plenty to see and do for all tastes. How about a disco, Moomin musical, candy architecture, or a Secret Garden? Read all of Little Helsinki’s activity tips for Night of the Arts here. An event map is also included to help you navigate both in the city center and beyond.

#childrensnightofthearts #littlenightofthearts

[caption id=“attachment_1041” align=“aligncenter” width=“2114”] Night of the Arts takes over the streets and parks and for example Helsinki’s cultural centers.[/caption]

FRIDAY 25.8.2017

Events:

Among the Night of the Arts highlights is the Secret Garden, which takes over Senate Square. Thursday will surely be crowded, but you can also visit the Secret Garden on Friday. So head to Senate Square! Read more here.

Neighboring city Espoo is celebrating, read more about Espoo Day below in the “Also Remember These” section.

Tip: Vallila Library has an exhibition about Sanna Pelliccion’s Onni-poika books on display in the children’s section until the end of August. More information about the exhibition can be found here.

SATURDAY 26.8.2017

Events:

Neighboring city Espoo is celebrating, read more about Espoo Day below in the “Also Remember These” section.

Finnish Nature Day is celebrated at various locations throughout Finland

In Helsinki, for example, at Kumpula Botanical Garden, a Picnic and Drawing event is held and admission to the garden is free. Read more here.

Also at Helsinki’s outdoor islands, Finnish Nature Day is celebrated. More information about the day’s program here.

For Töölönlahti, the Finnish Nature League organizes a Finnish Nature Day celebration from 12-5 pm. The event is suitable for the whole family and includes special programming for children. Read more about the celebration here.

[caption id=“attachment_83” align=“aligncenter” width=“960”] Finnish Nature Day is celebrated at Pihlajasaari.[/caption]

On the Espoo side, at Haltia Nature Center and Nuuksio National Park, wonderful experiences have been arranged for Finnish Nature Day. Singing Dinner under the Nuuksio sky, Choirs go Haukalampi and many other programs celebrate Finland’s centennial and Finnish nature. Throughout the day there are many programs especially for children. This event is worth exploring in more detail, read more here.

In Sipoonkorpi National Park, choral music is heard on Finnish Nature Day and partisan stew is enjoyed along Pony Heritage Trail. The trail is child-friendly and can be navigated with strollers. Read more about Sipoonkorpi’s program here.

On Saturday, August 26th, Herttoniemi Block Party takes over the industrial area side of Herttoniemi and offers a truly diverse range of programming for all tastes. This second-year event turned out to be wonderfully organized last year—a volunteer-run neighborhood event with an unforgettable atmosphere. A diverse selection of offerings including street food is available. Read more about Herttoniemi Block Party here. Free admission.

[caption id=“attachment_1198” align=“aligncenter” width=“2000”] There’s programming for everyone at Herttoniemi Block Party![/caption]

In Herttoniemi Block Party’s Family Park, there’s special programming for children from 10 am-3 pm. The program features diverse music, such as WimmaRalli and The Bätmäns, workshops, crafts, dancing, balloons, and an obstacle course. The event held around Herttoniemi Playground is designed for children, and for example diaper-changing facilities are provided in the playground’s indoor space. The location is within walking distance of Herttoniemi metro station and there’s a short walk from the family park to the industrial area stages via an underpass. Read more about the Family Park here. HBP is Little Helsinki’s absolute activity tip of the week!

Children’s Poetry Month Reading Adventure festival event at Annantalo on Saturday from 12-3 pm offers wonderful programming for the whole family from babies to school-age children. The program is comprehensive—for example, the concert by Tuomo Rannankarri, familiar from Little Kakkos, at 12 pm, Wilson Kiva’s story hour at 1 pm, family story yoga for all, baby rhyme workshops, workshops, and hobby horse riding sessions. Read more about the Poetry Month Reading Adventure here.

[caption id=“attachment_582” align=“aligncenter” width=“1267”] Poetry Month Reading Adventure festival brings programming to Annantalo and A.stage.[/caption]

Good Old Koski Day is celebrated at Vanhankaupunginkoski on Saturday from 12-4 pm. In addition to a fishing competition for children, there’s lots of other programming. Read more about Koski Day’s program here.

Tip: Near the Vanhankaupunginkoski event location, you can walk along newly renovated boardwalks to Lammassaari and Kuusiluoto, which are absolutely wonderful excursion destinations. The boardwalks are now wide enough to accommodate strollers.

[caption id=“attachment_62” align=“aligncenter” width=“768”] You can reach Lammassaari via boardwalks.[/caption]

Visit Vuosaari Weekend

Vuosaari summer celebration is held at Mustakivi Playground on Saturday from 9 am-1 pm. Theater performances, honoring the neighborhood of the year, a farm animal area and various workshops, children's music group Loiskis, and a giant bubble show entertain the whole family. Read more about the summer celebration here.

Vuosaari Harbor Day on Saturday from 12-4 pm offers harbor adventures, machinery, exploration, and much more programming at Vuosaari Harbor for the whole family. The event is part of Visit Vuosaari Weekend. More information about the event can be found here.

Helsinki Venetian Festival is held at Aurinkolahti near Kahvila Kampela from 4 pm-10 pm. The program for children includes pony rides, obstacle courses, bouncy castle, and bubble workshops. The carnival-themed event culminates in fireworks at 9:45 pm. Free admission. Read more about the event here.

SUNDAY 27.8.2017

Events:

Neighboring city Espoo is celebrating, read more about Espoo Day below in the “Also Remember These” section.

Herttoniemi’s traditional village festival is held at Herttoniemi Sports Park on Sunday from 10 am-3 pm. Diverse programming, such as children’s races and a flea market. The program will be updated during the week. Read more about the event here.

The newly opened and completely renovated City Theater invites families to celebrate Theater Day on Sunday from 12-3 pm. The program allows everyone to try out, participate, and explore the theater world more closely. Most of the program takes place in the theater’s lobbies. Free admission. Read more about the family theater day here.

Altaa Family Sunday again takes over Altaa Market Square from 11 am-4 pm. Programming for the whole family: family yoga, games, and performances. Fee-based. Read more about the event here.

Animal Fun at the Manor is available in Vantaa at Katrineberg Manor from 11 am-3 pm. Pasture tours, pony rides, alpacas, information about beekeeping, and goodbyes to the manor’s farm animals before heading home. This and much more in the beautiful manor surroundings. Read more about the event here.

[caption id=“attachment_518” align=“aligncenter” width=“2000”] Katrineberg Manor in Vantaa.[/caption]

Also Remember These:

Neighboring city Espoo is celebrating and events are organized throughout Espoo all weekend long. There are so many actual children's events that it's hard to pick any particular favorites. Events are organized for example in parks, cultural centers, shopping centers, and fire stations have open house days. Explore Espoo Day's children's programming here, the map helps you find your way! Espoo Day's own page can be found here.

The Natural History Museum is taken over by Museum Safari from Thursday to Saturday, August 24-26, 2017. This new event concept brings diverse activities to the Natural History Museum for children. Read more about Museum Safari here. The event is fee-based.

Finland 100 Centennial Celebration Together-Weekend is an event package where everyone has been able to participate in planning and implementation! More information about weekend events throughout Finland and partly around the world is available at the link.

Little Kakkos Anniversary Exhibition at Annantalo continues through the end of August. Open daily according to Annantalo’s opening hours. See what the exhibition looks like here.

[caption id=“attachment_889” align=“aligncenter” width=“1334”] Little Kakkos Anniversary Exhibition at Annantalo all of August.[/caption]

Where to go this week? August 21-27, 2017