The Feast Helsinki event, which will be launched in ten days' time, will invite you to enjoy food and drinks all over the city. Feast Helsinki is a major joint effort by the restaurant, tourism and event sectors to highlight the diverse food culture in Helsinki by putting on one hundred events.
At the beginning of the countdown to the Feast Helsinki event, the City of Helsinki invited its partners to discuss the strengths and future opportunities of food culture and food tourism in Helsinki at a media event on 14 May.
Director of Economic Development Marja-Leena Rinkineva opened the event by highlighting the investments the City has made in the vitality of the restaurant, tourism and event sectors.
"Helsinki already provides world-class experiences for both locals and tourists. In the future, we want to be a sustainable and versatile food city attracting visitors from far away,” Rinkineva said.
The themes of the panel discussion in the media event included the differentiating factors of Helsinki and Finland from the viewpoint of food culture and commercial development. Chef de Cuisine Tapio Bergström from Fazer highlighted the importance of Finnish locally grown food and food safety.
"Finnish cuisine is a unique combination of traditions, bold innovation and constant renewal, which makes us a distinctive food destination. Finnish food culture is inspired by nature and local seasonal ingredients offered by the four seasons. In Finland, we can trust that food is genuine and safe,” Bergström said.
Master Blender Kai Kilpinen from the Helsinki Distilling Company also sees a lot of potential in the development of food and drinks culture in Helsinki.
“Helsinki is a unique capital city whose versatility is not yet understood abroad. In addition to an urban heartbeat, we have a world-class archipelago, wonderful forests and fields that are still used for farming. Even our distillery has views of a barley field, which means that we truly can trace the value chain of the ingredient of our whiskey,” says founding partner and Master Blender Kai Kilpinen at the Helsinki Distilling Company and adds:
“In order to be a real contender in the competition for international tourists, we must first jointly decide on the level at which we compete. Instead of disposable mass tourism, Helsinki has the opportunity to make good service and high-quality products a pull factor and competitive edge. However, this requires long-term strategic commitment to developing food tourism from the City of Helsinki and the government.”
Commercial Director Jerry Tiittala from Kespro weighed in on the development and commercial potential of food innovations.
“We utilise Finnish purity and quality, which in themselves are significant competitive advantages. It is possible for Helsinki to become an internationally respected food city when we combine these elements innovatively and sustainably. This requires cooperation throughout the food chain, all the way from producers down to consumers.”
One hundred opportunities to sample specialities
The status of Helsinki as a food tourism destination was also discussed at the event.
“Helsinki offers a fascinating combination of local food culture and international expertise, which attracts more and more food tourists from all over the world,” said Tourism Director Nina Vesterinen from the City of Helsinki.
Food tourism in Helsinki is currently particularly interesting. The Feast Helsinki event in early summer offers the flavours of more than one hundred food and drink events developed through extensive cooperation between food, tourism and event operators. The event, taking place between 24 May and 16 June, features speciality dishes and themed menus, festivals and brunches as well as workshops and food tours that showcase the rich food and drinks offering of Helsinki.
Restaurants experimenting with Sunday opening and food tours in market halls
On the first weekend of the Feast Helsinki event, many restaurants in Helsinki will be exceptionally open on Sunday 26 May and Monday 27 May. Approximately 30 restaurants participate in the Feast Sunday event, during which residents of Helsinki as well as the guests invited to the MICHELIN Guide Ceremony Nordic Countries event can sample some delicacies.
The Torikorttelit summer terrace will also open for the Feast Helsinki event. Like last year, a terrace area will be erected on the edge of Senate Square, where restauranteurs from Torikorttelit serve summer delicacies. The MICHELIN Guide Ceremony Nordic Countries gala viewing grandstand on Monday 27 May 2024 from 16.00 to 20.00 will also be built next to the summer terrace on Senate Square. In the grandstand, everyone has the opportunity to savour the atmosphere of the MICHELIN gala while enjoying food and drinks from the Torikorttelit summer terraces.
You can learn more about the history and present day of food culture in Helsinki on guided food tours in market halls. Hakaniemi Market Hall, the Old Market Hall and Hietalahti Market Hall each feature a dedicated delicious tour provided by Helsinki Oppaat ry. The tours, subject to a fee, are given to groups with advance booking, but free tours will also be available during the Feast Helsinki event.
On 29 May, a multisensory 360° Feast Helsinki experience room will be opened at the City Hall, where you can sense and experience the story of food in Helsinki through image, sound and treats available upon advance booking. The room has been created in cooperation with students from Haaga-Helia. Palmia is in charge of the catering.
Enquiries
Learn more about the Feast Helsinki events and make a note of your favourites on tapahtumat.hel.fi(Link leads to external service) (search for ”Helsingin ruokavuosi 2024”) and hel.fi/feasthelsinki.
The restaurant selection for The MICHELIN Guide Nordic Countries 2024 will be unveiled and the MICHELIN Green Stars and Special Awards will be presented in Helsinki on 27 May 2024 during the MICHELIN Guide Ceremony Nordic Countries event. In addition to Visit Finland, Fazer, the Helsinki Distilling Company, Kespro and Valio Aimo join Helsinki in hosting one of the most important events on the restaurant sector events calendar.