Venues

Suomeksi: Tapahtumapaikat

This site contains a list of the most common venues for events, with directions. It's usually a good choice to use public transport for moving between places, and you can find schedules and route suggestions in the HSL journey planner (see journey planning).

Clubrooms and function rooms

Christina Regina (Klusteri)

Location: Leppäsuonkatu 11 (OpenStreetMap)

Klusteri – i.e., the clubroom for Matlu ry (the umbrella student organisation for the Faculty of Science) – is a popular spot for organised as well as spontaneous recreational activities. The space offers a wide variety of sofas for lounging, music from Spotify, a piano, a large collection of board games, a projector, karaoke supplies and game consoles with games. There is also a kitchen with refrigerators in the lounge area. In addition to general hanging out, Klusteri often acts as the venue for board game and movie nights.

When arriving from Kamppi, the route passes restaurants like Kampin Pippuri, McDonald's and Fafa's. The fridges at Klusteri are stocked with soft drinks, which can be bought with cash. There's a 24-h grocery store next to Klusteri as well, on Mechelininkatu.

The doors to Klusteri are locked. Entry can be requested by ringing the doorbell and waiting for someone with a key to come open the doors. Keys are entrusted to active members of the organisations, who sign up to take care of the clubroom by cleaning it and making sure events there stay in hand.

The organisations making use of Klusteri clean it with volunteers. TKO-äly's cleaning duty comes up around every six weeks and everyone with a key is expected to participate in it – other volunteers are also welcome, of course. An especially good and easy way to help with cleaning is to behave with tidiness at Klusteri and making sure the space is clean before leaving!

Alina Hall

Location: New Student House (Mannerheimintie 5 A) (OpenStreetMap)

The Student Union's Alina Hall is a popular location for parties and sitsit. The hall can house a large crowd and comes with a sound system for blastin music.

Parks and other outdoor spaces

Kaivopuisto

Location: OpenStreetMap

Kaivopuisto is a popular setting for summer days for students and others alike. The park is especially full on Vappu (1st of May), when many come to celebrate the nearing summer. Some stores can be found near the park for acquiring beverages.

Kumtähdenkenttä

Location: OpenStreetMap

Kumtähdenkenttä is a nice little park right next to the Kumpula Campus. Orientation week usually entails hanging out there with freshers and tutors. The park is also a very comfortable distance away from the Arabia shopping centre, which houses grocery stores and an Alko, among others.

Suomenlinna

Location: OpenStreetMap

Favoured by TKO-äly and many other student organisations for late-summer picnics and the traditional location for the Head Start event taking place before the orientation week. The usual spot for TKO-äly is in Susisaari, on the ramparts of the bastion Kunnia, west of the summer theatre (see map above).

There are shops and cafés in Suomenlinna, but in order to avoid unnecessary walking and commercial congestion, it's recommended to fetch one's supplies before arriving on the island.

Väinämöisen puisto

Location: OpenStreetMap

A park close to Klusteri in Etu-Töölö. A common place for grilling and picnics. There are small grocery stores on the nearby Mechelininkatu for food and beverage needs.

Saunas

Attic Sauna Sivistys

Location: Leppäsuonkatu 11 (OpenStreetMap)

Sivistys is located in the same building as Klusteri. The sauna itself is quite small and houses up to 10 saunaers at a moment. The lounge room can host a bigger crowd. The space has refrigerators and a small kitchen. There's a roof terrace for fresh air and taking in the sights. A glazed balcony is used for sitsit during the summer.

Mäkelänkadun Edustussauna

Location: Mäkelänkatu 87 (entrance from Koskelantie) (OpenStreetMap)

A rather big sauna and lounge space with a cold-water pool. The annual freshers sauna night is usually held here nowadays.

Bars and pubs

Oljenkorsi

Location: Intiankatu 18 (OpenStreetMap)

Oljenkorsi is the regular haunt for many in Kumpula, thanks to its location and a decent selection of beers and ciders. Located a stone's throw away from campus, it's a common place of respite after a long day of studying. In addition to its selection of beverages (some of which come with a student discount), Oljenkorsi offers board games, a billiards table and some snacks. There are also Donald Duck vintages. A 30-question pub quiz is held on Tuesdays at 19:00.

Musta Härkä

Location: Mäkelänkatu 52 (OpenStreetMap)

Musta Härkä, situated in Vallila, offers student discounts and a genuine suburban pub experience with its daily karaoke and a wall-free men's room. The other half of the restaurant makes up a small nightclub.