Tampere Events and Festivals

(Tampere, Pirkanmaa, Western Finland, Finland)

An ever-increasing selection of festivals take place in Tampere, also some of the biggest events are often staged every second year, such as the Tampere Biennale each April and the Pispalan Sottiisi in June, a combination of Finnish music and folk dancing. July and August are when many of the city's biggest festivals take place, with favourites including the Sauna Open Air Metal Festival, the rock concerts at Räikkärock, the jazz music at Porrijazz, and the Tampereen Flamencoviikko, when you are treated to an exciting display of Flamenco music and dancing.

A wide range of the biggest events are held in the many sporting stadiums around Tampere, such as the Tammelan Stadion on the Kalevan Puistotie, which has a capacity of 5,000 and stages both football matches and rock concerts. Also worth noting is the Pirkkahalli, where you can enjoy athletics, soccer, and Finnish baseball (pesäpallo), and the considerably larger Tampere-Talo, which is currently Finland's biggest combined conference centre and concert hall.

Tampere Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Epiphany - January 6th, a national holiday throughout Finland

February

• There are no significant events in Tampere during the month of February

March

• Tampereen Elokuvajuhlat (Tampere Film Festival) - mid-March, a short film festival which has grown to become one of the biggest of its kind in the whole of northern Europe, regularly attracting more than 35,000 people and featuring the films of both homegrown Finnish talent and international filmmakers

April

• Tampere Biennale - mid-April, a celebration of all different aspects of Finnish music, held every two years and organised by both the city and the prestigious Society of Finnish Composers

May

• Likkojen Lenkki - mid-May, an event for women, where literally thousands gather to walk, jog or run along the pathways of Pyynikki

June

• Pispalan Sottiisi - throughout June, an enormous biennial folk dance festival, with open-air concerts and dancing, theatrical performances by Finnish dance groups, and a range of other productions, watched by many thousands of visitors to the city
• Tampereen Sävel (Vocal Music Festival) - throughout June, better known as the Tampere Choral Festival and dating back to the mid-1970s, with highlights including many performance by world-class singers
• Sauna Open Air Metal Festival - throughout June, lasting three days and taking place in the central Eteläpuisto area
• Räikkärock - June and July, a popular outdoor rock concert, with a definite Finnish character, taking place in Ylöjärvi, on the north-westerly outskirts of Tampere

July

• Porrijazz Festival - throughout July, an established jazz event dating back around 45 years and attracting almost 1,000 performers and well over 100,000 visitors, who come to enjoy the week-long jazz concerts
• Tampereen Flamencoviikko (Tampere Flamenco Music Festival) - throughout July, with many internationally acclaimed artists performing at this event
• Tampere Floral Festival - mid-July, lasting around ten days and featuring a host of beautiful floral arrangements, as well as flower arranging workshops and even live music
• Tammerfest - throughout July, major rock festival attracting crowds of thousands and many leading Finnish groups, with concerts held all around the city centre
• Tampere International Salsa Festival - late July, offering a taste of Latin America in Finland, with dancing demonstrations, lessons, partying and plenty of Caribbean food

August

• Tampereen Teatterikesä (International Theatre Festival) - throughout August, featuring everything from amateur theatrical performances on public squares, to quality productions and musicals in parks and theatres

September

• Chinese Culture Festival - throughout September, run by the Finn-Sino Culture, the Chinese Culture Festival celebrates Finland's important Chinese community and features live music, colourful costumed dancing and puppetry

October

• Päivä - early October, first founded as far back as 1779, the birthday of Tampere is celebrated each year on October 1st and is a great excuse for plenty of fun events and gatherings
• Tampereen Valoviikot - mid-October to early January, the central streets are illuminated with many thousands of light bulbs to brighten even the darkest of winters, first established towards the end of the 19th century
• Tampere Hair Festival - late October, showcasing some of Finland's leading hairdressers, expect to see some outlandish hair styles and many of the latest products relating to all aspects of hairdressing and hairstyling

November

• Tampere Jazz Happening - early November, some of the best modern jazz artists and groups from the world over gather to perform in the main central venues
• MindTrek - mid-November, lasting a week and celebrating the digital age, with a range of multimedia exhibits and information technology stands

December

• Christmas Market - mid-December, based at the Tallipihas Christmas Village within the Kuninkaankatu area