Finland will observe All Saints’ Day on Saturday, 31 October, the same day Halloween is celebrated, creating possible confusion for residents and visitors over public transport schedules, museum opening hours and public services.
Although Halloween traditionally marks the evening before All Saints’ Day, which falls on 1 November, Finnish authorities have designated Saturday, 31 October, as the national public holiday this year. The unusual calendar arrangement means that some services will operate under normal Saturday schedules, while others will follow Sunday or public holiday timetables.
One notable change concerns Alko, Finland’s state-owned alcohol retailer. Following changes to the country’s alcohol legislation earlier this year, Alko stores will be allowed to open on a public holiday for the first time. Previously, the retailer was required to close its stores on public holidays. On Saturday, individual outlets will operate according to their usual Saturday opening hours.
For shoppers, however, the public holiday is unlikely to bring significant changes to their weekend plans. Shopping centres and large grocery stores are expected to maintain their normal opening hours, meaning most customers should be able to shop as they would on an ordinary Saturday.
Public transport passengers may face a different situation, particularly those travelling between cities. Transport operators will not follow one uniform timetable across Finland. In Helsinki and Tampere, services are expected to run according to regular Saturday schedules, while operators in Turku and Rovaniemi will use holiday timetables instead. Passengers are therefore advised to check the schedules published by their local transport providers before travelling.
National rail operator VR will maintain its normal Saturday timetable, so train services will not be affected by the change in the public holiday schedule.
People planning to visit museums should also check opening hours in advance. Many museums across Finland remain open on All Saints’ Day, but their operating hours may differ from those of a regular Saturday. Libraries in many municipalities will close for the day, while sports facilities in several areas are expected to operate according to Sunday schedules.
The combination of Halloween celebrations and All Saints’ Day observances could make the weekend particularly confusing for people unfamiliar with Finland’s public holiday calendar. While Halloween is widely associated with costumes, parties and seasonal activities, All Saints’ Day has a Christian background and is traditionally a time for remembering the dead. Many Finns mark the occasion by visiting cemeteries and lighting candles on the graves of loved ones.
Beyond the changes to public services, the weekend will also bring a shift in Finland’s weather as October comes to an end. The country has recently experienced an unusually warm and dry period, but that spell is expected to give way to cooler and wetter conditions.
According to Yle meteorologist Henriikka Heikinoja, rain showers forecast for southern and central Finland on Friday morning are expected to spread to other parts of the country over the following days.
A low-pressure system moving northwards from the southeast will bring light rain and drizzle to eastern Finland throughout Friday. Temperatures are also expected to fall, with some areas recording daytime readings as low as 3 degrees Celsius.
On Saturday, temperatures are forecast to range from around 8 degrees Celsius along the southern coastline to approximately 3 degrees in Finnish Lapland. Scattered rain showers are also expected across the country.
For residents and visitors spending the weekend in Finland, checking local service schedules before setting out will be particularly important. Transport timetables, cultural attractions and public facilities will not all follow the same arrangements, despite the country observing one national holiday.
