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December 2026

Christmas on the Arctic Circle

From 30 Nov · Santa Claus Office December hours

1 Dec · Main Post Office December hours

3 Dec · Snowtubing opens

6 Dec · Independence Day

6 Dec · Snowman World opens

15 Dec · Arctic SnowHotel opens

24 Dec · Christmas Eve

6 December: Finnish Independence Day

A calm national holiday. Families light two candles in their windows in the evening; some shops close or open shorter hours.

24 December: Christmas Eve

Finland’s main Christmas day. Santa Claus Village stays open with shorter hours; Arktikum and many city restaurants close.

All month: SantaPark

The underground cavern is open daily throughout December, from 09:00 at weekends and over Christmas.

15 December: Arctic SnowHotel opens

The snow and ice rooms open for the season, alongside the glass igloos that are already open.

Skiing at Ounasvaara

The season runs from 11 November 2026, with shorter hours on 24–25 December.

The darkest days

Around 21 December the sun is above the horizon for only a couple of hours; the blue twilight lasts much longer.

13 Dec · Lucia Day

Candlelit Lucia processions take place across Finland.

31 Dec · New Year’s Eve

Fireworks are common across the city at midnight.

Northern lights season

Clear, dark December nights give good chances, though cloud cover is often high.

WundrPath · City guides