Vantaa arena project lead questions Helsinki Garden viability

The project manager for Vantaa’s planned Kivistö arena says he does not understand how the Helsinki Garden project can be made profitable, according to a report by Yle.

Pepe Perkiö, who leads the Vantaa Arena project, described the Kivistö venue as a direct competitor to Helsinki Garden and called for equal treatment of both proposals. He noted that Vantaa’s project is further advanced, with a building permit application submitted and site preparation underway.

Perkiö questioned the financial viability of Helsinki Garden, pointing out that planning for the Töölö site has dragged on since 2008. “We’ve done our own calculations and simply don’t see how Garden can be made profitable,” he said.

He argued that Kivistö’s strength lies in its location, with over half of event visitors typically coming from outside the Ring III beltway. The arena would sit 100 metres from Kivistö railway station and adjacent to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, with direct access from the Hämeenlinna motorway.

Unlike Helsinki Garden, which is tied to the HIFK ice hockey club, Perkiö stressed that Kivistö Arena would operate as a purely event-driven venue with no club affiliations. He also noted lower construction costs, as the Vantaa site does not require underground building.

Vantaa has not yet applied for state funding but plans to submit an informal application to the government within the next two weeks. The project is partly backed by international investor EPower Capital, with no municipal financing involved.