Helsinki prepares for May Day celebrations with toilets and bins

Parks in central Helsinki will have 212 toilets and 53 urinals

Public toilets will be available in Kaivopuisto Park, Meripuisto Park, Esplanadi Park, Rautatientori Square, Kaisaniemi Park, Tähtitorninmäki, Ruttopuisto, Sinebrychoff Park and Hartola Park. They will be installed on May Day Eve, 30 April. Of the toilets, 18 are fully accessible.

The business of renting out toilets and placing them on City grounds is subject to a permit, and such permits are not granted.

Waste recycling tested at Kaivopuisto

Waste sorting will be tested in Kaivopuisto for the first time. The park will have three recycling points for the visitors for recycling biowaste, plastic, cardboard and glass.

Close to the recycling points, there is also a platform for mixed waste which should be used if the bins are full. The recycling points are located by Iso Puistotie street, close to the dance stage and next to the sports field to the west.

Parks protected from wear

As the new lawns in the parks are very sensitive, it is not allowed to drive cars there. Only authorised operators, such as organisations selling food, can drive on the paths of Kaivopuisto Park, Kaisaniemi Park and other parks in central Helsinki. The security supervisors direct traffic in Kaivopuisto and stop unauthorised vehicles from entering the park.

Sauna cabins and heavy tents must be placed on a hard surface. The on-site supervisors can help with finding a permitted place for your tent. Kaivopuisto Park also has a first-aid station.

The coals from disposable grills and other smouldering waste must be put in the metal barrels designated for such waste – not to the waste bins or platforms. A fire in the middle of a large crowd is very dangerous, and burning waste may produce toxic gas.

Empty champagne bottles exchanged for cinema tickets; other bottles picked up by collectors

The City of Helsinki will also organise its traditional collection for empty champagne and sparkling wine bottles. Kaivopuisto will have two bottle collection points: one midway through Iso Puistotie street and the other in the Kaivopuisto playground. The collection points are marked with tall vertical banners.

When you return 20 empty sparkling wine bottles, you will receive a cinema ticket. There are 1,300 tickets available. If you pick up and return a lot of bottles, you can earn free tickets for the whole year. The tickets are valid for 12 months and can be used at all Finnkino cinemas. The project will be a great help in cleaning up after May Day. After the collection, the heavy sparkling wine bottles will be delivered for Palautuspakkaus Oy to make materials for glass wool.

Other bottles and cans will be picked up by bottle collectors, who will be a welcome help to the City. As everyone celebrating May Day knows, bottles are given to the collectors intact.

Traffic arrangements in central Helsinki

In central Helsinki, sections of streets around the Market Square and Esplanadi will be closed to traffic on 30 April. More information about traffic arrangements.

Stara cleans parks and streets

Stara will be cleaning parks and streets throughout the weekend of 29 and 30 April. Extra resources have been reserved for maintenance services for both the days and nights. On May Day, Kaivopuisto will be cleaned by Stara park maintenance workers and several organisations. The comprehensive cleaning after May Day will begin on Tuesday at night. Regardless, please clean up after yourself!