Kuva: Jussi Hellsten
The downtown Helsinki street of Aleksanterinkatu will be decorated with festive Christmas lights for the 67th time when the traditional Helsinki Christmas Street opens on Sunday, 22 November. First, a “Square of Good Will” opens at the Senate Square at 14:00. Next, Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen switches on the Christmas lights at 16:00. The opening celebration culminates in a parade starting from the Senate Square at 16:10 to proceed through the heart of downtown Helsinki.
For the first time, the parade is joined by the Finnish National Ballet. The Christmas lights will delight residents and visitors until the end of January.
“The Aleksanterinkatu Christmas Street is one of the main sources of the Christmas spirit in downtown Helsinki, as well as being one of Finland’s oldest Christmas traditions. Year after year, the Helsinki Christmas Street opening has attracted large crowds of people, including whole families,” says Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen.
The event to begin with Christmas delicacies
The Helsinki Christmas season opening event will begin at 14:00 on the “square of good will” at the Senate Square, organized by charitable organizations. Christmas delicacies including rice porridge, glögi mulled wine and pastries will be sold from booths.
A special programme will be played on the steps of Helsinki Cathedral from 15:00 onwards. The announcer will be Pippi Longstocking, who turns 70 this year. She will lead the audience in song and be joined by the singing Maddaleena doll. The circus troupe Nuokun Sirkus will entertain the audience with 30 performers.
The stars of the Senate Square programme will be Diandra and Pepe Willberg, who will start their performance at about 15:30.
Santa Claus will arrive at the Senate Square with Mayor Pajunen on Helsinki City Transport’s museum tram, accompanied by children from Ward 10 of the Children’s Hospital in Helsinki. The programme will include the traditional blessing of the Red Cross Christmas Spirit Campaign, which collects money for the less fortunate, as well as a greeting from the Helsinki Cathedral Parish. Mayor Pajunen will switch on the Christmas lights at 16:00, and Santa Claus will present his greeting from his home on the Korvatunturi mountain in Lapland.
Christmas parade to be joined by National Ballet
After the Christmas lights go on, the Christmas parade will proceed through the heart of the city centre from 16:10 to 16:45, passing on the Christmas spirit to audiences on the streets of Aleksanterinkatu, Mannerheimintie and Pohjoisesplanadi. The stars of the parade are dancers of the Finnish National Ballet, which joins the parade for the first time. Naturally, the highlight of the parade is Santa Claus and his Christmas elves.
The parade will be joined by the mounted police, “little angels” of the Helsinki Cathedral Parish’s play groups for children, animal figures, service dogs, museum fire engines and, if not in emergency service, some of the fire engines of the Helsinki City Rescue Department’s fleet. Pippi Longstocking, Maddaleena, the circus troupe and volunteers from the “square of good will” will also join the parade, as will members of the Finnish teams for the world junior championship in ice hockey and for Ringette (both to be played in December) and the 12-person marching drum line WeDrumAsOne.
The Aleksanterinkatu Christmas Street opening event is organized by the Helsinki City Markkinointi ry marketing association in cooperation with Helen Oy and the City of Helsinki.
Text: City of Helsinki / news