A centuries-old tradition continues on summer Fridays in downtown Helsinki.
This is Finland's oldest public event, where the guard parade procession starts at 12:30 PM from Helsinki's Senate Square, marching along Esplanadi to the main guard post. After the guard parade, an entertaining MIL-Espa concert will be held at 2:00 PM at the Esplanade stage.
Admission to the events is free.
Fridays from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM (Guard Parade from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM, concert from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM).
• 24.5. Guard Parade: The Guard's Band
• 24.5. MIL-Espa: The Air Force Big Band
• 31.5. Guard Parade: The Dragoon Band
• 31.5. MIL-Espa: The Conscripts' Band: Hallakko
• 7.6. Lapland Military Band*
• 14.6. The Conscript Band Finland
• 28.6. MIL-Espa: The Conscript Band Finland
• 5.7. The Conscript Band Finland
• 12.7. Guard Parade: The Navy Band
• 12.7. MIL-Espa: The Navy Band
• 19.7. The Conscript Band Finland
• 26.7. The Conscript Band Finland
• 9.8. Guard Parade: The Dragoon Band
• 16.8. MIL-Espa: The Navy Band's Conscripts' Band
*If a performance (Guard Parade/MIL-Espa) is not specified in the schedule, the respective band will be responsible for both.
Please note that on Friday 28th of June there will be no Guard Parade before the MIL-Espa concert.
GUARD PARADE:
The guard parades held during the summer months are largely intended to entertain the public as part of popular national defense activities. All military bands from across Finland take turns participating in this centuries-old guard parade tradition.
The history of the guard parade stretches back over 250 years to the Swedish rule era. The main guard was located at the Great Market Square, where the guard detachments marched from their barracks. During the autonomy period, guard shifts usually lasted a day, always involving a guard parade. Since Finland's independence, parades have been held regularly since May 1919, with only a year's break during the early phase of the Continuation War and in 2020 due to the pandemic.
This year marks the 267th year of the tradition. The 2024 summer guard parades start from Senate Square, featuring entertainment music, formation marching, and weapon handling. The parade then continues with march music around Havis Amanda to Esplanadi and in front of Helsinki's main guard post. From the main guard, the parade marches back along Esplanadi to Senate Square, where it ends. After the parade, the band performs at the MIL-Espa event on the Esplanade stage at 2:00 PM.
Admission to the events is free.
MIL-ESPA:
MIL-Espa concerts are entertaining national defense activities and part of the long-standing guard parade tradition. Park concerts have been held since 1927 in the Esplanade park, and this year there will be a total of ten concerts.
The entertaining concert is held on the Esplanade stage on summer Fridays, with military bands from all over Finland taking turns performing. Expect enjoyable performances of various music styles. Welcome!
Free admission.
