Huvilanranta brings a changing selection of restaurants and a free programme to Tokoinranta waterfront
Huvilanranta, the festival centre of Helsinki Festival and waterfront summer terrace, will open on Friday 28 July. Over the five weeks Huvilanranta is open, the menu will feature a varied selection of food and drink ranging from Korean street food to wild food. Also in store, is a generous free programme including themed club evenings, acoustic gigs and children’s discos.
Last year, Huvilanranta, a festival centre open to the public, was opened around the iconic Helsinki Festival event venue of Huvila. This year, the terrace area, designed by JKMM Architects, winners of the Finlandia Prize for Architecture, will open three weeks before the beginning of the Helsinki Festival and remain open until the end of the festival.
Changing selection of restaurants is an invitation to come and sample the food already ahead of Helsinki Festival
The food and drinks at Huvilanranta are provided by selection of restaurants with menus curated for Huvilanranta. From the opening of the terrace to the start of Helsinki Festival, i.e. 28 July – 16 August, visitors to Huvilanranta will be catered for by Satama Bar & Bistro, rated the best lunch restaurant in Helsinki, Just Vege, acclaimed for generous, filling vegetarian dishes, and the hugely popular Korean street food restaurant POCHA!
During Helsinki Festival, 17 August – 3 September, Huvilanranta visitors will be served up taste experiences by Casa Moro, a Moroccan restaurant, Skutta, a wild food specialist, and Lopez y Lopez, which has the best tacos in town. Besides which, Bar Pommes Frites Powered by Mummon will continue serving dishes of surprising, loaded fries for as long as the terrace is open. Drinks at Huvilaranta will be provided by Helsinki Bryggeri.
A variety of free programme from DJ evenings to children’s discos
During the five weeks it is open, Huvilanranta will also serve up a free programme including DJ and band gigs. Visitors to Huvilanranta on Wednesday and Thursday evenings in August will be entertained by the Under the Sun club with dancing to disco music and the We Are Your Friends club with changing DJ guests and where among, others, DJ Orkidea and Roberto Rodriguez can be heard. On Friday and Saturday evenings, visitors can delve into the world of various music styles with both DJ music and acoustic gigs.
Visitors to Huvilanranta during the opening weekend on 28 and 29 July will be treated to a performance by the band Trash Drumming, which uses scrap metal and recycled material as instruments, and the Jazz & Conversations event, at which Olli Ojajärvi and Mitja Tuurala will introduce the gentle mood of jazz. On Friday 4 August, the public will be wowed by the DJ duo Paha Vaanii, with dancing to Finnish music, and on Saturday 5 August, when Elias Gould brings his guitar-driven Indie rock to Huvilanranta. On Sunday 30 July and 6 August, Skidit-disko will entertain the whole family.
Huvilanranta is open from 28 July –16 August on weekdays from 15-23 and at weekends from 13-23, and from 17 August to 3 September daily from 13-23.
Helsinki Festival will be held from 17 August to 3 September 2023. Tickets for all performances and concerts are on sale at Ticketmaster or lippu.fi. More information at: helsinkifestival.fi
Helsinki Festival’s main partners are Helsingin Sanomat and Elisa, sponsored by Accenture and the service partners are Akun tehdas, Helsinki Bryggeri, Heku, Marski by Scandic and Renault.
Image: Sky Production Oy