What to do this month in Helsinki – April 2026

Helsinki Analog Festival (April 1-May 3 2026) brings together 80 international creators working in analogue photography, film and book art. Through its events, visitors can explore and experience craft-based methods, physicality and materiality in a digital age. The programme includes exhibitions, film screenings, workshops and an international symposium. At the same time, the festival organiser Suomen Pimiötaitelijat ry celebrates its tenth anniversary.

Events take place across Helsinki throughout April. On Wednesday April 1, for example, you can head to Oodi to explore an exhibition of handmade books.

All events are free to attend. Only the workshops require tickets, which can be purchased via the festival website.

Who is Finland’s ultimate raver? That will be decided for the second time at the Finnish Rave Championships at Ääniwalli. On Thursday, the music and atmosphere will be handled by Business City, Junkkataxi, Tuomas G, Mary Young, Reivaajan valinta and VJ Random Doctors. Not one to miss!

Tickets from €28 via Tiketti, €33 on the door. Age limit 18+.

Expect beloved, ear-pleasing and delightfully unhinged music. On Good Friday from 20, Siltanen hosts possessed mashups under the theme of world peace. The audience votes the best mashups into the final, and the winner is, of course, rewarded. Get a taste of the wildest mashups in advance on Instagram at @riivatutmashupit.

Cloakroom fee on the door. Siltanen is 18+ in the evenings and at weekends.

Huono Suoritus is Köpi Kallio’s own stand-up show, with its final performances taking place at Finlandia Hall. There are two shows on Saturday, at 15 and 19. Huono Suoritus is a sharp summing-up of the life so far and best stand-up material of a radio and TV star in his thirties. Special guest Jukka Lindström, familiar from Kovan viikon ilta, will also appear.

Tickets cost €38.50, and they are selling fast. The event lasts around 2 hours and 15 minutes, including an interval.

Is untouched forest a rarity for Finns? Easter Sunday is your final chance to see the ‘Kotina metsä’ photography exhibition (June 5 2025-April 5 2026). The exhibition captures the rich life of natural forests and examines the forest as an ecological whole and life-sustaining system. Photographers Ritva Kovalainen and Sanni Seppo present diverse habitats and life forms, but also the decline of forests and the biodiversity loss linked to it. So head to the museum while you still can to reflect on these vital themes.

Tickets €7-20.

Aleksanteri Wallius performs at Musiikkitalo on Monday. The young organist has found success in international competitions, and his solo concerts have opened doors to major organ events. He began playing at Turku’s Puolalanmäki music high school, and now masters demanding repertoire, contemporary music and his own arrangements. This is one organist who won’t leave the Concert Hall cold.

Tickets €12.50-38.

A true pioneer of experimental music, multimedia art and performance, Laurie Anderson takes to the stage at Kulttuuritalo. Anderson is an artist who shapes realities: a writer, director, composer, musician, vocalist and visual artist whose career has spanned decades while breaking boundaries between art forms.

Tickets from €65.40.

Fancy a midweek theatre night? Now’s the time, as ‘The Poet of Finland’ is nearing its final performances in April. A play by Aina Bergroth, it’s a painfully funny and shocking journey to the late 1960s and early 1970s, where love for a revered poet turns a young female journalist’s life upside down. The carnivalesque, surreal production dismantles the myth of the artistic genius while following Tuula-Liina’s path towards her own writing career and freedom. Directed by Riikka Oksanen, the new artistic director of Ryhmäteatteri.

If you can’t make a weekday performance, on Saturday April 11 there’s also a discussion event after the 14 show, focusing on the myth of the artistic genius.

Standard ticket €46, concession and under-25 €24, pensioners €38. Duration 2 hours 30 minutes.

On Thursday evenings, Heureka’s science centre is just €10 from 15-20. Make the most of it and explore exhibitions like ‘Ice Age Giants’ and ‘Journey through Space’. The evening ticket also includes access to the planetarium. There are also rotating science shows, and the daily programme can be checked on Heurekas website.

Tickets €10, including all exhibitions and planetarium films. Under-5s enter free with an adult.

Can chess be sexy? Absolutely. And Sexy Chess Club proves it, taking over the eighth floor of Hobo on Friday. Expect a laid-back game night with vinyl DJs and disco vibes. The bar is open, pizza is available downstairs, and you might even get a stick-and-poke tattoo. Usually a weekly, female-focused chess club, this event is open to all genders. You can join even if you’ve never touched a chessboard.

Free entry, but space is limited, so arrive early.

On the same day, an intriguing exhibition titled ‘Ruokaa kautta aikain’ opens at Ritarihuone, exploring kitchens and dining habits from the 17th to 20th centuries. It runs only until April 19, so don’t wait.

Also opening at the TAHTO Sports Museum is ‘Jumppatytöt – rakkauskirje joukkuevoimistelulle’, diving into the history, present and future of Finnish group gymnastics culture. The exhibition is based on the experiences of performers Katariina Havukainen, Inkeri Hyvönen and Ella Lahdenmäki. The acclaimed ‘Jumppatytöt’ theatre piece can still be seen this spring at the National Theatre and Savoy Theatre.