Fun - thisisFINLAND

Finland’s quirky sand skiing world championship also carries a climate warning

Our video shows you a beach on the west coast of Finland where a group of skiers embraces sand instead of snow – not just for sport, but to draw attention to a warming world.

Arts & culture Performing arts

Make air, not war: The joyfully absurd World Championships in Oulu

Ever dreamed of witnessing something wildly fun and just a little bit bonkers? Picture people of all ages rocking out on stage with instruments only they can see. Dancing like nobody’s watching, fully immersed in the moment. This is air guitar at its most serious. And most glorious.

Arts & culture Music

Finland’s Eurovision story evolves from trials to triumphs

In the glitzy Eurovision Song Contest, Finland languished as a perennial underdog for decades. Then its fortunes changed dramatically, and it has repeatedly been a serious contender to win the continent’s hearts.

Mellunmäki

The world's northernmost metro station, in Helsinki

Life & society Finnishness

For Finnish university students, May Day is the greatest time of year – here’s why

May Day in Finland is more than a celebration of spring. It’s a jubilant spectacle in which university students embrace creativity, tradition and community.

Life & society Language

With art, motion and emotion, Finnish researchers explore new language-learning paths

Learning a new language can be daunting and is often associated with hours of memorising vocabulary and repeating textbook phrases. But what if it could be more active, creative, fun and emotionally engaging?

2010

The year National Failure Day was introduced

Life & society Language

How livestreaming helped me learn Finnish – and what you can take from my experience

For the past two years, I have subjected myself – and, more importantly, a live audience – to the great and noble quest of learning Finnish. Here’s what I found out.

Life & society Politics

Finland’s election day coffee tradition unites all kinds of voters

Many people in Finland make voting into an outing by stopping for coffee and cake afterwards. We catch up with voters at their chosen cafés to get to the heart of the long-established Finnish custom of election day coffee.

Arts & culture Music

Made in Finland: Sweden sends Finnish sauna-party band KAJ to Eurovision

In a curious turn of events, Sweden has chosen KAJ, a comedy group from Finland, as its representative for the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. Finland’s own delegate is Erika Vikman.

180,741

Number of registered snowmobiles

Source: Statistics Finland