We visit two innovative Finnish businesses – a discount retailer and a Michelin Green Star restaurant – to see how food culture is shifting from consumption to conservation.
Every year, music festivals fill cities, fells, forests and lakesides with live music and a peculiar kind of charm that can only be felt in the summertime. Let’s unpack the reasons that make Finland the promised land of summer festivals – and look at some unique festival experiences for those who have seen it all.
Inventive Finnish company makes construction ideas float
Bluet, a young Finnish company with an imaginative approach, has become a global leader in the new industry of floating leisure structures: buildings, swimming pools, football fields, concert stages and more.
On a roll: Helsinki urban planning continues to expand bike path network
The Finnish capital places high on the growing list of enlightened world capitals that embrace cycling as an urban planning priority. Broad political agreement is a factor in the long-running development of its bike path system.
Urbane renewal: Returning a beloved Helsinki landmark to its original form
We visit a workshop at an undisclosed location where the venerable sculpture Havis Amanda is undergoing a yearlong conservation project. [Update: It returned to its harbourside perch in June 2024 – with a new plan to protect it during major celebrations.]
Island and mainland: At Helsinki Biennial, art inspires viewers and makes summer linger longer
We jump on a ferry to the lush island of Vallisaari to visit the 2023 Helsinki Biennial and meet a couple of the artists. (Lots more photos in the slideshow at the end of the article.)
Finland loves summer festivals; there’s at least one in almost every city and town. Flow Festival, a massive music event held in Helsinki in early August, is the urban festival.