Helsinki
The Capital of Finland
Helsinki specs
- Helsinki is the centre of a rapidly growing large metropolitan city area.
- Helsinki, together with the municipalities of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen) and eight neighboring municipalities, forms an area with a population of over 1.5 million residents, which is referred to as the Helsinki Region.
- Helsinki has a population of 664,028. And the population density is 3,065.6 residents per land area square kilometer.
- Helsinki is a vibrant municipality in many aspects. The average age of the population is 41.1 years in the city, the largest age group is 30-34-year-olds which comprises 62,984 Helsinki residents. Some 18% of the residents speak a foreign language as their mother tongue.
- There is an international airport, Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL), only 20 kilometres away from the Helsinki city center with excellent public transportation (bus and train).
About Helsinki
In Helsinki, a park is always nearby. A third of the city consists of parks and other green areas, where different historical styles and values can be admired. We build densely so we can preserve valuable natural areas. The city is surrounded by several forests, two of which are national parks. Similarly, the archipelago fanning out from Helsinki offers an escape to nature, away from the hustle of the city. You can sense the proximity of the water everywhere, as it surrounds the city on three sides. Helsinki has 131 kilometers of shoreline, and there are 327 islands in the archipelago. Many of the islands are recreational areas that you can get to by taking a ferry from the mainland.
Helsinki’s attractiveness comes from a clean and safe environment, a unique urban culture, and its residents’ involvement in building good and functional everyday life. Events have an important role in making Helsinki an enjoyable, dynamic and attractive city. When it comes to events, Helsinki acts as a responsible developer and a trustworthy and inspiring partner. It also acts as an effective event platform and is a popular conference host. People and businesses find the city easy to work with when arranging events, big or small. Facilities and areas are easily available for all types of events. Helsinki is working to improve its competitiveness as a host of cultural and sporting events, fairs, international conferences and other large events in cooperation with groups that are active in this field.
More about HELSINKISport events
Helsinki City Running Day
The largest running event in Finland, Helsinki City Running Day takes place in May and fills the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Helsinki City Running Day attracts 15 000 runners from 82 nations and combines six running events of Finland into one day. There is something for everyone; Finland’s largest half marathon Helsinki City Run, the 42nd Helsinki City Marathon, Helsinki City Marathon Relay which features a great team spirit, the short but sweet Helsinki City 5 and on the day before the adorable Minimarathon. Also, completing the half marathon and marathon on the same day is possible, the event is called Helsinki City Double.
Helsinki Cup
Helsinki Cup has been organised since 1976 and the tournament has established its place as a significant part of summer in Helsinki. Helsinki Cup is a huge tournament with over 20 000 participants every year. There are around 90 fields being used during the tournament week and the players are spread all around Helsinki. The city comes alive during the tournament, which is held during the Finnish holiday season.
Helsinki International Horse Show
Helsinki International Horse Show welcomes the equestrian community to Helsinki in October. The show is an exciting mix of ultimate top sport and entertainment. The event attracts huge crowd of over 40 000 visitors annually. The highlights of the event are the Grand Prix and the prestigious FEI Jumping World Cup™.
Recent and upcoming major sport events
- 2025 World synchronized skating championships
- 2024 Figure skating grand prix
- 2024 Finland vs. Sweden International Athletics Match
- 2022 Finland vs. Sweden International Athletics Match
- 2022 UEFA Super Cup
- 2022 Ice Hockey World Championships (shared with Tampere)
- 2021 Floorball World Championships
- 2021 Aesthetic Group Gymnastics World Championships
- 2019 Orienteering Sprint Relay World Cup
- 2019 Synchronized Skating World Championships
- 2018 Cheerleading European Championships
- 2018 Figure Skating Grand Prix
- 2017 FIFA Euro Basket (co-hosting)
Sports venues
Helsinki Olympic Stadium
The Olympic Stadium is one of the most famous landmarks in Finland and Helsinki. Finland’s biggest stadium was reopened after renovation in August 2020 as a multipurpose arena that stands the requirements of major international events. The stadium seating capacity is 36,200 while the capacity in concerts is as high as 50,000 spectators.
The stadium is located about 2.3 kilometers (1.4 mi) from the center of Helsinki.
Stadium Picture: Stadion-säätiö/Wellu Hämäläinen
Bolt Arena
Bolt Arena is a turfpitch football stadium, located next to the Olympic Stadium, with a capacity of 10,770 spectators. It is also the home stadium of the Helsinki-based football teams HJK and HIFK.
Helsinki Ice Hall
Helsinki Ice Hall is an indoor arena located next to the Olympic Stadium. The arena has a seating capacity of 8,400.
Urhea, The National Olympic Training Center Helsinki
The Urhea campus is Finland’s most significant sports center. The National Olympic Training Center Helsinki (NOTCH) offers training space to Olympic training center athletes, sports academy athletes, clubs and sports school students every day of the week. 10,000 athletes use the gym each year, with the number of individual visits rising to one million.
Urhea Hall is primarily a center for the daily training of basketball, but the courts are easy to convert into an event arena by pulling out the 1 100 auditorium seats.