Information on the academic year opening ceremony
This website details the content, practicalities and accessibility arrangements for the University of Helsinki’s opening ceremony of the academic year, 31 August 2026. Please direct any questions or queries about arrangements needed to uniconferences.events@helsinki.fi.
Arrival
Entrance from Aleksanterinkatu 5 where a staffed cloakroom is located. All guests are asked to leave their coats and large bags there. Read more about accessible arrival and routes below. Please arrive at the Main Building in good time, as the cloakroom can be busy, particularly around 15 minutes before proceedings begin.
Space in the Great Hall is limited, and seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The doors to the Great Hall will close at 12.10. Latecomers can only be admitted between items on the programme.
Duration and programme in the Great Hall
The programme in the Great Hall lasts approximately one hour.
The programme includes music performed by a salon orchestra, without amplification.
A discussion involving four participants will take place at the front of the hall, during which sound will be amplified using microphones and speakers. The programme will be conducted primarily in Finnish, with some Swedish and English also used. No real-time captioning or subtitling will be provided at the event.
The programme will also include video material.
After this ceremony the audience will leave the Great Hall in procession through its main doors, emerging from the building onto Senate Square. The steps outside this entrance are steep with no handrail. The procession will then walk along Unioninkatu to Helsinki Cathedral for a church service or to the National Library of Finland for a secular ceremony; both entrances have steps. If you require an accessible route, please let us know well ahead of the event.
Participating in the procession is optional. The Great Hall can also be exited via the side doors.
Church service in Helsinki Cathedral
The church service is expected to last 40 minutes.
More information on accessibility at Helsinki Cathedral: Helsinki Cathedral Parish and Accessibility information
Secular ceremony at the National Library of Finland
The secular ceremony lasts around 30 minutes.
More information on accessibility at the National Library: Disabled access | National Library of Finland
Coffee reception in the Main Building
Guests will return from the church service and secular ceremony to the Main Building for coffee, tea and vegan and gluten-free cake[KS1] . These will be served on the second floor, in the foyers on both sides of the Great Hall and in Christina Hall. Water dispensers will also be available in all catering areas. Catering staff can provide detailed information on the ingredients of the refreshments served.
A3-sized signs will be displayed throughout the venue, pointing to the catering facilities.
Refreshments can be enjoyed at standing tables or while seated at regular tables. Seating can be found in Runeberg Hall, with further seats also available in other event venues, such as Wexionius Hall, Christina Hall and Pacius Hall.
Sensory stimuli and event attendees
The event is expected to attract 600–700 attendees. Due to the number of attendees, congestion may occur, particularly during arrival and departure.
Increased noise levels are possible during arrival in particular.
We ask that everyone refrain from wearing strong fragrances.
If needed, a meeting or lecture room near the Great Hall can be booked as a quiet space.
During proceedings, the venue will be lit with colourful lighting. The general lighting level will be lower than in everyday settings.
An official photographer will be present at the event. Guests are also welcome to take photographs, but please be mindful of other attendees.
The event will be livestreamed with sign language interpretation, and a recording will be made available on the University’s YouTube channel afterwards.
Safer space principles
Each participant is expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and non-discriminatory manner. If you notice harassment or other inappropriate behaviour, please notify the lobby services staff as soon as possible. They are identified by name tags labelled with ‘HY247’. In the event of harassment, lobby services staff will ask the offending person to leave the event.
Accessible route from building entrance to the Great Hall
A shorter route to the Great Hall runs through the courtyard at Yliopistonkatu 2. This route includes a slope of 3.85 degrees at its steepest under the archway. A ramp with a slope of 4.6 degrees at its steepest leads to the entrance. The entrance at Yliopistonkatu 2 leads to a lift on the old side of the Main Building. The width of the entrance to the lift on the old side is 900 mm. The width of the lift is 1,100 mm and the depth 1,370 mm.
Another route to the Great Hall is available via the entrance at Fabianinkatu 33 (new side). A button opens this door mechanically.
A lift is located in the lobby, in front of Helsinki University Museum Flame. The width of the entrance to the lift is 890 mm. The width of the lift is 1,070 mm and the depth 1,460 mm.
The old side of the building (Unioninkatu 34) is accessible by lift via the corridor on the second floor. The entrances to the Great Hall are on the second floor.
For further information on accessibility and, for example, parking spaces, see the accessibility map of the Main Building and the City of Helsinki Service Map.
Access to the Great Hall
The width of the main entrance is 840 mm, or 1,670 mm with the frame extension open. Two other doors with a 42 mm threshold are adjacent to the main entrance. The main entrance has two thresholds, the first of which is 42 mm and the second, following a small space in between, 32 mm high. The side doors also have two thresholds with a height of approximately 40–50 mm.
An accessible entrance is available on the north foyer side of the Great Hall (on the right side looking from the outside). When necessary, the lobby services staff will open this door. The dimensions below are for the accessible entrance.
Facility door (north foyer)
The door is equipped with a ramp inside with a slope of 8%.
The ramp is not equipped with handrails.
The height of the entrance threshold and/or the level difference is 20 mm or less.
The level difference or threshold height is 12 mm.
The width of the entrance is 660 mm.
The door has a frame extension (double door).
With the extension or the other door open, the width of the entrance is 1320 mm.
The door opens manually and closes automatically with a door-closing mechanism.
The door is heavy and requires a force of 10 N (about 1.02 kg) or more to open.
The lobby services staff are always present to help with the doors, as they are heavy to open and close. The staff also provide guidance on the routes. Attendees who require assistance throughout the event should bring their personal assistants with them.
At the beginning of the event, the lobby services staff will close the doors, but you can leave the facilities and return if necessary.
Getting around in the facility and reserved seats
The facilities have no separately indicated accessible seats. If accessible places are needed during the event, we recommend that you contact us well in advance.
The facility has level differences.
The facility is an auditorium.
The entrance to the facility is in the back, with accessible space and room for using aids.
The stairs have 23 steps.
The stairs in the facility have no handrails.
The facility is equipped with fixed furniture.
Guide dogs are permitted at the ceremony.
Auditory environment and lighting in the facility
The facility has an induction loop or another sound transfer system.
The general lighting in the facility is below the recommended level (under 500 lx).
On advance request, interpretation in sign language can be arranged. In such cases, we are also happy to reserve seats that are well-situated for following the interpretation.
Accessible WC
For details on the accessibility of the building’s toilet facilities, see the City of Helsinki Service Map. The accessible toilet closest to the Great Hall is on the first floor next to the accessible entrance in the courtyard at Yliopistonkatu 2.
