Past events in Espoonlahti Major District
Past years have seen many attractive events in Espoonlahti, which have been inspiring experiences for the residents. Read more about past events in Espoonlahti and take a deep dive into the area’s colourful culture.
Film screenings during winter break
In February 2025, the people of Espoonlahti enjoyed winter break with a movie marathon, with the Espoonlahti cultural project holding two film screenings for the whole family at the library in Lippulaiva. The movies shown were Supermarsu and Despicable Me 4.
Family day
In April 2025, Lippulaiva Library held a family day and presented an interactive clown show with Täti Hattara ja Töötti. The show had the audience stand up to dance and bust a move and join in singing games.
Aurora summer tour
In June 2025, children’s cultural centre Aurora brought its summer tour to the residents' park in Soukka. Their summer show was Säilättäret: the Metrilaku Minuet. It was a show that invites the audience into a world of colour that combines circus, comedy and classical music into a hilarious spectacle. The libraries’ experience bus, Välkky was also a part of the event.
Midsummer at the Beach in Kivenlahti
In June 2025, the Kivenlahti beach and Mari field held a lovely summer party for the whole family. Midsummer celebrations included live music, delicious food, and a varied programme for each venue. At Mari, the features were the fantastic musical performance of Runo, AINO, Kaila and Emilia Sisco. The programme at the beach was up to the Skidit Disco, Glitternisti and the Belenos Group of Arts.
Yhtä sirkusta! Marianne Vaalimaa: Circus for funK!
The Yhtä sirkusta! circus weekend in Espoo brought hilarious and energetic circus art to many parts of the city in August 2025. Espoonlahti got to enjoy a wild street circus performance at the Solmutori Square in Lippulaiva with Marianne Vaalimaa’s groovy solo show, Circus for funK! The show featured freestyle jump-rope and hula-hoop tricks, sudden surprises, and the joy of Finnish sauna. The event was part of Espoo Cultural Venues and Services’ Yhtä sirkusta! programme of street circus events.
Summer clubs in Kivenlahti
Summer 2025 in Kivenlahti was a storm of live music and warm nights with Hybridiarena Hype’s featured a series of three music events, the summer clubs of Kivenlahti. In June, the roof terrace celebrated Helsinki Pride Week with BÄMÄ and Open Stage Finland. July featured the good boys and DJ Renaz’s grooves. In August, indie artists Asla Jo and helmi marleena took to the stage.
Rantaraitti soi!
In June 2024, chamber music festival Rantaraitti soi! landed on the Espoo Rantaraitti hiking trail. The festival introduced top-notch music for everyone travelling the Rantaraitti trail, offering a variety of music experiences among the unique nature. Its concerts were free of charge and mainly held outdoors.
Roller Skate Disco
American roller rink culture arrived in Espoonlahti when the ice hall was transformed into a magical roller-skating wonderland in June 2024. Disco lights painted the hall in colour and rhythmic music created a vibrant atmosphere for four hours of fun on roller skates. The event organiser was dance group SuomiSk8Fam, which focuses on quad roller skating, along with its founder, DJ Armenzo.
Midsummer at the Beach in Kivenlahti
Midsummer celebrations took place at Kivenlahti beach with an easy-going picnic. The event featured good food and a fun programme in the beautiful atmosphere of the beach. Street food vendors put out their best delights, and the programme featured events for the whole family, from glittery face painting to a hobbyhorse track. Music for the evening was left up to troubadour Anton Mellanen, and there was a sauna container for a gentle warm-up after you take a swim.
Flower buffet
Pride month celebrations in June 2024 included a flower workshop in the Lippulaiva library courtyard. Hupsansaa ry helped to organise the family-friendly workshop, where participants got to create their own flower decoration or bouquet.
Summer sessions at Kivenlahti
The Kivenlahti beach was awash with sound waves on three summer Saturdays in 2024, with a DJ takeover of the beach. Their gigs were a delight for the sunbathers, who got to enjoy cool drinks and the hot sand. The summer sessions’ musicians were DJ duo FWU, DJ Renaz and DJ Harvest.
