Must see entertainment in Helsinki

Home to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Sibelius Academy, the glass- and copper-fronted Helsinki Music Centre,…

Designed by Alvar Aalto, this 1971 concert hall in angular white marble is one of Helsinki's landmark buildings. It received its congress wing in 1975 and…

Opened in 1927, this gorgeous art-deco cinema with chequerboard tiles has 216 plush red seats. It shows classics from the Finnish Film Archive through to…

Helsinki’s number-one jazz club attracts a refined older crowd swinging to boogie woogie, trad jazz, Dixieland and New Orleans most nights. As well as the…

Next to the Olympic Stadium, this 10,770-seat arena is the home ground of Helsinki's football (aka soccer) team, HJK (Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi). The team…

From mid-August to May, opera, ballet and classical concerts are staged at Helsinki's opera house, set in landscaped parkland next to Töölönlahti bay…

The Finnish National Theatre was founded in 1872 as the country's first Finnish-speaking theatre, but didn't move into its permanent home until 1902. The…

One of Helsinki’s legendary rock venues, going strong since 1970, Tavastia attracts both up-and-coming local acts and bigger international groups, with a…

The best place to see top-level hockey matches is at this arena 4km north of the city centre. It’s the home of Helsinki's Jokerit ('Jesters') team, which…

This former garage has been transformed into a cinema, complete with a full lobby bar for post-viewing rumination. Relax into plush, red velvet armchairs,…

A block from Hakaniemi metro station, in an enormous granite building, Juttutupa is one of Helsinki’s better bars for live music, focusing on contemporary…

This atmospheric harbourside warehouse, with a capacity of 900, hosts regular concerts with known Finnish and international performers. Acts range from…

Helsinki's second, but more central, venue for ice hockey – after the Hartwall Arena – is this arena in the Olympic Stadium complex, with a capacity of…

Next to Tavastia, this smaller sibling has live music almost nightly, with a focus on up-and-coming Finnish bands. Buy tickets on the website or at the…

In the Tennispalatsi complex, this cinema screens new releases. Most films are in English.

Year-round, independent, two-screen cinema showing art-house and Finnish indie films. In the warmer months it also mounts open-air kesäkino (summer cinema…

Booking agency Tiketti sells tickets to a variety of live events throughout Helsinki.