Walpurgis night and May Day

Vappu

Vappu is one of the four biggest holidays in Finland, along with Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and Midsummer. Walpurgis witnesses the biggest carnival-style festival held in the streets of Finland's towns and cities. Student traditions are one of the main characteristics of Vappu, and you'll see lots of students – and former university students – on the streets wearing a traditional student cap. In the evening Swedish students, or anybody identifying with them in some way, gather on Vårdberget (Vartiovuori), to mingle and listen to the student choirs of ÅA (18:00, broadcast by YLE), while the Finnish students similarly gather in Puolalanpuisto. At 19:00 they join at the Lilja statue by the river (to give her a student cap), and the rest of the eve streets are filled with party people. A market is held in Kauppatori with vendors selling cheap carnival paraphernalia. On May Day the parks, especially the Vartiovuori Park, are filled with Finns having a picnic, many treating their hungover. There are also working union parades around the city centre and politicians from all different parties giving speeches.

• outdoors
• market

Getting there

main events at Vartiovuori, Puolalanmäki, Kauppatori

Hours

30 April–1 May