The night of the arts

Yesterday day evening and night was the annual Night of the Arts in Helsinki. It is part of Helsinki Festival, an urban happening taking place at the end of August and the first days of September.

The night has two sides: there are people that go to the city to see the art and visit venues, and then there are people that use the night as a good excuse to booze midweek.

We, that is Sanna and a few friends of us, have a tradition that we go through several galleries, following the routes laid out in The Enchanted Way gallery brochure. It is very nice way to see the arts and not get involved in any performance or being exposed to the drunken masses. A lot of art, some wine, some bisquits and a few new places to visit in the city.

Of course, the night has a lot more to offer, and we are just scratching the surface here. There is a lot of various public activities and the art goes everywhere — and it doesn’t need to be “high” art. For example, the police band was playing at the Kolmen Sepän Aukio Finnish dance music from fifties, and there were a huge crowd listening to them.

There were performances in some shops among the shoppers. One clothing boutique on Fredrikinkatu had hired a modern dancer to perform while they served some wine for the shoppers.

If you are planning to come to Helsinki in late summer, try to be here during this night. It is fun to mingle in with the arts.