Winter events in Rovaniemi 2026/27

Rovaniemi’s winter calendar has a clear shape. Santa’s season opens in early November and peaks before Christmas, motor sport takes over the snowy roads in January, and reindeer racing, skiing and Easter fill late winter. Many organisers announce their dates late, so the table marks which dates are confirmed for 2026/27 and which are only known from an earlier year. Visit Rovaniemi keeps a weekly events list and notes that all information is subject to change.

The Christmas season opens in November

The Countdown to Christmas marks the official start of the holiday season in Lapland, as Visit Rovaniemi puts it. In 2026 it takes place on Saturday 7 November at 18:00 Finnish time in the central square of Santa Claus Village. Christmas music warms up the crowd, and the half-hour programme ends with Santa’s arrival and a speech. Entry is free, and the organisers ask you to be on time. The date moves around: in 2025 the event was held on 25 October.

A week earlier, on 31 October, SantaPark opens its winter season, and the Ounasvaara ski resort starts on 11 November. Early in the season Ounasvaara usually opens only one or two slopes, using stored snow.

December, from Independence Day to Christmas

Finland became independent in 1917, and 6 December is a national public holiday. Many Finns spend the evening watching the President’s Independence Day reception on television. The Arktikum, Rovaniemi’s science centre and museum, opened on this date in 1992, the 75th anniversary of independence, and in 2024 it marked the day with an open day and free entry. No local programme for 2026 had been published by mid-October. Alko’s city centre store opens on Independence Day.

The rest of December belongs to Christmas: the Lions Club market on 5 and 6 December, concerts in Rovaniemi Church and at Korundi, and on 23 December Santa’s departure from the village, broadcast live. Holiday dates, opening hours and the New Year fireworks are on our Christmas and New Year page.

January, art in snow and rally cars

The Arctic Art Festival brings snow and ice art to Rovaniemi. In 2025 it ran from 20 to 25 January, opened at Snowman World in Santa Claus Village, with carving work at the Arctic SnowHotel in Lehtojärvi, and most of the programme was free and open to all ages. Its website did not yet show a 2026/27 edition.

The 62nd Arctic Lapland Rally, a round of the Finnish Rally Championship on snowy Lapland roads, runs from 28 to 30 January 2027. Visit Rovaniemi calls it one of the best-known motor sport events in the city. The 2027 schedule was not out in October, but in 2025 the ceremonial start was on Friday at 10:00 and the finish on Saturday at about 20:00, both on Lordi’s Square in the city centre.

February, reindeer racing

Reindeer racing has been organised in Finland since 1932, according to Visit Finland, and takes place between February and March. The driver follows the reindeer on a pair of skis, and only male reindeer race. The main series is the Poro Cup, with four qualifying rounds; the best animals go on to the final, the reindeer king race in Inari. Rovaniemi traditionally hosts the first round in February. In 2025 it took place on 22 and 23 February at the Mäntyvaara race track, with a free bus to the event. The 2027 dates had not been found by October 2026, so check Visit Rovaniemi’s events list in January. For other ways to meet reindeer, see our page on reindeer in Rovaniemi.

March, skiing and Easter

The Jätkänkynttilä Ski Marathon is a public cross-country race over 42 or 21 km that finishes on Lordi’s Square. In 2026 it was held on 21 March in free technique, in 2025 on 15 March; the 2027 date was not yet published. Ounasvaara has around 100 km of cross-country trails, about 50 km of them lit, within walking distance of the centre, so you can ski parts of the area yourself. Our page on cross-country skiing has more.

Easter 2027 runs from Good Friday 26 March to Easter Monday 29 March. On Palm Sunday, Finnish children dress up as witches and go from door to door with decorated willow twigs. Ounasvaara is open 10:00–18:00 on all four Easter days. In 2025 Rovaniemi had a children’s Easter celebration on Lordi’s Square and Easter services in Rovaniemi Church; the 2027 programme will appear in Visit Rovaniemi’s weekly list. Note that the clocks go forward to summer time on Easter Sunday, 28 March 2027.

April, a marathon on the Arctic Circle

The Arctic Marathon starts in the main square of Santa Claus Village, at the marked Arctic Circle line, with a full marathon, a half marathon and a 10 km race. In 2026 it was held on Sunday 5 April at 09:00; the 2027 date had not been announced. Ounasvaara’s ski season runs until 17 April 2027, and the snow usually lasts in Rovaniemi until April.