99,000 visitors at the renewed Helsinki Baltic Herring Market
The nearly 300-year-old Helsinki Baltic Herring Market brought together food lovers of all ages and enthusiasts of archipelago products. Fishermen and other vendors of archipelago products, restaurant offerings, and a versatile side program attracted a total of 99 000 visitors to Market Square from 4 to 10 October. The new restaurant area drew crowds and also attracted new lovers of domestic local food to the market.
The closing day of the Helsinki Baltic Herring Market was celebrated today, Saturday 10 October. Held since 1743, the event successfully combined beloved traditions with new ventures. Market visitors got to enjoy traditional and modern fish delicacies and other archipelago products, the offerings of the new restaurant area, as well as music, a sauna boat, public sailing trips, and other autumn programming. Essential to Helsinki’s important autumn traditions, the event attracted visitors particularly from the capital region, but also from elsewhere in Finland.
At the restaurant area built on Keisarinluodonlaituri pier and in its indoor tent, visitors enjoyed fish dishes prepared by restaurants along with matching drinks. “Customers have been wishing for fish dishes to be eaten on site as well as alcohol service for several years. This year, we were able to implement the new restaurant area together with five operators. As Helsinki Events Foundation’s experiences from the Helsinki Christmas Market (Tuomaan Markkinat) have shown, visitors are increasingly looking for new taste experiences at markets. Interesting and seasonal restaurant dishes are an excellent way to attract new visitors to a traditional event, surrounding both new and classic products. Restaurant Kuurna’s grilled Baltic herring sticks emerged as the market’s most popular dish”, describes Saara Vanhala, Executive Producer of the Helsinki Baltic Herring Market.
As the number of professional fishermen decreases, the event has been developing into an even more versatile archipelago experience by increasingly incorporating autumn seasonal food products and restaurant offerings into the selection. “This year, 17 different fishermen were at the market selling Baltic herring delicacies prepared in various ways. Participating at a fishing boat berth is free of charge, and we offer lower prices to fishermen for the sales huts. With new ventures, we also aim to attract new market visitors to the fishermen’s classic products,” says Vanhala.
In addition to shopping and culinary experiences, market guests were interested in the joint booth of the Federation of Finnish Fisheries Associations (Kalatalouden Keskusliitto) and the Swedish-speaking Martha Association in Finland (Marthaförbundet), where visitors could once again find interesting information and guidance on fishing, fish handling, and fish identification.
The “Secret Baltic Herring” orienteering organized for children and early childhood education groups on the Thursday morning of market week inspired about 350 children to come and learn about market traditions, fish delicacies, Baltic Sea protection, and fishing as a livelihood.
“Despite the variable autumn weather, there was a delightfully large audience for every market day. Among the clientele, we saw a diverse range of visitors from regulars to tourists. To our great joy, families with children and young adults were also well represented among the visitors, proving that the Helsinki Baltic Herring Market is perceived as a meaningful autumn tradition across many generations,” says Vanhala.
Also organized for the first time, the Helsinki Baltic Herring Market in restaurants (Silakkamarkkinat Stadin rafloissa) concludes on Saturday evening, 10 October. In the end, 12 Helsinki restaurants took part, conjuring up their own unique Baltic herring dish to be enjoyed in their own restaurants. “The event was a great success, and the restaurants’ commitment to the campaign exceeded our expectations. There was clearly a demand for for such event, and its development will continue in the future as well,” states Saara Vanhala.
Pics: Mari Mur