Turku celebrates on Sunday, 20 September, as the city’s streets, squares and event venues fill with Turku Day activities. The programme features long-standing favourites, new experiences and a wide range of activities across the city.
This year, Turku Day is celebrated under the theme “Sustainable, eternal Turku”. In addition to the City of Turku, local associations, businesses, and clubs are organising a diverse programme of activities. During the day, visitors can learn about sustainable everyday choices, get active and try different sports, and enjoy art, culture and a festive atmosphere throughout the city.
This year, the Turku Day celebrations get an early start with a new Turku-themed celebration day. Piispanmunkki, also known as piispis, is getting its own national celebration day, which will be observed for the first time on Friday, 18 September, two days before Turku Day. Piispis Day will be celebrated in restaurants, cafés, grocery stores and other businesses around the city, with different varieties of piispis and treats inspired by them available throughout the weekend starting on Friday.
Sustainable everyday life is highlighted in the Turku Day programme
On Turku Day, attention turns to sustainable everyday life and the environment. In the Posankka Race, thousands of small bath Posankkas race along the River Aura for cleaner waterways, while raising funds for Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association. At LSJH’s mobile Siira sorting station, households can bring waste to be properly sorted and recycled. During the traditional River Aura clean-up dive, items recovered from the river will be given a new life this year as artists use them to create an artwork in front of Pinella during the day.
The circular economy is also highlighted in the many flea markets and events where items are given a new life. Bargains can be found, for example, at the Kuppis Loppis Yard Sale, the Vasaramäki Grand Yard Sale and the Vartiovuori Flea Market for the whole family, where the theatre will also open its own treasure trove and recycled materials will be transformed into new creations in a craft workshop. At Nurkka's livingroom, pre-loved formalwear ranging from prom dresses to wedding gowns can find new owners, while the Turku Antiquarian Book Fair offers treasures among books, magazines, posters and other printed materials.
Things to do together across the city
A sustainable and good life is built through shared activities, culture, exercise, and vibrant neighbourhoods. In northern Turku, guided tours offer an opportunity to explore the new premises of Jäkärlä Daycare Centre and School, completed in August. During the day, visitors can also meet Turku’s mayoral team at the school, learn about the activities of local sports clubs, and watch a circus theatre performance by the Manifesti Multidisciplinary Arts Festival. In Tortinmäki, Holvin Alpakat’s Following the Wool – Alpaca Day introduces visitors to alpacas and follows the journey of wool into yarn through carding and spinning demonstrations.
The programme spread across the city also invites everyone to take part and spend the day together. At TPS’s activity point in the city centre, visitors can learn about the club’s four sports and meet players from its representative teams. At InterAction, an event for the whole family, visitors can get active together by playing sports such as floorball and basketball. For those looking for gentler exercise, Yoga Studio 8 and the Finnish Yoga Association, for example, offer free classes. Dance enthusiasts can head to Bore to try tango or visit the Samba Carioca dance school to enjoy Brazilian rhythms.
New events join long-standing favourites
The historic Turku Market Hall will once again make an exception and open its doors on Sunday, filling with the atmosphere of Mexican Independence Day. At the Turku Day Grand Market, there will be plenty of activity throughout the day as the Market Square fills with handicrafts, regional delicacies and colourful market stalls. The Old Great Square Market Event is one of the lively hubs of Turku Day, bringing together local associations, clubs and other organisations. Throughout the day, the stage will feature dance and music, while a climate panel will offer discussion on current issues. One of the event’s anticipated traditions is the announcement of the Cultural Turku Resident of the Year, selected by the Turku Society. Turku Mayor Piia Elo will be there to greet the newly selected Cultural Turku Resident.
Every year, Turku Day brings new event experiences, and this year The Greatest Drop of All Time at Hansatori offers just that. In the charity game, participants use beanbags to try to drop familiar Turku personalities into a sea of foam. In addition, the human cannonball show The Flying Man introduces a character striving for a fleeting moment of heroism and the illusion of flight.
As Turku Day draws to a close, all eyes traditionally turn towards Samppalinnanmäki Hill. The city’s shared celebration culminates in a fireworks display at 9 pm, bringing the day’s programme to an end.