Organised every four years in the Baltic Sea, the Tall Ships Races youth sailing event attracted over 400,000 visitors to the Helsinki city centre over the course of four days. This figure is based on a technical count that utilised both lidar scanning and smart cameras.
“We recorded a very agreeable number of visitors and the atmosphere remained pleasant throughout the event. The area was full of people, but not congested. The Tall Ships Races was an overall success as a visitor experience as well, as the event remained free from any kinds of disturbances,” says Marianne Saukkonen, the producer of the event.
A vitality analysis based on mobile subscription tracking will be carried out on the event, to be completed sometime in August. The analysis will reveal how many more visits the event area saw in 2024 than on the same weekend in previous years.
Event met its primary goals
The main goal of the City of Helsinki and the organisation behind the Tall Ships Races, Sail Training International, was to promote the protection of the Baltic Sea and youth work. Another aim was for the sustainably produced event to bring joy to city residents and visitors alike. In addition to this, it was hoped that the event would strengthen the vitality of the city centre and Helsinki’s maritime image and service provision.
According to initial estimates, these goals were successfully met. More detailed data on visitor satisfaction rates were collected with a visitor survey.
In addition to the vitality analysis to be published in August, the City of Helsinki will later this year also be carrying out a more detailed evaluation of how well the goals set for the Tall Ships Races were achieved, alongside the lessons learnt and the economic impact of the event.
“It was a thrill for Helsinki to once again host these large sailing ships, as they never fail to delight the city’s residents and tourists. The centrally located and historically significant downtown venue crowned the magnificent event, providing an unforgettable experience for the young sailors in particular. It was a great honour for us to serve as the host port of the Tall Ships Races once again,” said the City of Helsinki’s Head of Brand & Events Sanna Forsström.
Participants and partners contribute to the protection of the Baltic Sea
The Tall Ships Races Helsinki was organised by the Helsinki Events Foundation, which is responsible for the City of Helsinki’s event production services. The City of Helsinki secured the major event for Finland’s capital, served as the host port of the event, and contributed several teams to the planning and implementation of the event, in cooperation with the authorities.
In addition to providing young people with an opportunity to sail, the event also sought to raise general awareness of the condition of the Baltic Sea and the need to protect it. To this end, the Baltic Sea advocacy group John Nurminen Foundation served as the charity partner of the event.
“As the charity partner of the event, we had the opportunity to reach a large number of people interested in the event, as well as friends of the Baltic Sea and seafarers. We would like to thank everyone who made donations during the event to protect the Baltic Sea and its heritage,” said the Foundation’s Corporate Fundraising Manager Ari Rytkönen.
Other event partners included Kia, Helsingin Sanomat, Red Events Restaurants, Ramirent, Stopteltat, Securitas, the Port of Helsinki, Grano, Rajupaja, Lassila & Tikanoja, Fais Finland, Heku Group, Ingman and Sinebrychoff.
Participants in the Tall Ships Races share their experiences
What does it feel like to travel on a large sailing ship across the Baltic Sea? The crew of the Johann Smidt shares their experiences while reflecting on the Tall Ships Races event in Helsinki 2024. Video is subtitled in english.
