More weekend traffic chaos in Helsinki
Traffic jams continued on Saturday as a result of the Espoo Weekend Festival event.
On Friday, the event blocked traffic on the main Vihti highway for hours. Serious traffic congestion was also reported on the ring road Kehä III.
“Conditions have not changed since yesterday,” noted Senior Constable Petri Pylkäs.
The police say they have sufficient resources to deal with the event.
Organisers anticipate some 17,000 participants. They announced on the event’s Facebook page that co-operation with the Espoo police would be intensified. However, officers appeared not to be aware of this.
“I have no idea what this means. Co-operation will almost certainly be the same as on Friday. The job of the police is to prevent disorder,” added Senior Constable Pylkäs.
Yesterday some five participants were taken into police custody, including two performers who were involved in a scuffle. Police say the detained are suspected of assault.
The two-day event has attracted international artists including Skrillex, David Guetta and Hurts. Festival organisers say the purpose of the Espoo Weekend Festival is to present modern music across genre borders.
The event, being held for the first time, exceeded organiser expectations with a crowd of 25,000 people on Friday.
In addition to the traffic chaos caused by the event, motorists also face problems in the capital region due to the Helsinki City Marathon.
Latest in: News
Unknown soldiers laid to rest on Memorial Day
As this is also Whit Sunday or Pentecost, many shops are closed.
Soini and SDP contest workers’ support
The Social Democratic Party’s recent ministerial changes, which tipped the gender balance and created a female-majority cabinet, brought strong criticism from Finns party leader Timo Soini. He claimed the party had abandoned working-class men. Soini's comments provoked a strong response from the SDP.
Finnish Eurovision contestant: Kiss may have cost points
The ESC title remains in the Nordic region, but the Finnish entrant failed to attract much support.
Siegfrids hopes for Eurovision success
The Danish pre-contest favourite believes that this could be Scandinavia’s year, while Finnish contestant Krista Siegfrids promises to celebrate whether she wins or not.
Lions’ golden dream dies in Stockholm
Finland’s men's ice hockey team lost 3-0 in their World Championship semi-final against arch-rivals Sweden on Saturday in Stockholm. The Lions will play in the bronze medal match on Sunday.
Summery, thundery conditions continue over the weekend
Summer has finally arrived in Finland, with warmer than average temperatures and some lively bursts of thunder expected. That means the south and east of Finland are set for warm weather—and rain—this weekend.
SDP chair rejects calls to appoint new Foreign Minister
Social Democratic Party chair and Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen has rejected calls to appoint a new Foreign Minister, saying that incumbent Erkki Tuomioja is “the right man” for the job. The demands followed Urpilainen’s decision Friday to shake up the party's cabinet line-up.
Restaurant Day celebrates Finland’s growing culinary diversity
A group of hard-boiled food enthusiasts cooked up the ninth Restaurant Day, which took place Saturday. The originally Finnish idea has been to feed a grassroots movement celebrating food, fellowship and community.
Bus drivers’ strike continues through the weekend
Bus drivers who shut down their engines and walked off the job at a Vantaa bus depot last Tuesday will continue their work stoppage through the weekend. The drivers are protesting plans to introduce a new shift system, which they say provides inadequate rest periods. Employer and employee representatives have had no success resolving the impasse.
"Russian Google” Yandex sets up in Mäntsälä
One of the world’s largest search engine providers has announced plans to fast track construction of a server centre in Mäntsälä, in southern Finland. Yandex, also known as the “Russian Google” says Finland is an ideal location for a server hub, partly due to competitive energy prices.
