Only in Finland – a festival for ice swimmers

The small city of Salo in southwest Finland is gearing up for one of the quirkiest wellness weekends of the year. From 7–8 February 2026, outdoor and sauna lovers are invited to take part in Avantoralli  – a celebration of icy dips and steamy saunas all around the town. 

Avantoralli, literally ‘ice-swim rally’, is an annual winter swimming and sauna event that’s open to everyone from curious first-timers to seasoned cold-water veterans. Across the weekend, there are 13 different swimming spots with saunas dotted around Salo; you can take the plunge into freezing rivers, lakes, the sea, woodland ponds or natural springs, then warm back up in a hot sauna nearby.

The organisers have produced a map highlighting all the sauna and swimming locations so visitors can plan their own personal route and move between spots at their leisure.

What do you need? Pretty much just a swimsuit and a towel, though a warm hat and some woolly socks or avantokengät (special shoes for ice swimming) are recommended to make the experience more comfortable.

On Saturday 7 February from midday to 4pm, the action centres on Salo’s market square, where a free public event turns the town hub into a festival of hot tubs, saunas, cold plunge pools and even a river ice hole right in the middle of the town. There’ll be stalls, entertainment and plenty of chances to chat with fellow chilly adventurers.

So what exactly is avantouinti? Often called ice swimming or winter swimming in English, this Finnish tradition involves briefly plunging into icy outdoor water – usually through a hole cut in the ice – and then warming up again, traditionally in a sauna. It’s part of Finland’s deep-rooted sauna culture and is believed to boost wellbeing, circulation and mood, even if it feels like madness the first time you try it.

Whether you’re a devoted ice swimmer or just fancy an unforgettable Nordic experience, Avantoralli offers a playful and authentic way to embrace the depths of Finnish winter. More details on the full programme, sauna opening times and accommodation options are available on the event website. 

Salo, a city of around 50,000 in Southwest Finland, sits roughly halfway between Helsinki and Turku.