President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb and his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb hosted the Independence Day reception on Friday 6 December 2024 at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. The theme of the reception was Together.
In total, some 1,700 guests from all over Finland were invited to the Presidential Palace. Invitations were extended to people who have promoted the spirit of community and brought people from different backgrounds together. Many of the guests have contributed to the sense of community among Finns, especially through culture, literature and sport.
The guest list also featured outstanding professionals in the field of youth work or social services, including those working to combat domestic violence or promote mental health. About a third of the guests were invited for the first time.
The reception followed tradition in many ways, but also had some new features. The Hall of State had atmospheric lighting and there were more musical performances than before on all three floors. In the Gothic Hall there was a photo exhibition curated by the Finnish Museum of Photography.
Tastes of Lapland
This year the inspiration for the cocktail buffet came from Lapland. The focus was on Finnish ingredients and local organic products from small and local producers. Special emphasis was placed on berries, vegetables and Lappish ingredients.
Waiters from Hyria’s restaurant and catering training programmes assisted with the service. In addition, the Culinary Team of Finland prepared small vegetarian, fish and meat delicacies on the third floor of the Presidential Castle.
Blue, white and green were the main colours of the floral decorations.
Photo exhibition on belonging together
The Presidential Palace hosted an exhibition of photographs, curated by the Finnish Museum of Photography, entitled Together, depicting the feeling of belonging together with a person, animal or environment.
The Gothic Hall featured photographs by Elina Brotherus, Wilma Hurskainen, Uwa Iduozee, Ben Kaila, Joel Karppanen, Raakel Kuukka, Elina Ketola (formerly Söyri), Nadir Mohammad and Salma Jama (Malimania) and Lada Suomenrinne. The exhibition was curated by Museum Director Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger and Collections Curator Anni Wallenius. The photographs are part of the Museum’s collection.
A variety of musical performances
The music for the welcoming ceremony was provided by the Guards Band. The repertoire was based on tradition, but also included several arrangements of popular music.
The first waltz danced by the President and his spouse was Valse Triste by Jean Sibelius.
The evening’s dance music was performed by the Guards Combo and singers Juha Tapio and Iina Mutikainen.
In the Yellow Room on the second floor, the Iiro Rantala Trio performed with vocalists Helena Juntunen and Lotta Kuusisto.
In the third-floor Salon, the guests were entertained by the band Younghearted.
