We welcome all participants and guests to Finland, and particularly the city of Vantaa for the 189th edition of the Forum Song Contest.
We are here in Vantaa, because it is the home city of the Finnish artist Abreu, who is our current FSC champion after her victory in the previous edition.
Please enjoy as we revisit the winning song from Finland, Valheista Kaunein by Abreu:
Our host city for the 189th edition of FSC in November 2024 is Vantaa, Finland:
Vantaa is a city in Finland. It is located to the north of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population of Vantaa is approximately 250,000. It is the 4th most populous municipality in Finland. Vantaa is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which has approximately 1.6 million inhabitants.
Vantaa has a welcoming atmosphere. It is a friendly and lively city with a mixed-race population. As a matter of fact, according to information from the Vantaa website, every tenth Vantaa resident is a foreign national, and besides Finnish and Swedish more than a hundred other languages are spoken in the city.
There are many things to do in Vantaa. Quite often, people consider Vantaa only as an airport city but from a Finnish perspective, it is also a large modern city. In Vantaa, you can enjoy nature, go shopping or visit many attractions.
The city has a rich history stretching back to the stone age, when the are was inhabited by Tavastians and Finns, until the Second Crusade and colonisation of the area by Sweden in the late 13th century. In the 1800s Finland was transferred to Russian control, when the area started to industrialise. The city grew rapidly in the 20th century after Finland gained independence, and in 1952 the new international airport for Helsinki opened in the area, and it became a major transport hub in Finland. In 1972 the municipality was renamed to Vantaa, and it gained city rights in 1974.
Vantaa is the first city in Finland many people will visit, as it is home to the Helsinki Vantaa International Airport. It is the main international airport serving the capital Helsinki, its metropolitan area, and the Usimaa region in Finland. In 2023, the airport had a total of 15.3 million travellers, and is the fourth busiest airport in the Nordic countries. It is also the main hub for flag carrier Finnair.
The Finnish Aviation Museum is located near Helsinki Airport in the heart of the Aviapolis area in Vantaa. It is an exciting destination for everyone whether you are an aviation enthusiast or a novice regarding aviation. They have a collection of several aircraft related to the history of Finnish aviation including old fighter planes, from the early 19th century up to the Russian Mig-21 and Swedish Saab J-35 Draken. We highly recommend riding the ME 109 or Airbus A320 simulators if visiting there! You can also climb up Finnair’s old passenger plane and access the cabin.
The Vantaa City Museum is very accessible due to its proximity to Tikkurila Railway station. It is housed in the Old Station Building of Tikkurila. Despite being small, a two-floor museum, you would learn much of the history of the city of Vantaa with its ex-hibits, highlighting mostly the Vantaa River. Vantaa City Museum features an interesting glimpse into the ordinary lives of Finns who lived in this suburb. It holds temporary ex-hibitions presenting different themes for a certain period. The staff are friendly and admission is free!
Kuusijärvi is a small lake in the northeast corner of Vantaa. It is approximately 14 km from Helsinki Airport. This lake is the most popular place for swimmers in Vantaa. They are organizing sports events here regularly during summer. The lake is quite small but has clean water. We love to come here during the summer season as the water is warm, about 20 centigrade or more, usually even warmer in July and August. The platform provides good access for swimmers so there is no problem even for disabled persons. When it is a sunny and warm day, you can be sure that there are hundreds of people swimming and sunbathing.
Another must-see spot when visiting Vantaa is the Vantaan Pyhän Laurin kirkko also known as the Church of St. Lawrence. Built in 1450, it is the oldest building in the city as well as all of Greater Helsinki. The church has stood in its present location at least since the 1460s as proven by the latest research. The church has previously served the Roman Catholic Church until the introduction of Lutheranism in Finland, when it became part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. A dramatic fire incident destroyed the church completely in the late 19th century wherein only the walls and vaults remained. As a result of the reconstruction, the church of St. Lawrence is a combination of two styles: Medieval and Non-renaissance styles. This makes both the interior and external structure of the church to be stunningly beautiful. Around the church, you could enjoy a peaceful walk.
The Heureka Science Centre in the Tikkurila area of Vantaa offers diverse experiences through interactive ex-hibitions, planetarium films and science programmes. Heureka opened to the public on April 28, 1989 and attracts nowadays on the average 300 000 visitors a year. Moreover, at the outdoor ex-hibition area is the Science Park Galileo which can be visited annually during summer. The ex-hibits here are mainly based on physical, mathematical and musical phenomena. You will notice that the majority of the ex-hibits feature water as the primary element. The outdoor park also contains moving works of art, such as the sand plotter and many more.
The Heureka Science Centre has also provided the inspiration for the banners used in this FSC edition.
The host venue for the proceedings of this FSC edition is the Vantaa Energia Areena:
Energia Areena is a multifunctional indoor arena in the Myyrmäki Sports Park, located in the Myyrmäki district of Vantaa, Finland. The arena gets its name from its largest sponsor, the energy company Vantaan Energia. It has a seated capacity of 2600, and a maximum capacity of 3500.
The venue is able to be modified to accommodate corporate, cultural, and concert events, among others, but is best known for its athletic uses. Energia Areena is equipped to host floorball, badminton, volleyball, basketball, handball and futsal practices and games, in addition to gymnastics and cheerleading competitions.
Energia Areena previously served as home to the Finnish men's and women's national basketball teams. It is also home to the EräViikingit men's floorball team, which plays in the F-liiga. The venue also hosted the 2021 Sudirman Cup.
And now it is time to meet our wonderful hosts for the edition:
Please welcome Jaakko Saariluoma, Lorenz Backman and Niina Backman.
Jaakko Saariluoma (born 25 July 1967) is a Finnish actor, writer, director, stand-up comedian and television host. Saariluoma graduated from the Theatre Academy Helsinki in 1994 and has worked for several theatres, on television and in films. He is best known as a host in television programs such as Huuma and Putous.
Lorenz Backman (born 18 July 1972) is a Finnish actor, presenter and musician. In his hosting duties, he was best known on television as the second host of the entertainment series Huuma on the MTV3 channel between 2005 and 2009. He is also the host of Radio Nova's program Ile & Lore. As a musician, he has worked with his band Astro since 2006. He is also married to Niina Backman.
Niina Backman (née Herala, born June 10, 1983 in Vantaa) is a Finnish model and presenter. Backman has been doing model work since 1999 both in Finland and abroad. From spring 2005 to spring 2009, he was one of the presenters of the entertainment show Huuma on MTV3 channel. In addition to the role of host, Backman also served as Huuma's background editor. Backman has hosted Idols with Heikki Paasonen. In August 2012, together with her husband Lorenz Backman, she started hosting the Backman vs. Backman relationship program on Radio Nova.
Before we start with the entries for this edition, please enjoy our opening acts.
First up is Norwegian artist Donkeyboy performing City Boy:
Our second opening act is Italian singer, rapper and Eurovision alumnus Blanco performing L'Isola delle Rose:
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Ukraine has voted. What a competitive month 
