This summer, the City of Helsinki is arranging a delicious celebration of the capital’s unique culinary culture, in collaboration with local operators in the restaurant, tourism, and events sectors. Running from May 24th to June 16th, the Feast Helsinki food festival boasts a programme of almost 100 events, showcasing the capital’s wide-ranging choice of delicious food, from fine dining to savoury street food, featuring both traditional and ethnic dishes.
During the Feast Helsinki food festival, participating restaurants and cafés will be offering special dishes and themed menus. In addition, guided tours, cooking workshops, and even exhibitions will offer visitors the opportunity to take a deeper dive into Helsinki’s culinary culture, as well as exploring different flavours of other cultures.
The summer also sees the return of the hugely popular Summer Terrace food court in Senate Square during Feast Helsinki, while the restaurants in the nearby Tori Quarters will be offering summer delicacies throughout the festival.
On the first weekend of Feast Helsinki, many popular restaurants that are usually closed on Sundays and Mondays will open their doors to the public. The weekend culminates with the prestigious MICHELIN Guide Nordic Countries Ceremony being held in Helsinki for the first time, in the Savoy Theatre on May 2th. A special viewing stand will be erected next to the Summer Terrace in Senate Square, allowing the public to follow a live broadcast of the awarding of the latest MICHELIN Stars, MICHELIN Green Stars and other special awards for Nordic restaurants.
The grandstand is open to everyone, and there will be summer treats and drinks available before the awards ceremony is broadcast live. It takes place at Senate Square from 4pm to 8pm.
During Feast Helsinki, and beyond, one theme focuses on traditional Finnish recipes and seasonal ingredients, with the public invited to taste a selection of Finnish specialties. There are over a dozen restaurants participating where you can sample everything from salmon soup to local game dishes. Other themes include ‘Tastes from the Forest and the Sea’ and ‘Food from around the World’.
A feature of Feast Helsinki is that dozens of local restaurants and cafes will be offering special menus and tasting events, and memorable dinners with special menus. There are also numerous local food festivals taking place, for example on the opening weekend the public can visit the Teurastamo Spring Party, the food bazaars of the World Village Festival, and the Ciao Ciao Festival.
For more information visit the City of Helsinki’s Feast Helsinki page.
