The New Year’s Eve will be celebrated in Lappeenranta in virtual format and fireworks will be replaced by light art – the celebrations will kick off the city’s theme year as the winner of European Green Leaf Award 2021

The New Year’s Eve celebrations will be organised safely in Lappeenranta in virtual format, and a magnificent light art show will replace the traditional fireworks display. The virtual celebrations also kick off Lappeenranta’s “Europe’s greenest city” theme year as the winner of the European Green Leaf Award 2021.

The virtual New Year’s Eve celebrations, which start at 6:45 pm on Thursday 31 December, can be watched via the city’s website at www.lappeenranta.fi.

According to Jorma Kallio, Event Coordinator for the City of Lappeenranta, the webcast contains amazing video footage shot in Lappeenranta and various contents created for the upcoming Green Leaf theme year.

“During the webcast, we will also be conveying greetings from many people in Finland and around the world, including the President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen and the European Commission’s Deputy Director-General for Mobility and Environment Joanna Drake.

The Chair of the City Board, Risto Kakkola, will unveil a new green wall created in the Lappeenranta City Hall and the European Green Leaf Award plaque during the webcast. Mayor Kimmo Jarva will have the honour of giving the traditional New Year’s speech on behalf of the city.

Instead of a traditional fireworks display, at 7:30 pm, the festivities will culminate in a Green Leaf themed light art show reflecting a story on the façade of the Lappeenranta City Hall.

Light art reflects the city’s green values

As a recipient of the European Commission’s Green Leaf Award 2021 for “Europe’s greenest city”, Lappeenranta will replace its traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks display with a Green Leaf themed light art show. The city has also started to seek other alternatives to fireworks for its upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Event Coordinator Jorma Kallio says that this year’s light art show is a representation of the green values adopted by Lappeenranta.

“This artistic show is a combination of visual art and sound, telling the story of how Lappeenranta became Europe’s greenest city.

The light art shows start at 7:30 pm on Thursday 31 December and end at 2:00 am on Friday 1 January. The shows will resume again at 4:00 pm on Friday, and the final show will end at 10:00 pm.

“We strongly recommend that people watch the light art show online in their home. The light art show will be part of the New Year’s Eve webcast. From 7:30 pm on 31 December onwards, the light art show can also be watched via a link posted on the city’s homepage at www.lappeenranta.fi.

“We hope that everyone who comes to the square to watch the light art show live at the City Hall will act responsibly and adhere to the government guidelines on social distancing and limits for public gatherings,” says Kallio.

The digital Green Leaf light art show is presented to you by Suomen Ilotulitus Oy and Profilight Oy.

Lappeenranta invites everyone to take part in the city’s theme year as “Europe’s greenest city”

The New Year’s Eve celebrations kick off the Green Leaf theme year 2021 in Lappeenranta. More than 40 events and eco-actions are planned to be implemented during the theme year.

Ilkka Räsänen, Environmental Director for the City of Lappeenranta, invites everyone to take part in the theme year and its kick off on New Year’s Eve.

“Lappeenranta won the European Green Leaf -title, which is awarded to towns and cities with populations of up to 100,000 residents. In addition to the city, this award belongs to all the city’s residents, entrepreneurs and other local actors.

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the city’s virtual New Year’s Eve celebrations that will also kick off the Green Leaf theme year in Lappeenranta.

More information about the virtual New Year's Eve celebrations and digital light art show is available on the Lappeenranta Events web pages.