October events in Helsinki – see what’s on this month!

Aavistus Festival brings audiovisual art and VJ (video jockey) culture to audiences across Helsinki and Vantaa from September 30 to October 4. The festival offers visual and sonic experiences, including performances, installations and workshops at venues across Helsinki and Vantaa. At Heureka’s planetarium, for example, there’ll be 360-degree fulldome performances, with works unfolding across the entire dome. More than 44 artists from Finland and abroad will take part in the festival.
Festival passes €64. Tickets to individual events €15-22.

Community-driven and independently organised Herttoniemi Jazzfest brings jazz to Herttoniemi’s courtyards and neighbourhoods from October 2-4. This year, the festival also features the AistiJazz concert series, which invites audiences to experience music through different senses. Expect live music led by a dance therapist, tasting snack cakes while listening to music and visual art created together with the audience.

You’ll find ticket prices for the festival and AistiJazz concerts on the organiser’s website.

Salmiakki is one of those Finnish obsessions that can be baffling to outsiders. Locals grow up loving the intensely salty liquorice, while an unsuspecting first-timer may need some serious self-control not to spit it straight back out. If you’re curious to find out which camp you fall into, the Liquorice and Salmiakki Festival at Wanha Satama is a good place to start. The festival brings together both new and familiar makers, with product tastings, a wine and liquorice tasting, workshops and demonstrations by confectioners. There’s also an award for the liquorice of the year, plus a chance to see how liquorice can be used beyond the sweet aisle and in cooking.

Tickets to the festival €15-20.

The traditional Stadin Silakkamarkkinat (Helsinki Baltic Herring Market) is one of Helsinki’s oldest events, dating all the way back to 1743. Taking over Market Square from October 4-10, the fair gives visitors a taste of Helsinki’s maritime food culture. This year, a dedicated restaurant area will open at the market, while the stalls will branch out beyond herring to include other delicacies from the archipelago. On the opening day, the Silakkasoutu charity rowing event will also take place, raising funds this year for WWF Finland’s wetland conservation work.

If seafood doesn’t tempt you, or you’ve already had more than your fill, there’s another very Finnish food tradition to celebrate: Saturday is also Cinnamon Bun Day. Head to Helsinki’s cafés and bakeries and hunt down the city’s best korvapuusti.

Free entry.

Halloweeks on Puotilan kartanon pihalle vuosittain rakentuva elämyspuisto, joka kannattaa kokea koko perheen voimin joko valoisaan tai pimeään aikaan. Puistossa pääsee kiertelemään yli tuhannen kurpitsalyhdyn, valojen ja installaatioiden keskellä – noitia, kummituksia ja muita kammotuksia unohtamatta. Kierroksen jälkeen voi poiketa syömään tai kahville Svenkkaan.

Puisto on auki päivittäin 2.10.–1.11. asti. Paikalle kannattaa saapua julkisilla, sillä pysäköintitilaa on rajoitetusti.

Liput 12 euroa, perheliput 36 euroa. Lippuja on mahdollista ostaa myös ennakkoon, jolloin välttyy jonottamiselta.

What if Juliet didn’t die for Romeo after all? Playing at Helsinki City Theatre, the hit musical & Juliet rewrites the ending of the classic love story and does it to the soundtrack of some very familiar pop hits. You don’t need to be a die-hard musical fan to have a good time here: a cast packed with top musical theatre talent and songs by Max Martin take care of that. Huge advance demand has already seen the run extended until March 2027, but what better way to spend an October evening than getting swept up in a big musical spectacle?

Standard ticket €96, student/school pupil €48 (Mon-Thu).

Dark autumn evenings call for live music. At Korjaamo, monthly jam sessions take over the Korjaamohalli with support from a house band, and October’s session takes place on Wednesday October 7 from 19.00-22.30. Instruments are provided, so anyone in the audience can jump in and play. Suggest a song to the band, pick up a free instrument mid-session or simply settle in and listen. Korjaamo’s bar serves food and drinks throughout the evening.

Free entry.

The Finnish National Opera’s Sieluttaret is a new stage interpretation of baroque composer Claudio Monteverdi’s music theatre, combining contemporary puppetry, baroque imagery and electronic sound design. The story follows the abandoned and heartbroken Arianna as she prepares to die and sets out on a journey towards the threshold of the underworld. The production plays at the Opera House for three nights from October 8-10.

Tickets €35-45.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Linnanmäki’s Carnival of Light kicks off this year with an adults-only pre-party on Friday October 9, headlined by Finnish pop star Maija Vilkkumaa. From Saturday October 10, the Carnival of Light opens to visitors of all ages and runs until October 18. The event traditionally brings Linnanmäki’s amusement park season to a close, before the park shuts for winter.

If all those lights still leave you wanting a little more romance, try somewhere slightly less obvious: a contemporary art museum. At Kiasma, the second Friday of every month is officially Date Friday.

Admission to the Carnival of Light €25. Ride wristbands are sold separately. Date Friday is included with a Kiasma museum ticket.

Could this be the most epic autumn break activity of the year? Arriving in Finland for the first time after making waves around the world, Tutankhamun – The Immersive Exhibition is no ordinary exhibition. This immersive audiovisual experience transports visitors 3,400 years back to ancient Egypt and the world of Tutankhamun. The exhibition brings together the story of Tutankhamun, recreated treasure chambers and virtual reality. The gates to ancient Egypt open on Saturday October 10. 

Tickets go on sale September 7.