Clock tower of Helsinki Central Station transformed into circus stage

Over a hundred years, Helsinki Central Railway Station has served as a site of encounters, reunions, farewells, and rushing commuters. On an ordinary autumn evening, the station’s clock tower became a circus stage for the first time in its history.

The outdoor site-specific circus performance, which made headlines across multiple media outlets, was part of Circus & Dance Finland’s Sirkus tulee! (Circus is Coming!) campaign. During 2026, the campaign has made contemporary circus more familiar to audiences across Finland. 

Circus took over the station, inside and out

Audiences gathered at Railway Square to watch as four circus artists descended on ropes from balconies nearly 50 meters high, performing vertical wall dance along the tower’s exterior stone facade. 

The vertical dance piece featured dance and circus artist Heidi Miikki alongside aerial acrobats Ada Haanpää, Anna Knuuttila, and Kanelia Kähkölä from Sorin Sirkus. Directed by Taina Kopra, the work featured an original musical score by Juho Fabrin that incorporated resonant bell chimes.

Before the clock tower performance, circus atmosphere was set inside the Central Railway Station by the acrobatics duo Ira & Jere (Ira Oinonen and Jere Virta) alongside an imaginative circus trio TipTop Walkers (Kreetta Astala, Lassi Tauriainen, and Mia Toivola). The circus characters and performances sparked curiosity throughout the halls of the busy station and drew crowds of spectators.

Contemporary circus takes the spotlight: Widespread media coverage

Helsinki Central Railway Station stands as Finland’s busiest building and primary transit hub for train, bus, tram, and metro transport, accommodating up to 250,000 daily visitors. The audience comprised both passersby and attendees who had specifically gathered for the event.

The circus event generated extensive media interest. Commercial broadcaster MTV3’s morning show featured a live broadcast from Railway Square, while national public broadcaster Yle Radio Suomi conducted live on-site interviews during the afternoon.

It also gained coverage across major print and digital outlets, including Hufvudstadsbladet, Radio Helsinki, Markkinointiuutiset, and Helsingin Uutiset.

Over the course of six months, Sirkus tulee! campaign reached tens of thousands of Finns through social media, a somersault challenge, events, press releases, and the website. Including media coverage, the campaign reached hundreds of thousands of people.

The free and open-to-all event was organized by Circus & Dance Finland, in collaboration with Helsinki Central Railway Station and the Kellotorni event center. The event was supported by the City of Helsinki. The campaign is supported by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.