Cultural joy in the artwork for Children’s Weekend

The event organisers include the Espoo Cultural Centre, Sello Hall, Exhibition Centre WeeGee, Kannusali, Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora, Vindängen, Espoo City Library and the Espoonlahti cultural project. Children’s Weekend in Espoo is organised as part of the Children’s Rights Week programme.

The new artwork for Children’s Weekend was designed by visual artist Anna Salmisalo. The illustrator, photographer and graphic designer who graduated from the LAB Institute of Design and Fine Arts in Lahti has previously created illustrations for children’s books, packaging and advertising. 

The new artwork was created directly from paper, and you can find it both in the advertisements for Children’s Weekend and, for example, in the layout of the event’s website (espoo.fi/en/childrens-weekend). 

“Illustrations for Children’s Weekend were made by cutting paper. I wanted the poster to express the joy, movement and imagination that culture creates in us,” Salmisalo says. 

Children will create a piece of art together using Salmisalo’s techniques in a workshop organised at Children's Cultural Centre Aurora before the actual Children’s Weekend. 

“In the workshop, I will show how my illustrations are created and instruct how to create beautiful shapes by simply cutting paper. In this technique, everyone succeeds. The rougher the work, the more character in the outcome,” Salmisalo explains.

For Salmisalo, working with children is a unique experience. According to her, children are able to express themselves more genuinely than adults, and they are not always so critical of their creations.

According to Johanna Kallioaho, Production Manager at the Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora, the future plans for Children’s Weekend include a featured artist for each year representing different forms of art.

Espoo’s cultural venues and libraries plan the weekend events together as a whole. Thanks to this, the versatile programme will be available in an even more wider area around Espoo.  The programme includes a light circus, music play school, painting, movies and much more. Free events are also included. 

The programme offers something for children of different ages. For example, children through ages 0–3 will be able to watch the Little Hedgehog show in Sello Hall on Friday 21 November, and on the same day, children over the age of 3 can enjoy the light circus Spektri in Vindängen hall. The age-free Sea of Plastic Bags at the Lippulaiva Library on Saturday 22 November is ideal for primary school pupils (grades 1–4), whilst the HUI, Huominen! children’s theatre performance on the same day at the Espoo Cultural Centre is suitable for children of approximately 3–8 years old. On Sunday 23 November, people of all ages will be able to paint at the Säihkysiveltimet sammalpolulla workshop at the Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora, and children over the age of 7 can watch the Sing 2 film at Kannusali. The Exhibition Centre WeeGee’s Children’s Book Bash on Sunday offers a wide range of book-themed activities for both young children who enjoy storytime and older children who already know how to read.

Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora in Espoo, the Association of Children’s Culture in Finland and children’s culture actors around Finland will publish the Kuule minua (Hear me) audio installation on the Children’s Rights Week, 17–23 November 2025. The recording will be played in the city’s premises and shopping centres during the week. This year, the theme of the Children’s Rights Week is “child’s right to be heard”. The purpose of the installation is to make children’s voices heard in public spaces around Finland.

Read more about the Children’s Rights Week on the campaign website.(external link, opens in a new window) 

Read more about the Children’s Weekend programme on the Children’s Weekend website espoo.fi/en/childrens-weekend.