City-wide celebration: 50 years since Espoo became a city

The coming year will be celebrated by the entire city, and the planning is proceeding at a good pace. The celebration will continue throughout 2022. A special logo giving the coat of arms of Espoo a modern look has been designed for the jubilee.

Let us celebrate Espoo as a young city and strengthen community spirit

Espoo has a long and fascinating history. The first written mention of a place called Espoo dates back to the 15th century, and later in the same century Espoo became an independent civil and church parish. Espoo was officially declared a city in 1972.

The remarkable history of Espoo was celebrated in 2008, and next year we will get to celebrate Espoo as a young city.

The celebration of Espoo becoming a city is a great opportunity to highlight the city’s diverse services and expertise. Or is there an upcoming new activity in the community suitable for the programme? The coming year will provide a great platform for strengthening the community spirit and participation of residents and operators.

How and when will cityhood be celebrated?

The jubilee officially begins on 1 January 2022 and ends on 31 December 2022. Divisions will schedule their own contents in accordance with their own annual planning cycle throughout the year. In addition to the turn of the year, Espoo Day on 27 August 2022 and the week before will be special dates for all the city’s actors.

Who is the jubilee made for?

The jubilee is made for everyone, and residents all over the city play a large role. Work communities can also celebrate in the way that each unit feels is best.

Who can produce programme for the jubilee?

All divisions, service areas and units of the City of Espoo, as well as partners, companies, associations and working groups, will contribute to the preparation of the jubilee programme.

How can I participate?

There are many ways to participate in the jubilee, such as:

1. communicate about the celebration, for example by using the shared jubilee logo as part of your own communication and marketing
2. highlight functions or content from your existing service in a new way
3. design and implement a new service or content together with your own unit, another city operator or an external partner.

Read more about the City of Espoo’s history

You can learn more about our 50-year-old city’s history and find information about the campaign to collect local memories on the theme website of Espoon perinneseura (Espoo heritage society, website in Finnish): LINK(external link, opens in a new window)

On the society’s home page, you can also find a monthly “Espoo 50 vuotta kaupunkina” quiz. Check it out and test your knowledge of Espoo!