Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and his wife Jenni Haukio have unveiled initial plans for this year’s Independence Day gala at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on 6 December.
This year, around 1,700 guests are being invited to the event. As per tradition, the guests “have distinguished themselves in various ways in different fields”.
The reception’s theme will be “changing times,” according to a press release issued by the president’s office on Tuesday.
“We are living in a time when many things we have taken for granted are being questioned and new futures are being created at an unprecedented pace. Our common task is to find solutions to the challenges we face and make sure we are heading in the right direction,” Niinistö said in the release.
In accordance with tradition, the reception’s guests of honour will be war veterans and members of the women’s volunteer civil defence organisation Lotta Svärd.
This year’s event will be the last Independence Day gala that Niinistö and his wife will host at the Presidential Palace.
First elected president in 2012, Niinistö is reaching the end of two six-year terms. Finland is scheduled to hold presidential elections in January 2024.
The Independence Day reception is usually the country’s most-watched televised event. Last year, Yle’s coverage of the the hours-long event attracted an average of more than two million viewers, with nearly 2.96 million people in Finland watching at least some part of it.
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