VENUE AND ARRIVAL

Pirunkirkko banquet hall, Suomenlinna, Helsinki.

The event venue is located on the Iso Mustasaari island of Suomenlinna, accessible by the Suomenlinna ferry. The ferry ride takes about 15 minutes, and the 350-meter walk from the main quay, where the ferry arrives at, to Pirunkirkko banquet hall takes a few minutes. The Suomenlinna ferry schedule can be found in the HSL route guide. You need to purchase an HSL ticket for the ferry before boarding. For more information about the ferry trip and ticket buying options, visit the HSL website. 

Upon arriving at the Pirunkirkko banquet hall, the main entrance can be found through the archway of the building opposite the yellow wooden building. See the route on the map here. Accessible entry is available from the corner end of the building (see here). If you want to enter through the accessible entry, contact us in advance, so that we can open the door for you. You can familiarize yourself with the venue and its history in advance on the website of Suomenlinna.

PROGRAM

The event includes coffee/tea service with light refreshments and dancing to live music.

The evening’s dances are ballroom dances typical from the 18th century, and they are danced to live music of the period. The dances are reconstructed from original sources, i.e. exactly the ones that the fashionable society danced at that time. The dance master of the evening will be Petri Myllynen. You do not need to know the dances in advance. We recommend that everyone participate in the dance rehearsals, which will be held on the evening before the event, Friday, November 15, as well as on the day of the event. More information about the dance rehearsals will be published at a later date.

The dances will be called and instructed in English. 

The dance program will be published here later, as well as on the Dancing Master's Pocketbook blog.

SCHEDULE

The schedule will be published later.

DRESS CODE

Ball dress or uniform following the styles of the years 1750 to 1789 is required. (This means Empire/regency dress is not appropriate.)

When selecting your dancing shoes, please be aware that the venue has old wooden plank floors that can be uneven.

Unfortunately, there are no proper dressing rooms at the venue, nor is there an opportunity to store valuables in a locked storage. However, you can do touch-ups to your attire in the back room of the event, where you can also leave your belongings at your own risk. Please notice that this back room is shared with everyone attending the event. The weather conditions in Suomenlinna in November are usually chilly and windy, so dress warmly for the journey to and from the location. It is best to add more delicate articles of clothing and accessories to your dress on site. 

REGISTRATION

Registration opens for everyone on Friday August 7 starting from 12 noon (EEST (UTC+3) through the link below:

Register here

We recommend securing your ticket as early as possible, as the number of places is limited. Places are filled in the order of registration. Please note that only a paid registration guarantees your spot at the event.

TICKETS

For members of Société Helsinki ry and sister societies (Sällskapet Gustafs Skål & Garnizon Gdańsk): €65/person

Others: €85/person

Minors €45/person (See below!)*

The ticket is paid upon registration. After you submit your registration, you will get an email with a pdf attachment containing payment details. Only a completed payment reserves your spot at the event. 

*This event is not recommended for young children. Older minors may participate under the responsibility of a guardian, either in the guardian's presence or with the guardian's written consent.

If you would like to become a member of our society, you can find instructions on how to join here.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Tickets are non-refundable. Participants may resell their tickets if necessary. In such a case, please contact the organizer. The organizer may cancel the event in a force majeure situation, in which case tickets will be refunded. The same applies if an insufficient number of tickets are sold to make the event happen.

FOOD AND DRINKS OF YOUR OWN

You can bring your own drinks and snacks to the event if you wish. However, you must bring appropriate dishes that match the nature of the event for you to have your drinks and food from. The coffee and tea service included in the ticket is served in dishes provided by the service provider. Please note that the small kitchen at Pirunkirkko is reserved primarily for the coffee service provider. As such, it is not available for preparing food, and refrigeration space is limited.

LIGHTING AND DECORATIONS

All open flames are prohibited in Suomenlinna. Therefore, we cannot burn candles for safety reasons. If you have realistic-looking battery-operated candles and candelabras matching the period style, please bring them (labeled) to help create the right atmosphere! If you'd like, you can also bring table decorations that suit the event's style and help create a festive atmosphere. If you are an international guest, none of this is expected of you! 

GAMES

Various games are also suitable for the nature of an 18th centuery assembly. Do you have old-fashioned playing cards, Cuccu cards, or a Biribi game board? We hope that participants will bring any period-appropriate games they may have! Again, this is not necessary in case you are an international guest.

PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE EVENT

Photography is permitted only at the beginning of the assemblée. Afterwards, we kindly ask that mobile phones and cameras be kept out of sight whenever possible, allowing everyone to fully enjoy the unique atmosphere of the event! Should you wish to take photographs during the event, please do so discreetly and with consideration for other guests. There is no official photographer at the event, although the organizers may occasionally take photos or videos throughout the event.

ACCOMMODATION AND OTHER TIPS

A budget-friendly option is to stay at Eurohostel in Katajanokka which about 1 km away from the Market Square's Suomenlinna ferry quay or at any of various other accommodation options of your choosing in the Helsinki metropolitan area. 

If you would like to have a proper meal before the event, there are several cafés and restaurants in Suomenlinna. 

If you are planning to travel in Helsinki by public transportation, please notice that unless you're paying the ticket with contactless payment, you need to purchase a HSL ticket before boarding the vehicle (bus, tram, train, Suomenlinna ferry). More about buying a HSL ticket and where you can buy them can be found here. 

ABOUT ASSEMBLIES IN 18TH CENTURY SVEABORG

In 18th century Europe, assemblies were dance events where refreshments and snacks, sometimes even dinner, were served. In addition to dancing, there were opportunities for socializing and playing games, especially card games. Initially, assemblies were held privately among the nobility and in royal courts. Later, the bourgeoisie also began organizing public assemblies, open to anyone who was appropriately dressed and had paid the ticket.

In the 1760s, assemblies were regularly organized in Stockholm, Sweden. Naturally, assemblies also spread to the eastern constituent of the state, as Finland was referred to in the 17th and 18th centuries when it was still a part of Sweden. By the Gustavian era (1771-1809), assemblies became regular events in Turku (Åbo), much like in the capital, to which the local nobility had strong connections. The construction of the maritime fortress known as Suomenlinna today began in 1748. In 1750, the fortress was named Sveaborg, rendered phonetically to Viapori in Finnish. Assemblies also reached Sveaborg which came to play an important role in Finland's cultural life.  

In Sveaborg, Augustin Ehrensvärd (1710-1772), the founder of the maritime fortress, hosted open house evenings, or so-called French-style assemblies for his closest friends and assistants. These events took place on Wednesdays at the commandant's residence (nowadays the Ehrensvärd museum), which was completed in 1753. Guests included not only locals from Sveaborg but also bourgeois from Helsinki (Helsingfors), as well as daughters from nearby manors. Ehrensvärd’s guest list could sometimes include up to 90 people. Assemblies became significant gathering and meeting places for young people, with the fortress’s own military musicians providing the music. By the 1790s, assemblies had become regular events in Sveaborg’s social life, taking place weekly on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Sources: 

Mäkeläinen, E. (1972). Säätyläisten seuraelämä ja tapakulttuuri 1700-luvun jälkipuoliskolla Turussa, Viaporissa ja Savon kartanoalueella. Suomen historiallinen seura.

Koskinen, R., & Hagelstam, K. (2003). Säätyläiskoti Suomessa: Sisustuksia, historiaa ja tapakulttuuria 1700-luvulta. WSOY.

MORE INFORMATION

If you have any questions, you can contact us via Facebook Messenger or by emailing us at info[at]societehelsinki.fi! You may contact us in Swedish as well and we will respond to your message with the best of our abilities. :)