Yhtä sirkusta! CircusSimon: We are the Champions
In August 2024, Solmutori at Lippulaiva featured We are the Champions, an immersive circus show that was a part of Espoo Cultural Venues and Services’ Yhtä sirkusta! series of weekend circus events. The show was themed around achievement and was a mix of high-quality choreography and circus skills, football juggling, reasonably engaging audience call-backs and hilarious dance moves. A unique, fun and unforgettable circus show for all ages.
Outdoor film on Espoo Day: Grease (7)
To celebrate Espoo Day in late August 2024, the Pakkasmäki Outdoor Cinema screened an all-time classic, Grease. The atmospheric outdoor cinema used an analogue, old-fashioned 35mm projector to screen the movie. Cinema-goers got to enjoy the film and cinema treats under the setting sun.
New Year at Espoonlahti 2025
On New Year’s Eve 2024, Solmutori, by Lippulaiva, was host to a family-friendly celebration to ring in the new year. Maria Baric Company, an internationally renowned troupe that specialises in fire shows and street theatre, enchanted the audience with a show featuring live music, fire acts, street puppet theatre, dance, and some new year’s magic.
Pair skating
February 2023 featured a pair skating event on a beautiful winter evening at the artificial ice rink in Espoonlahti. The skaters also got to enjoy a live stream of Tapiola Sinfonietta concert from Tapiola-sali, with Antti Koivula and Johanna Försti as soloists.
Winter break: Disco on Ice
Winter break in Espoonlahti culminated in a disco on ice, with Forum Ice Hall transforming into a discotheque in late February 2023. The event featured skating, coloured lights and good music.
Valomaailma (World of Lights)
In March 2023, Lippulaiva featured a World of Lights event, in which participants got to paint walls and windows with water-soluble, chalk-based paint pens that glow in the dark. The art session took place under the guidance of light art specialist Janne Parviainen.
Ukkeli Exhibition
In summer 2023, Lippulaiva featured a Teemu Keisteri pop-up exhibition. Keisteri’s colourful Ukkeli paintings combine imaginative and dream-like images with everyday scenes. Through Ukkeli, Keisteri examines different cultural phenomena and Finnish lifestyles with a humorous angle.
Rantaraitti soi!
In spring 2023, free chamber music festival Rantaraitti soi! Introduced live music to the summer of Espoo for the third year. During the festival, Espoo residents got to enjoy jazz, tango, traditional accordion music and modern compositions in the wonderful landscapes of Espoo’s summer. The festival programme was performed in the cafés along the Rantaraitti path, at Villa Rulludd, and the Espoonlahti church. Rantaraitti also featured surprise events during the festival.
Roller Skate Disco
In June 2023, Finland’s largest roller skate disco arrived in Espoonlahti Sports Park. SuomiSk8Fam, who specialise in roller skate dancing, brought music, coloured lights and the speed of skating to the Forum Ice Hall in Espoonlahti Sports Park. The concrete rink in the hall transformed into Finland’s largest-ever roller skate disco, with DJ Armenzo in charge of the music.
Fiesta Latina: Vamos a la Playa!
In early August 2023, sunbathers and swimmers Kivenlahti beach got to enjoy Latino rhythms. There were DJs playing music along with Uña De Gato and Vili Mustalampi Band, leading beach-goers to dance the Zumba.
Baltic Sea Day at Pentala
31 August celebrates Baltic Sea Day. It is also on that day that the summer season at Espoo's Archipelago Museum Pentala ends. Visitors got to explore the museum and the Baltic Sea Day programme, which included an art adventure organised by the Adventure Art School. The adventure, aimed at children and the young at heart, introduced participants to the flora and fauna of the Baltic Sea through art. The event was part of Espoo Cultural Venues and Services’ Future Stories series.
Building with LEGO in Espoonlahti
In December 2023, there was a free event in Espoonlahti where participants got to build their own thing with LEGO and DUPLO blocks. The family-friendly event, held by PiiPoo, brought the magic of creative play to Lippulaiva. The event included five building spots, all with different themes, and a humongous number of blocks, leaving the building efforts up to the imagination.
