thisisFINLAND

Stunning views: Nature photographer flourishes in urban wilderness

On a Finnish urban summer morning at around 4 am, “squirrel whisperer” Konsta Punkka is preparing to sit still for several hours. He’s on a quest for another beautiful animal photo to share with more than a million people around the world.

Arts & culture Photography

Finnish artist Emma Sarpaniemi’s self-portraits inspire emotions

In an age of endless selfies, artists’ self-portraits ask us to pause and truly look. Visual artist Emma Sarpaniemi explores identity and femininity in playful yet profound images.

Arts & culture Architecture

Riverbank comes alive with music, art and theatre in Turku, Finland

Finland’s oldest orchestra has a new, future-facing home on the River Aura between the redesigned WAM Museum of Contemporary Art and the Turku City Theatre. This cultural riverbank offers dizzying possibilities for artistic synergy.

Arts & culture Design

Finnish Futuro: the UFO-shaped house that landed around the world

Finland is known for its understated design and natural materials, but then there is the Futuro: a bright plastic UFO-shaped house that became one of Finland’s most unusual exports.

Life & society Design

Designing happiness: Finnish products that help people thrive

Rooted in functionality and accessibility, these creations do more than serve a purpose. They celebrate life’s simple pleasures.

Arts & culture Music

Beats beneath the surface: Inside Helsinki’s underground rave scene

Helsinki’s thriving nightlife is hard to miss, but its underground rave scene remains a mystery to many. Hidden in club basements, inside forgotten factories and deep in the woods, a music community thrums with its own heartbeat.

Arts & culture Classical music

How a Finnish music fest creates a singular sense of community

Globally renowned performers rub elbows with their audience in shops, cafés and even saunas during the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, held in a tiny town in eastern Finland.

Business & innovation Fashion

Finnish fashion brings bold prints and practical layers for autumn

From statement prints to weather-ready layers, Finnish fashion brands bring a practical approach to dressing for workdays, commutes, school mornings and evenings out.

Life & society Travel

In Finnish Lapland, Northern Lights cast lifelong spell on visitors

Finland is one of the world’s best places to see and photograph the magical, potentially life-changing Northern Lights (aurora borealis). We talk to people who witnessed them – and decided to move to Finnish Lapland for good.

Business & innovation Entrepreneurs

Immigrant entrepreneurs turn Finnish flavours into award-winning drinks

Salmiakki beer? Berry wines? A Brazilian craft brewer and an Ecuadorian–American winemaking duo turned their hobbies into some of Finland’s most celebrated drinks.

Life & society Media

100-year milestone: 10 top facts about Finland’s public broadcaster Yle

When Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, aired its first radio programme on September 9, 1926, radio was still a novelty. A century later, Yle reaches audiences through TV, radio, streaming services, mobile apps and online news.

Arts & culture Fun

From Finland with laughter: Ismo turns cultural quirks into comedy gold

Finnish comedian Ismo Leikola translates humour across cultures, making comedic observations about even the most mundane exchanges. His newest endeavour brings music into the act.

Life & society Wellbeing

Floating Finnish sauna brings people together and boosts wellbeing

Olosauna, a floating public sauna in Oulu, northern Finland, combines river swimming and social spaces. Founder Armi Ruusuvirta plans to expand the concept beyond Finland.

Life & society Sports

Disc golf flies high in Finland

Disc golf has become a phenomenon in Finland, fuelled by free public courses, an outdoor sporting culture and a remarkable crop of elite players.

Arts & culture Travel

Discover a city of outdoor art and other surprises in Oulu, northern Finland

In Oulu, culture spills onto bike paths, into forests, along riverbanks and across former industrial districts.

Life & society Sports

Finnish wild swimming puts a smile on your face

Jumping into lakes, sea and rivers is a shared passion for many Finns. We asked three of them about their love of swimming. They spoke of relaxing, floating, courage and the soft touch of lake water.

Arts & culture Circus

Open your eyes to the daring, quirky world of Finnish circus

Amaze! Tales and Magic of Circus, an exhibition at the Theatre Museum in Helsinki, traces the history of Finnish circus through danger, dark humour, endurance and the thrill of doing the impossible.