Vaasa celebrates its birthday on 2 October

Culture for everyone 

Vaasa’s many cultural organisations will organise free birthday events and offer promotions throughout the week. 

Free entry to museums 

Vaasa Museums offer free entry on Thursday, 2 October! All of Vaasa’s museums will be open. 

Celebrate with theatre and music 

Vaasa City Theatre will celebrate the birthday over three days with a special programme. 

• On Thursday 2 October, there will be a free theatre tour at 17, followed by the exhibition Tarpeettomia ihmisiä (Unnecessary People) from 18 to 19, with free entry. On Thursday, you can also try the autumn intermission menu at Restaurant Kulma for €6 per person.  

• On Friday 3 October at 13 and Saturday 4 October at 18, the theatre will present the musical play Piaf – En kadu mitään (Piaf – I regret nothing). To celebrate Vaasa’s 419th birthday, tickets are available for €44. 

Pre-register and reserve your tickets at the City Theatre box office, tel. 06 325 3961. Please note that the number of seats is limited. 

On Thursday, 2 October, the Vaasa City Orchestra will transform City Hall into a glamorous Las Vegas casino. Juki Välipakka, sometimes called Finland’s Frank Sinatra, and Italian-born Chiara Orlandi will present a classic, old-fashioned entertainment concert, featuring heartfelt renditions of timeless American and Italian hits. The evening will be hosted by Antti Rissanen, one of Finland’s leading all-round entertainers. Before the concert, guests will be able to take photos on the red carpet in front of the City Hall with a classic American car. 

Activities for children 

• Fun at the Traffic Park: On Vaasa’s birthday, Thursday 2 October, Onkilahti Traffic Park (Järvikatu 9) will be open from 12 to 18, weather permitting. Reflectors will be handed out for the dark autumn evenings!  Onkilahti Traffic Park is like Vaasa in miniature. The park features scale models of the City Hall, the water tower and the railway station, as well as 36 pedal cars, a few bicycles and even a Lifti bus. Free entry. 

• Mille – Klick! in the Draama Room at the Main Library Uudet ystävät (New Friends), a bilingual, musical, and interactive theatre performance, on Thursday 2 October from 9.30 to 10.30. The performance is free of charge and aimed at early childhood education groups with children aged 5–7. ECEC groups are kindly asked to register in advance by 15 September at sanna.asikainen@vaasa.fi .The performance is a joint production by Barnens Estrad and City of Vaasa’s Culture and Library Services. 

• Vaasa’s primary schools will receive pre-prepared materials related to the city’s birthday, which can be used throughout the week. The materials include fun activities related to Vaasa and life in the city. 

Events in Vähäkyrö 

Vähäkyrö Regional Services will organise a special programme celebrate Vaasa’s birthday in Vähäkyrö on Thursday, 2 October. Join the celebration and enjoy coffee and birthday cake from 15 to 17 at Vähäkyrö House (Vähänkyröntie 11)! Cake will be served while it lasts.