Helsinki Morrisers’ Vappu Dance Out 2026

Friday, 1 May 2026, from 12:00
in front of Musiikkitalo, on the upper side towards Mannerheimintie
***No booking required***

It is May Day, May the 1st, or Vappu as we call it in Finland. The Morrisers will start the day’s Dance Out at 12:00 in front of Musiikkitalo, on the upper side towards Mannerheimintie. From there, the Morrisers will then traipse their way towards Kappeli on Esplanadi aiming to arrive at 13:00. The dancers are accompanied, as always, by musicians on clarinet, squeezebox, penny whistle —and maybe a fiddle or two — playing traditional English tunes. Current styles of dancing include a mix of Border, Molly and Cotswold, as well as Helsinki traditions.

No registration needed. Show up and enjoy the performance!

The Helsinki Morrisers are a thoroughly mixed(up) Morris Dance side that started in 1993 in downtown Annankatu. The first performance took place on a sunny summer evening at the British Embassy. The Morrisers’ costume has changed considerably since then: the traditional baldricks are now made from a Marimekko design!

Since 1996, the Morrisers have been active members of the Arctic Morris Association along with Eken Morris from Stockholm. Ales (not beers, but an ancient word for a gathering of Morris dancers) have been held almost every year since then in either Helsinki or Stockholm.