Warm weather brings dancing and play to Helsinki parks

Families headed to parks and dance floors as warm weather encouraged people to spend time outdoors on Saturday.

The warmest day of the year so far saw families enjoying the sunshine in Helsinki. Adil Idrissi Akhelij took his family to Töölönlahti playground, a favorite spring activity for them. Despite the warm weather, Akhelij is not entirely convinced that spring has arrived.

“I never know, maybe it will start snowing again,” Akhelij laughed. “But we’re definitely heading towards summer, through spring, of course.”

His son, Soheil Idrissi Akhelij, enjoys the warming weather for two reasons: it’s nice to swim and play.

Nearby, at the Oopperapuisto outdoor stage, students from Aalto University were making pop-up pizzas. Jason Selvarajan and his friends had planned the pizza-making event about a month and a half ago, originally intending to do it in the snow.

“The weather has been perfect today,” Selvarajan said. “We were a bit worried if we should bring a tent.”

Despite the unplanned warm weather, Selvarajan said it didn’t ruin their day. “No, this is fine. At least now everyone can hang out with us here,” he said.

Lauri Kääpä and Satu Sinkkonen also spent time at the Oopperapuisto outdoor stage, where they often go dancing in the summer. The warm weather inspired them to come out earlier this year.

“It’s wonderful. We’ve been waiting for this,” Sinkkonen commented on the warming weather.

Also out enjoying the weather were the Lemmetyinen family, including their dog Käpy. Aamu Lemmetyinen looks forward to spending time outside with friends and leaving winter clothes behind.

Source: Yle