Helsinki Garden arena secures €35 million state investment

The Finnish government has approved a €35 million investment grant for the Helsinki Garden arena project, following a mid-term budget review in 2025.

Jan Vapaavuori, chair of the project company’s board and a former National Coalition Party minister, told Yle that discussions with officials began in January 2024. He engaged primarily with senior civil servants at the Ministry of Finance and, later, the Prime Minister’s office. Direct conversations with the Prime Minister were brief and infrequent.

Vapaavuori acknowledged criticism over the lack of transparency in the decision-making process but noted that such large-scale projects are rare, occurring only every 10–20 years. He compared the procedure to that used for Tampere’s Nokia Arena, which received proportionally larger state support relative to its size.

The government’s decision was unanimous, with prior approval from party leaders, he said. The project aims to address Finland’s lack of a large, modern multi-purpose arena in the city centre, which Vapaavuori argued is necessary to compete for major international sports events and concerts. He cited the embarrassment of Finnish youth travelling abroad to see major artists perform.

On competition with other planned arenas, such as one in Vantaa’s Kivistö, Vapaavuori pointed out that Helsinki currently has just over 20,000 seats across its multi-purpose venues, compared to Stockholm’s 120,000. He emphasised the project’s significant economic impact, including thousands of jobs during construction and long-term benefits for local businesses.