Dear fellow expat parent in Finland, here’s a post uniquely designed to alleviate the pains of planning your child’s birthday celebration. Arranging a kid’s party is stressful alone but it’s one degree extra if you have recently moved to Finland and don’t know where to start. Don’t worry: I’ve got you!

The venue

Parties are usually organised in one among three possible locations:
1. Your own home: this is the cheapest option, ideal if you have a limited number of guests.
2. Private venues which offer birthday packages (like museums, indoor parks, etc.). This is super fun but expensive, since guests expect you to cover all costs.
Some suggestions: Superpark (read my review), HopLop, Kids Escape, Puppet Museum Hevosenkenkä, Theatre Museum, Heureka.
3. Town’s communal houses (asukaspuisto / leikkipuisto): they are cheap to rent, offer plenty of space and are totally safe for kids.
Here you can find more information on public spaces for rent in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa (but I believe these spaces are to be found close to any town in Finland).

Invitations

Some parents just send a text, others like to print invitation cards. Depending on your child’s language skills or your circles of friends, you may need to write invitations in Finnish. After years of crafting ours by copying and mixing text from those we had received, I can share a template (replace Lumi with your child’s name):

Tervetuloa Lumin synttäreille / Welcome to Lumi’s birthday party
22.2.2019 klo 14-16 / 22.2.2019 at 14-16
[place, with address]
Ilmoitathan tulostasi ja mahdolliset allergiat / Please report your presence and any allergy
16.2 mennessä. Laura 040 0023451 / before 16.2. Laura 040 0023451

Personally I like to print invitation cards for my kids, simply because I am a nostalgic and I keep one every year. For design and printing I use VistaPrint. Most Finnish parents don’t reply if their child is not able to attend the party (radio silence means no). From experience, I recommend putting a RSVP deadline or you’ll get most replies two hours before the party. Make sure to ask about food allergies!
Important: the local custom is that parents stay at the party if their child is younger than 4, and they leave if she child is older (unless there’s some special reason to stay). I am sharing this because I am still haunted by memories on my daughter’s 4th birthday when we invited 25 toddlers and witnessed in horror all parents leaving.

Decorations

People here tend to go easy on party decorations and usually they amount pretty much to coloured paper plates and mouth-inflated balloons. You don’t need to overdo here! You can find a limited selection of party basics in any medium-big grocery store. If you wish for a wider offer, Flying Tiger, Juhlamaailma, Confetti are your go-to places. If you are an online shopper, i recommend SynttäriKuningas or Amazon DE.

Entertainment

Entertainment at parties is daaaarn expensive here! The price for a 30 minute children’s show ranges from 150 to 300 euros. Some families choose to team up and celebrate two parties in one, and split costs.

One popular option is a magician (taikuri). To find one, you can Google for example the name of your town along with taikuri synttäreille (= magician for birthday party). Another option is to hire a clown (pelle) or ask for a puppet show (nukketeatteri). On the Skidit cruise we got to meet the beautiful Juhlaprinsessa, she would be a great choice to take your party to another level.
You can find some simple game ideas from this old post as well.

Food and the cake

Most parties include chips, candies, and the cake. Personally, I learned to serve simple flavory options before sweets. Sometime my children are offered a simple dinner (hot dogs or pizza). You may choose to bake the cake yourself or you can order one.

I have exciting news: the talented artist of Ann’s Cake Boutique is granting a 10% off discount for my readers (valid until May 31st, 2019). Ann’s cakes are unique masterpieces and you can see for yourself in her spectacular photo gallery. You can contact her and order through the business’ Facebook page. To benefit from the discount, use the code ACB0319.

Return gifts

Guests in Finland expect return gifts. We were completely taken by surprise, since it’s not a thing in Italy. Usually the host prepares small gift bags (find them at Flying Tiger) for guests. A gift bag may contain candies, stickers, coloured pencils. Once my daughter received a special clay box, which she loved. This year I bought Play Doh packs and I plan to give one to each guest. You can find plenty of ideas online!

Return gifts are handed to guests when they are leaving, often by fishing (kalastus): kids queue and “fish” their own bag with a homemade fishing stick, with the help of one parent hiding behind the “sea”.

You are all set! Your child’s party will be a great success. Happy birthday!