Tall Ships Races Helsinki filled the City

The Tall Ships Races Helsinki 2024 event was held in Helsinki from July 4-7, 2024. The event brought 50 large sailing ships from thirteen different countries to the city’s central harbors. Over a thousand crew members arrived in Helsinki with the ships.

This youth sailing event, held every four years in the Baltic Sea, attracted over 400,000 visitors to Helsinki’s city center over four days. This figure is based on technical calculations utilizing both LIDAR scanning and smart cameras.

“There was a very nice crowd, and the atmosphere remained good throughout the event. The area was full, but congestion was avoided. The Tall Ships Races was overall a successful visitor experience, with no incidents of disorder reported during the event days,” said event project manager Marianne Saukkonen.

A vitality assessment based on mobile phone location data will be conducted, expected to be completed in August. This assessment will reveal how many more visits the event area received compared to the same weekend in previous years.

The Event Weekend met the set goals

The City of Helsinki, alongside the event’s organizing body Sail Training International, aimed to promote Baltic Sea protection and youth work. The sustainably organized event was hoped to bring joy to both residents and visitors, enhance the vibrancy of the city center, and strengthen Helsinki’s maritime image and service offerings.

Preliminary evaluations suggest these goals were well met, with more detailed information on visitor satisfaction collected through a survey.

In addition to the vitality assessment to be published in August, the City of Helsinki will further evaluate the achievement of the event’s goals, the lessons learned, and the economic impact later this year.

“It was a pleasure for Helsinki to once again showcase the large sailing ships for residents and visitors to admire. The central and historically magnificent event location crowned this grand event, which was memorable for visitors and especially for the young sailors. It was a great honor for us to once again serve as the host port for the Tall Ships Races,” said Sanna Forsström, Head of the Brand and Events Unit of the City of Helsinki.

Event Visitors and Partners Engaged in Baltic Sea Protection

The Tall Ships Races Helsinki event was produced by the Helsinki Events Foundation, responsible for the city’s event productions. The City of Helsinki, acting as the host port, attracted the major event to Helsinki and prepared and executed the event in collaboration with various teams and authorities.

The event’s charity partner was the John Nurminen Foundation. In addition to youth sailing, raising awareness about the Baltic Sea’s condition and its protection was one of the event’s goals.

“The John Nurminen Foundation warmly thanks the Helsinki Events Foundation and other partners, as well as all the sailing ships and their crews for the wonderful cooperation. As the event’s charity partner, we had the opportunity to reach a large number of citizens interested in the event, Baltic Sea enthusiasts, and mariners. We want to thank everyone who donated towards saving the Baltic Sea and its heritage during the event,” said Ari Rytkönen, Head of Corporate Fundraising at the John Nurminen Foundation.

Other event partners were Kia, Helsingin Sanomat, Red Events Restaurants, Ramirent, Stopteltat, Securitas, Port of Helsinki, Grano, Rajupaja, Lassila & Tikanoja, Fais Finland, Heku Group, Ingman, and Sinebrychoff.

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The Tall Ships Races is a race of large sailing ships and the largest free family event in Europe. The event aims to promote youth education and cooperation across nationalities, cultural backgrounds, religions, and social backgrounds through a shared sailing event. The event brings dozens of impressive sailing ships with their crews to the city, around which a public event is built. The Tall Ships Races Helsinki event was organized by the Helsinki Events Foundation, responsible for the city’s event productions.

The John Nurminen Foundation’s goal is to save the Baltic Sea and its heritage for future generations. The foundation’s projects improve the Baltic Sea’s condition by reducing the load and environmental risks, such as eutrophication and biodiversity loss. The foundation is also an award-winning communicator and producer of maritime cultural content. It strengthens the human relationship with the sea. The foundation’s work is guided by results and impact. Its activities are primarily funded by donations and grants. www.johnnurmisensaatio.fi