Turku - Christmas City of Finland

What is Finland's Christmas City?

Christmas City of Finland is a string of events taking place over a six-week period.  It serves as a marketing umbrella, and is free of charge to event organisers.

It begins on the first day of Advent and lasts until the day of St. Knut on January 13.  Over 100 event producers participate in planning and executing a total of approximately 400 Christmas City events.

Why is Turku Finland's Christmas City?

For centuries, Turku has had direct lines of communication to Central Europe, and has served as a port of entry to many innovative cultural concepts arriving to Finland from the west.  This is also true in terms of Christmas traditions, which are part of western cultural heritage.

In 1996, the Turku City Board made the decision to declare Turku the Christmas City of Finland. The decision was based on the fact that the city offers countless quantities of events, concerts and exhibitions one more glorious than the other.  The City Board wanted to make the general public aware of these events.  In addition to the existence of an extensive array of high-quality events, the Turku area boasts excellent accommodations and shopping.

Co-operation

Christmas City is executed in co-operation with various entities.  Among them are congregations, associations, the chamber of commerce, merchants, hotels, city departments, professionals and laymen.  It is this very co-operation that makes Christmas City come to life.

In its 11 years, Christmas City has become established and accepted.  An essential part of the city's image, planning and tourism marketing, Christmas City is undergoing continuous development.