Children's weekend: I love 8-bit
Retro tech exhibition I love 8-bit showcased real, still-functioning computers from the 1970s and 80s at the Lippulaiva library in October 2022. Visitors got to try old personal computers and eight-bit video games. The event was a part of Espoo Cultural Centres’ Children's weekend programme and the Espoo 50th anniversary.
Summer Tuesdays at Hanikka
In summer 2022, Summer Tuesdays at Hanikka introduced free-of-charge and open events at the Recreation Centre in Soukka. The event ran for ten weeks. Its weekly programme ran the gamut, from outdoor yoga and dancing to art workshops. In addition, the centre’s beachfront sauna and grill shelter were open for visitors on these Tuesdays. Espoo’s Event and Culture Services and the Soukka local association were responsible for the series of events.
Aurora Summer Tour × 50 Espoo
In June 2022, children’s cultural centre Aurora brought its summer tour to the residents' park in Soukka. The residents' park featured Piste Kollektiivi’s work Viima – mistäs nyt tuulee? The show was intended for children aged 4–10, combining circus and physical theatre.
Fiesta Latina: Vamos a la Playa!
In July 2022, Fiesta Latina’s Helsinki Club brought its Latino rhythms to the Kivenlahti beach. Club DJ’s were responsible for the music, in addition to which it included Zumba classes, dance shows, and dance classes. The event also included basketball shows by Yökoris.
Street Circus Carnival
In August 2022, Kivenlahti was enchanted by the circus with internationally renowned circus troupe Arctic Ensemble brought its world-famous street circus carnival to Meritori. The two-day free event features all kinds of circus art and circus workshops.
Opening of the Espoo Metro extension
December 2022 saw the opening of the new metro extension from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti. The grand opening celebrations took place in Lippulaiva, where the City of Espoo served coffee and pastries to celebrate the opening of the extension and the city's 50th anniversary. The event also featured performances by the Tapiola Sinfonietta and Robin Packalen. In addition to Espoonlahti, the other new metro stations also featured events by cultural actors from Espoo. On the opening day, the Finnoo, Kaitaa, Soukka and Kivenlahti metro station entrances or intermediate floors featured open stages for anyone to perform. The metro opening celebrations were a cooperation between the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL), the City of Espoo, Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd and Länsimetro Oy.
Espoo 50th Anniversary at Espoonlahti
During 2022's Espoo juhlii! week, there were a variety of cultural events in Espoonlahti, such as a free concert by Samae Koskinen at the Kauko Räsänen Atelier. The atelier became part of the anniversary week invited by the cultural project and opened its doors to visitors while arranging diverse cultural events. Greater Espoonlahti also saw outdoor karaoke events, street art, and children’s theatre.
The Espoo 50th Anniversary events culminated in Espoonlahti on New Year’s Eve, with the Soukka residents' park and Puropuisto Park transforming into radiant light parks. The event also featured a New Year’s installation, prepared by one hundred Espoo residents under visual artist Janne Parviainen.
Gardens & Pavilions
In June–August 2021, the Espoonlahti Sports Park featured a one-of-a-kind Gardens & Pavilions event. This was a project that combined urban farming with cultural events, allowing residents to care for a small subsistence garden, enjoy its fruits, and take part in a variety of cultural events.
The summer featured ten separate events with content from circus to visual arts, from gardening lectures to breathing exercises, and from flower crown workshops to musical performances. In late August, on Espoo Day, the park culminated in a harvest festival that featured a family-friendly programme and a spectacular fire performance under stage lights.
The programme was also a summer job opportunity for local youth, a way for the area’s day-care centres and schools to participate, and free space for residents and local communities. The project was a collaboration with Culture Cooperative Ziran, along with content planning with the residents through the Explore Espoonlahti survey.
Colours at Hanikka
Another 2021 cultural project was art event Colours at Hanikka, which took place in and around the recreation centre in early October. The area featured six installations by Petra Martinez and Jyri Sucksdorff, which were illuminated after sunset. The event was family-friendly and had opportunities to sit around a fire, cook your own food, and enjoy the heat of the idyllic beachfront sauna. The project was a collaboration with Culture Cooperative Ziran, along with content planning with the residents through the Explore Espoonlahti survey.