On the second day of Yläkaupungin Yö, the festival atmosphere can be seen, heard, and even smelled in the open air. The program and activities organized on the university campus area and in Lounaispuisto Park will attract large amount of people to the uptown. The Seminaarinkatu festival square is located on the main route for crowds in the upper town. Yläkaupungin Yö rents market places in the event area on Saturday for various food vendors, craftspeople, hobby clubs, associations, and organizations.

You can fill out a market stall application via this link!

At the Yläkaupungin Yö market square, local and visiting market vendors can sell and showcase their products or activities. There is limited electricity available for food stalls in the area, so we recommend applying early. Contracts with market vendors will be signed throughout the spring. The first spots have already been booked! Questions, suggestions, and other feedback regarding the festival market can be sent by email to [email protected].

Photo: Reko Rouvinen

The setting up of the festival square in the area requires changes to the traffic arrangements in the area. In previous years, Seminaarinkatu has been closed from 12:00 noon on Saturday. The street has been closed until 2:00 a.m. For public safety reasons, cars and electric scooters are not allowed in the area during these hours. Access to courtyards for local residents and companies is of course permitted during the closure. The closure of Seminaarinkatu starts at the Vaasankatu crossroads in front of the restaurant Sohwi and continues along the street past Villa Rana to the Hämeenkatu crossroads. Minna Canthin katu has also been part of the street closure in the past. We will inform you of this year’s more detailed traffic arrangements as they are confirmed during the spring.

In order to organise the market square, production requires not only special infrastructure and traffic arrangements, but also the support of volunteers in terms of security, traffic guidance and keeping the area clean. The festival info-tent in the market square also needs volunteer support, especially for merchandise sales. This year’s Yläkaupungin Yö volunteer application will open in February!

In addition to the market square on Seminaarinkatu, a few individual market places can also be rented from Yläkaupungin Yö elsewhere in the festival area. Individual sales spots have been located, for example, in Mäki-Matti Family Park, Toivola’s Old Yard, Lounaispuisto Park, and in front of Ilokivi and K-market Kymppi. Last year, the Seminaarinkatu market area stretched from the University Library to Alvarin Aukio – the square at the main building – where a group of Finnish craftspeople had their sales stands.

And here are a few more photos from last year… Bon appétit, everyone!

Photo: Antti Närhi

Photo: Reko Rouvinen

Photo: Reko Rouvinen

Photo: Noora Nerg

Photo: Marika Törönen

Photo: Iitu Purhonen