Finland is said to be the native place of Santa Claus, so one can expect Christmas (Joulu) to be the most celebrated festival in the country.

A popular festival coinciding with May Day (the first day of the month) is Walpurgis Night or Vappu, starting with Vappuaatto celebrations on 30 April. During Vappu, one can find masses of students wearing colourful overalls and roaming the streets till nightfall. The Night of the Arts festival in Helsinki is also called ‘Little Vappu’. It takes place towards the end of August.

Other exciting events include the Midsummer Festival on June 24 (held to celebrate the summer solstice), the Turku Musical Festival in mid-August (one of the oldest of its kind in Finland), the Tampere Biennale (a typical Finnish choir festival) and the Hanko Regatta (one of the biggest sailing events of the year).