Public events

Make a notification of a public five days before the start of the event at the latest. The notification must be made earlier for events that call for traffic arrangements, for example. The police should be notified of major events as much as a year before the event.

Anticipate and be on time

The police must have access to complete information on the event five days before it. This allows the police to determine whether notification is sufficient for arranging the event. If other provisions must be issued concerning a public event, a decision is made in the matter. 

If traffic management personnel or temporary security stewards are needed at the event, make the notification two weeks before the event at the latest. If the question is of a major event or an event lasting several days, already contact the local police department when starting to arrange the event. Surprises can be avoided when safety issues can be talked about well in advance.

You can make a notification about a public event through the police’s online services (you're going to a new website). A processing fee is charged at the same time. 

If you receive a decision from the police that contains provisions concerning the event, the price is different than the processing fee. 

Notify the police of a public event by submitting the printable form (in Finnish, form Muut 05 fi).

You can also make a free-form notification by e-mail or post to the local police department. The police department will send you an invoice of the processing fee afterwards by post. Please note that any requests for further information and replying to them require a sufficiently long processing time.

With the same notification, you can report several events of the same type and arranged at the same place but at different times. You need a consent from the police for this. Such events include dances arranged at a specific place on summer weekends.

The notification and its appendices should include at least:

• The contact information of the organiser, the organiser’s contact person and other responsible persons during the event
• A detailed account of the purpose of the event, programme, and performers
• Venue and the consent of the owner or holder
• Estimated attendance per day and total attendance (all days in total)
• Start time and estimated end time of the event
• An explanation of the structures and specific equipment to be used (areas for spectators and performers, stage, tent, canopy, ramp, track, open fire, pyrotechnics, sound amplification systems etc.)
• Safety and rescue plan, including a general safety and security management plan and security stewards 
  • Name, personal identity code and security steward card number, if the person has been issued with such a card
  • A separate decision is required for persons to be approved as temporary security stewards, for which a fee of / per approval will be charged. This fee will also be charged for persons for whom approval is sought but who the police deem unsuitable as security stewards.
• Information of any liability insurance
• Information of plans to serve alcoholic beverages, to have an open fire, or to play music
• A traffic arrangement plan 
  • Name and identity number of proposed traffic management personnel
  • No specific training is required for temporary traffic management personnel, but they must have sufficient knowledge and skills for the job. This includes a valid driving licence and lack of a driving ban.

In addition to notification to the police, safety at public events involves a number of other matters of which you should notify the relevant authorities. Such matters include:

• Notice of noise is submitted to the city/municipal environmental authorities 30 days before the start of the event at the latest if the public event will cause noise or vibration that will presumably cause special disturbance. 
• An application for permission to use a street section is submitted to the city/municipality for any work carried out on the street or in other public places. 
• The organiser of the event should submit a consumer safety notice to the supervisory authorities if the event involves a significant risk that might endanger someone's safety. An example of such risky action is a bungy jump to be arranged at the event.
• A licence may be required to sell various goods and items. For example, you can only sell tobacco products with a retail licence issued by the municipality in which the products are to be sold. You need a licence from the Regional State Administrative Agency to serve alcohol. No alcoholic beverages other than those sold by virtue of an alcohol serving licence may be consumed in a food and beverage service business or other venue where food or refreshments are available to the public for a charge. The consumption of alcoholic beverages other than those sold under an alcohol serving licence is also prohibited at a public meeting under the Public Meetings Act. In such cases, the owner of the venue, the person managing the event or the person in charge of public order may not permit the consumption of alcoholic beverages in that venue or at that event. In some cases, the city/municipal food safety authorities must be notified if any food is sold or served at the event. This does not apply to private individuals or recreational or sports clubs, when the volumes are small and the risks related to the food being sold or served are low, and the operations are not continuous.
• The organiser must prepare a waste management plan if large quantities of different types of waste will be generated during the event.
• The organiser must notify the city/municipal health authorities of the sanitary facilities.

You can always discuss any matters related to the event in more detail with the local police and emergency authorities. This is essential and necessary if you are arranging a major event. 

As the event organiser, you are responsible for maintaining order and ensuring the safety of the audience during the event. When you notify the police of a public event, you must also present a safety plan for the event.

You must prepare an emergency plan for the event if the event meets the following criteria: 

• At least 200 people are expected to attend the event at the same time.
• Open fire, fireworks or other pyrotechnic products are used at the event, or special effects containing flammable or explosive chemicals.
• The event involves temporary accommodation, such as school accommodation. 
• Exit arrangements are different from normal.
• The nature of the event puts people in special danger.
• The emergency plan must be submitted to the local emergency authorities for approval no later than 14 days before the start of the event. This deadline is not flexible. The police requires organisers to attach an approved emergency plan with the notice of a public event. 

The safety and emergency plan must contain the following information:

• a description of the event: nature, organisers, target group, time, attendance (always)
• map of the area, indicating points for the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages and other areas important in terms of safety (where necessary)
• persons responsible for safety and security and their deputies, and contact information during the event (always if not the same as the organisers
• risk assessment
• accident prevention measures of relevance to the event venue, with consideration given to: 
• exits (accessibility, number, visibility)
• emergency fire extinguishing equipment (suitability, number, placement, visibility)
• working conditions for the fire and rescue department (adequate escape routes, signposts)
• structures, interior design and decorations (placement, durability, fire resistance or fire-proofed material)
• dangerous substances, storage and placement (liquid gas, fuels, open fire, pyrotechnics)
• procedures for accidents and emergencies
• insurance
• if the event involves security stewarding, a security stewarding plan including the following information: 
  • persons responsible for security stewarding and their contact details
  • the number, placement and duties of security stewards
  • communications system.
• if the event requires special traffic arrangements, a traffic plan including the following aspects:
  • traffic arrangements
  • need to close roads for traffic and to obtain the road owner's permission for such closure.
  • traffic management, traffic management personnel and their duties
  • parking arrangements.

The National Police Board of Finland has appointed a steering group specialising in event safety in matters related to public events. The group is tasked with enhancing information flow between authorities related to public events, promoting regional equality between different event organisers and preparing guiding letters concerning different authorities. The steering group has nearly 20 members, representing a wide range of authorities from across Finland.

Tens of thousands of public events, attended by tens of millions of people, are organised in Finland every year. The organiser of a public event must ensure that order and safety are maintained and that the law is respected at the event. It is society's responsibility to ensure and safeguard the exercise of freedom of assembly and to ensure overall safety during events. 

Overall safety means organising a public event in such a way that safety is maintained during the event, including the area outside of the public event venue. In terms of overall safety, it is important to ensure that event organisers fulfil their legal obligations in terms of, for example, public order, emergency safety and first-aid preparedness. Monitoring the implementation of this is the responsibility of the various authorities.

One of the tasks of the steering group is to issue letters of recommendation aimed at harmonising administrative practices in Finland.

Letters of recommendation from the national steering group for public events:

• Letter of recommendation 1: Assigning a traffic controller to an event (in Finnish)
• Letter of Recommendation 2: Touring public events (in Finnish)
• Recommendation Letter 4: Checking first aid plans for public events (in Finnish)