Map

A practical map for the festival can be also opened in a new window here

The City & the Scene

The Finnish capital is known for its beautiful architecture, historical landmarks, green parks and its location by the seaside. It is also home to countless hipster cafes, second hand shops, jazz bars and many happy lindy hoppers.

Arrival

Helsinki is easy to travel to by air from most places. From Helsinki-Vantaa airport the fastest way to reach to the city center is to take the I- or P-train. You can also find several bus lines arriving to the airport which take detours through different parts of town.

From St Petersburg or Moscow you can also arrive by train and from Tallinn and Stockholm by ferry:

Boats from Stockholm:
www.tallinksilja.com
https://www.sales.vikingline.com/

Boats from Tallinn:
www.tallinksilja.com
https://www.sales.vikingline.com/
www.eckeroline.com

Getting around

Once arrived in Helsinki, public transport is the easiest and cheapest way to get around, also by night. The Helsinki public transport app comes in handy when you are on the go.

HSL also has a great city bike service. In case of good weather those city bikes can be a very budget-friendly option to move around town.

Visas

If you need a travel visa to enter Finland in order to attend our event, send us a mail to info@helswingi.fi. We will help you to get the necessary invitations so you can come swing out with us.

Locations

Our locations this year are in the areas Alppila (classes) and Käpylä (parties). A walk in the historic wooden Käpylä is like entering a living time capsule into Helsinki’s past. Many of the housing blocks in Alppila were mainly built in the 1920s and 1930s as working-class apartment complexes. Some original wooden houses remain in the area and the surrounding parks make the district very green.

Where to sleep

Our community is very open to host dancers from abroad. You can ask for hosting in the Helswingi hosting group on Facebook. In the scenario of all couches are taken, Airbnb is probably the cheapest option to look at, before hostels and hotels.

What to see

In Helsinki you can find many must-sees but also hidden places, that are only known (but happily shared) by the locals. If you are looking for more than just casual dance reasons to visit us, take a read on this article: “36 reasons to love Helsinki”

Vintage Helsinki

Are you looking for vintage-inspired clothing? Or some vinyls to relove? You are in the right place. In Finland second-hand often comes first. There are plenty of flea markets, and stores like which specialize in vintage clothing. Here you can read more about ways to find vintage in Helsinki.

https://www.visitfinland.com/article/vintage-helsinki/

The Jazz & Dance scene

The swing dance scene in Helsinki has been around for approximately two decades. The town has several Swing dance schools, as well as regular Lindy hop, Balboa and Blues socials. We are also blessed with an active jazz music scene. Bars like Tenho, Storyville, or Manala frequently feature live bands, and if you are lucky, their music is danceable and you can find a slidey spot to shuffle on. You can easily keep track of Jazz related events in Helsinki by checking the Jazz calendar and the Swing & Blues calendar.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Helswingi was born in 2017 out of the idea to organize a Shag workshop. The end result was a 600 feet festival with 10 teachers and 35+ local musicians. This is the multi-cultural quartet blowing the whistles behind the scene: Andžej, Karri, Caroline and Tanja.

FAQ

Read the most frequently asked questions and answers here.

If you don’t find an answer there, feel free to contact us!

Contact

info@helswingi.fi
facebook.com/helswingi
instagram.com/helswingi

+358 84 154 1724

Legal information

Helswingi is organized through Coop Swing Collective.

Organizer: Osuuskunta Swing Kollektiivi / Coop Swing Collective
VAT number: FI28578381
Address: Karjalankatu 2 (c/o Black Pepper Swing), 00520 Helsinki, Finland
www.blackpepperswing.com