Children’s Independence Day celebration to be held on 4 December

Two children born in 2013 from each municipality of Finland have been invited to the Government Palace for the celebration. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will personally welcome each guest at the start of the event. Ministers Riikka Purra, Sari Multala and Sari Essayah will also be in attendance.

After the official portion of the event, guests will be able to enjoy a variety of programming, sweet and savoury refreshments and musical performances. The theme of this year’s celebration is friendship and friendship skills. As in previous years, the event will also feature a surprise performance. The celebration will be hosted by Essi Unkuri.

According to current information, 532 children from 264 municipalities will be arriving at the Government Palace. Visitors will be arriving from all across Finland, including the northernmost municipality of Utsjoki, the southernmost municipality of Hanko and the westernmost municipality of Eckerö.

The national Independence Day celebration for children has become an established part of Finland’s Independence Day festivities. It is now being held for the fifth time. The celebration was previously held in 2017–2019 and in 2022.

The Prime Minister’s Office plans and organises the party in cooperation with the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare and the Office of the Ombudsman for Children. The event will be streamed live on the Government’s YouTube channel.

Inquiries: Tiina-Kaisa Laakso-Liukkonen, Chief Specialist, tel. +358 295 160 220, and Jaakko Ranta, Communications Specialist, tel. +358 50 472 1684, Prime Minister’s Office

REVISED VERSION: Added is that guests are also arriving from Eckerö in Åland, the westernmost municipality in Finland. Guests are also coming from Korsholm, the westernmost municipality on the Finnish mainland, as originally stated in the press release.