Small events

Careful planning is the first step to a successful event. Start by thinking about the purpose and goals of your event:

• Who is your target audience?
• What kind of content will you offer?
• How is it different from other events?

From the beginning, consider the needs of your audience, accessibility, communication, and how people will move around. When choosing the date, check if there are other events happening at the same time or if it’s during holidays. When picking the location, think about:

• the type of event
• the date
• your audience
• how easy it is to reach the place
• accessibility
• rental costs

It’s important to realistically assess your resources. Organise staff and volunteers clearly, and plan your budget carefully. Costs may come before any income. Your budget should include all expenses and possible incomes, like ticket sales, sponsors, and public funding. Be prepared to manage financial risks. A well-defined event concept makes it easier to market, apply for funding, and carry out the event.

Carefully consider the event location and its type, size, and practical arrangements. The location affects how easily people can attend, how smoothly things run, and how much the event will cost. When choosing a location, consider:

• the nature of the event
• the date and time
• your target audience
• accessibility and transport
• rental costs
• needed services like electricity, water, parking, and food/drink service

If your planning to organize an event outdoors, you need permission from the owner of the land. For areas owned by the City of Tampere (for example parks, squares, and marketplaces), you can apply for a land use permit using an online form. It’s helpful to include a site plan showing how different parts of the event will be arranged in the area.  For outdoor events, especially in parks or squares, check:

• if electricity and water are available
• if service vehicles are allowed in the area
• how to bring equipment to the site
• whether you need temporary traffic arrangements or a street use permit

You can browse suitable indoor spaces for small events on Varaamo booking system. Information regarding squares, stages, and some parks and other outdoor areas can be found from the Event Locations in Tampere page. If you want to use a school building, you can check the availability on Timmi without logging in. For events outside school hours, bookings are made through the city’s sports services.

Public events are considered consumer services under the Consumer Protection Act. The event organizer must follow the law’s general safety rules. The event must not cause harm to anyone’s health or property. These rules apply to all public events, whether they are free or paid, and no matter who organizes them: a private person, company, or organization. The organizer is fully responsible for the safety of the event. Even small events often require the oraginzer to apply for permits or submit notifications or plans. For example, if your event is held in a public area of the city, you always need permission. Depending on the size and type of the event, you may also need to:

• Notify the police about the public event
• Submit a rescue plan to the rescue department
• Apply for a street permit if temporary traffic arrangements are needed (e.g., driving in a park where service driving is not normally allowed)

You don’t need to submit a noise notification for daytime events (between 7 am and 10 pm), even if you use speakers. However, if you play music, you always need a music license from Teosto.  If your event creates waste, you must make a waste management plan. You must send it to the Environmental Protection Unit if they ask for it.  At the bottom of the page, you’ll find examples that can help you understand what permits your event might need.

When planning an event, it’s important to assess your resources realistically. Organize staff and volunteers clearly, and plan your finances carefully. Costs often come before any income. Your budget should include: all expenses, possible income (like ticket sales, sponsors, and public support), and a plan for managing financial risks. A clear event concept helps with marketing, applying for funding and running the event smoothly. The City of Tampere offers grants for different types of activities. Most one-time grants must be applied for at least two weeks before the event. Examples of available grants:

• Culture Grant: for cultural events
• Community Grant: for self-organized and community-based events
• Youth Grant and Masseista mahiksia – Action Grant: for events aimed at young people or organized by youth themselves

When planning your event’s marketing, think about where your target audience can best be reached. Using social media is often cheaper and faster than traditional media. It’s also a good idea to add your event to event calendars. If you add your event to Tampere’s city event calendar, it will also appear in the newspaper Aamulehti’s Menokone event calendar and Visit Tampere’s event calendar.

Tapahtumat.tampere.fi: Event calendar

Aamulehti.fi: Menokone event calendar

Visit Tampere: Event Calendar

Free Advertising Spaces

The City of Tampere offers free advertising spots for event organizers: JCDecaux Abribus poster boards around the city and four digital street screens. These are mainly for free events with programs open to everyone. You can apply for Abribus spots once a year in early October, and digital screen spots at any time during the year.

Event Poster Boards

The city also has event poster boards where you can put up posters. You can check the locations on the map here.

Event marketing

Outdoor advertising spaces  

A local homeowners’ association has decided to organize a flea market. Residents gather at a nearby square to sell second-hand items on picnic blankets. A local band performs at the event and needs electricity for their sound system. To cover the event costs, the organizers are considering other options, like asking a nearby grocery store to sponsor coffee sales, which could help pay for the electricity. They also applied for Tampere’s Community Activity Project Grant to support the event. Permits and Arrangements

• The chosen venue is owned by the City of Tampere, so a paid land use permit is required.
• A pedestrian path runs through the square, so temporary traffic arrangements are planned, and a street permit is applied for.
• The square has no electrical cabinet, so a temporary electricity connection is ordered from Tampere Energy.
• Because the food activity is small-scale, no notification is needed for the city’s food control.
• Since the event is held during the day (7 am to 10 pm), no noise notification is required, even if sound equipment is used.

The Park Exercise association wants to organize summer workouts in Sorsapuisto park. Since many events take place in Sorsapuisto during the summer, the association contacts the city’s event specialist well in advance to check the reservation situation. If the desired times are available, The Park Exercise association can apply for a land use permit either through an e-form or Luvat ja valvonta service. For this kind of activity, the land use permit will likely cost only the minimum service fee.

Planning the Event

The parent association of class 5B at Blueberry Hill School wants to organize a community autumn event in their neighborhood. Part of the event will take place inside the school, and part will be held in the nearby park. The program includes:

• a performance by the class band
• activity stations run by parents, both indoors and outdoors
• food sales and pony rides in the park

The parents start planning by deciding the date, location, and budget. They also begin outlining the event program. To move forward, they:

• Ask the city’s sports services about using the school facilities
• Contact the city’s event specialist to check the park’s availability
• Include costs like venue rental and land use permit in the budget
• Apply for Masseista mahiksia funding and explore other funding options, such as sponsorships from local entrepreneurs

Masseista mahiksia Action Grants

Tampere.fi: Sports Services

Event Permits and Safety

Members of the parents’ association apply for an official permit to use the park area. The land use permit is subject to a fee. Class 5B students bake oatmeal cookies to sell at the event, and parents grill sausages. As the food sales operation is small-scale, it does not need to be reported to the food control authorities. Service vehicles are not allowed in the park area so organizers make plans for a temporary traffic arrangements which will be specified in the street permit they apply for.  The school already has a valid rescue plan that covers indoor events. For the park activities, a separate rescue plan is needed if more than 200 visitors are expected. This plan is submitted to the Rescue Department. A waste management plan must be made, but it only needs to be sent to the Environmental Protection Unit if requested. If more than 100 people are expected, a public event notification must be submitted to the police via their online service.

From idea to event

A group of young music enthusiasts decides to organize a small open mic event for beginner bands at the Osmonpuisto outdoor stage. Everyone interested is welcome to perform. The organizers check the booking terms for the Osmonpuisto stage from Varaamo, and reserve the space through the City’s Public Cultural services. They also make sure the available electricity at the stage is enough for their needs. To promote the event, they share information with:

• local schools
• places where music hobbyists gather
• social media
• various event calendars