The Old Town will celebrate the Cathedral’s anniversary on 17 June 2023. The celebration will be organised for the first time, and various parties operating in the area will offer plenty of things to do and experience for people of all ages.

Turku Old Town celebration on 17 June 2023

Some of the programme for the Old Town celebration is subject to a fee, so you should check the day’s programme in advance.

The Old Town celebration could not take place on a better day: the Cathedral at the heart of the area will then turn 723 years old.

“It’s great that the Cathedral’s anniversary has expanded into a celebration in which the whole Old Town takes part. Celebrations at the Cathedral will begin at 1 p.m. on Domcafé’s terrace where, among other things, 400 free tickets will be handed out for the DBTL church concert by Tomi Metsäketo on Saturday, 29 July. The café will be open until the evening, and the church’s doors will be open until 9 p.m.”, says Ann-Mari Lehti, Cooperation Coordinator at the Cathedral Parish.

The programme also includes physical activities: The Pilgrimage Centre will offer city walks starting at 1 p.m. There will be an electric bike pilgrimage to Lieto from 1 to 4 p.m. Registration in advance is required for the electric bike pilgrimage.

Experiences for the whole family will be offered at the Art House Turku courtyard and at the Luostarin-mäki handicrafts museum. You should head for the Art House Turku between noon and 4 p.m., when there will be performances by the Linnateatteri theatre and the Regional Dance Centre of Western Finland, as well as book sales by small publishing houses. The mystery tour for children at Luostarinmäki will explore the mystery of the missing silk cloth by collecting clues and solving tricky puzzles.

There will be a lot to listen to for music lovers during the day.

“At the Sibelius Museum, the Turku Folks! orchestra will hold an open rehearsal from 2 to 5 p.m. There will be a freshly adapted repertoire consisting of traditional dance music from Southwest Finland, from polska to quadrille and from sleigh-ride songs to tango. In the atrium, you will get to experience Antti Tolvi’s installation Sit and Blue sitting in a low-frequency armchair,” says Johannes Juva, Cultural Manager at the Sibelius Museum. 

Kauko Röyhkä will perform on the Kirkkopuisto Terrace at 5 p.m., and DJ Janne Salminen will conclude the evening on the terrace from 6 to 10 p.m.

“Along with the music, you can taste dozens of different wines at the Wine Park event in the area and have yourself photographed in the performative portrait studio of photographer Vesa Aaltonen from noon to 5 p.m. Those photographed will get copies of the photographs for themselves,” says Samuli Pasanen, producer for the Kirkkopuisto Terrace. 

The varied programme at Art House Turku will culminate in the yard, where the Flashbang Blockparty will take place starting at 7.30 p.m.

Flea market atmosphere and art

The Old Great Square will also be bustling during the day. At the Turku Flea Market, organised by the Turkuseura association, you can find interesting bargains as well as art, as the Turku Artoteque art lending service will have its own pop-up stand at the market. You can also get yarns for your autumn sewing projects from the Brinkkala yard’s yarn market.

Kunsthalle Turku’s doors and exhibitions will be open from noon to 4 p.m. For example, the Artoteque will feature a jubilee exhibition curated by cathedral dean Aulikki Mäkinen. In the Brinkkala Gallery, you will get to see both ceramics and makers of ceramics at the exhibition of the Turku area’s guild for professional ceramic artists and artisans from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. At Art House Turku, you can see Kaj Stenvall’s exhibition Faces of War. A stone’s throw away from the Great Square, the Aboa Vetus Ars Nova Museum will display exhibitions by Rauha Mäkilä and Kari Cavén. There will also be public guided tours at 1 p.m. in Finnish and 3 p.m. in English that will introduce you to the history of the drinking culture. 

Those interested in the Old Town’s history are encouraged to head over to the Pharmacy Museum for the Palontakaiset guided tour (in Finnish). On the guided tour between 2 and 4 p.m., you will learn about the old timber and stone buildings by the river. To ensure your place on the tour, you should register in advance.

“It’s great that various parties operating in the Old Town have come together to organise such a varied programme for the day! The plan is to hold the Old Town celebration every year on the Saturday before Midsummer. I would like to invite everyone to join the celebration,” says Project Manager Tuija Alihaanperä.

Keywords: