The event starts with a children’s program. The night ends with a pyrotechnic display. Käärijä is not recommended for kids under twelve.
THE TURN OF THE YEAR will be celebrated with a big event at the Citizens’ Square (Kansalaistori) on Sunday.
The celebrations begin at 17:30 in the evening with Skidit-disko, a disco for the entire family, featuring the music of DJ Orkidea, dancing characters, games and so forth. The children’s program is crowned with a dedicated family pyrotechnic display at 18:00.
After six o’clock, it typically gets wilder.
“The security arrangements at the event site have been improved since last year by improving the deployment and guidance of security guards,” Björn Åkerblom, the event’s head of security, said in a statement.
According to Åkerblom, disruptions are actively addressed and fireworks are removed from the event area as efficiently as possible.
“The stewards and event production also work closely with the police, and the authorities have banned the firing of fireworks in the center of Helsinki, including the event area,” Åkerblom said.
The late-night concert gets underway with DJ Xmies and rap trio Lyömättömät starting at 22:00.
Next up are Vilma Alina, who released the single “Mä kävin tääl (I Visited Here)” in October, and BESS, best known for her song “Ram pam pam (Ram Pam Pam),” which became popular during last year’s UMK contest, Finland’s qualifier for Eurovision.
After a New Year’s greeting by Mayor Juhana Vartiainen of Helsinki, the celebrations climax with last year’s Eurovision contest second-placer Käärijä.
The organizers are aware that Käärijä is a favorite of children, but it is not recommended to bring children under 12 years old to watch the man clad in neon green perform at the late-night concert. “A late-night concert is no place for small children,” Björn Åkerblom said.
Instead of fireworks, the turn of the year culminates in a pyrotechnic display that will be visible in the entire event area from Kansalaistori Square to the Töölönlahti event park.
According to Stuba Nikula, CEO of Helsinki Events Foundation, fireworks have been replaced by pyrotechnics for the New Year’s celebrations, mainly to prepare for challenging weather conditions.
Last year’s fireworks had to be canceled due to strong winds.
“That’s why we shoot pyrotechnics from the stage structures,” he said.
