Tampere statues don costumes to celebrate women’s gymnastics

For the first time, Tampere’s Pirkkalais statues on Hämeensilta bridge are wearing gymnastics costumes, as part of a celebration of women’s gymnastics. Yle reports that the costumes are based on the competition outfit of Minetit, a Tampere group gymnastics team that has won four world championships.

The statues have been dressed since last Friday. The event culminates on Sunday, November 1, with a parade and a gymnastics celebration as part of the opening of Tampere’s Light Weeks. The parade leaves Tampere Workers’ Theatre at 5.30pm and heads towards the bridge, before the celebration in Koskipuisto. People can join the parade and celebration without a ticket to the theatre performance.

The programme also includes Jumppatytöt, a theatre show based on the creators’ experiences in group gymnastics. It explores appearance pressures and demanding coaching culture, as well as community and a love of the sport. The show has been performed more than 100 times and received the State Award for Public Information in 2025 and the Sports Psychology Achievement of the Year award in 2026.

The statues are traditionally dressed in hockey team jerseys, though they have worn other outfits in recent years. The gymnastics costumes will be removed on Monday, November 2.