Festivals - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

Turku, the Christmas City of Finland
As the oldest city in Finland, Turku is the home of the Finnish Christmas culture.
Many European Christmas traditions have been spread via Turku to the rest of Finland.
In its historical role in spreading and maintaining Christmas traditions, Turku
annually celebrates Christmas from the end of November to St. Knut’s Day on 13 January,
the closing day of the season in the old times. Due to these facts, Turku City Board
decided in 1996 to declare Turku the Christmas City of Finland.
Christmas City organisation
The City of Turku founded a Project Office in 1996 whose task is to compile the Christmas
City programme into a single whole and manage the project in collaboration with
the Christmas City team. Comprising of people from different administrative bodies
of the city and the biggest event organisers, the Christmas City team is assisting the
Project Office. Since the very beginning, a local advertising agency has been involved
in building the Christmas City. This advertising agency produces marketing material,
provides communication services and finds sponsors.
Budget
In its annual budget, the City of Turku determines a Christmas City budget for the
Project Office, amounting to € 160,000 in 2004. The city pays € 60,000 of the budget
to the advertising agency that secures 3-5 times that much money from sponsors. The
funds obtained from the sponsors are spent on marketing the Christmas City; including
local and national printed media advertising, brochures, TV advertising, website
maintenance and a programme leaflet that is distributed to all households in the Turku
economic region. Advertising campaigns vary from year to year.
The Christmas City does not charge the event organisers for joint marketing and communication;
the marketing is free for them. Consequently, they can focus their resources
on providing content. Event producers, both the administrative bodies of the
city and other organisers, have their own budgets for arranging the events. Sponsors
are not sought for event production, but for joint marketing. The annual Christmas
City budget also covers the Christmas look of the city, including lights and decorations,
as well as the production costs of a few outdoor events.
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Christmas City of Finland Turku is packed with events
The festive opening of the Christmas City at Turku Market Square starts a 7-week
period of activities. In 2003, there were more than 400 events of a wide variety. The
period is divided into three different themes. Before Christmas, they focus on waiting
for Christmas. Christmas Eve and the holidays are traditionally spent quietly, concentrating
on the message of peace. The time after the holidays until St. Knut’s Day is a
carnival period. Christmas City events comprise both large outdoor events and smallscale
occasions e.g. in churches. Some are free of charge to the audience and for some
there is a charge. Each event organiser can keep all entrance ticket income.