Tampere Residents’ Evenings offer opportunities to enjoy yourself, have your say and connect with others
Ritva Lintula and Merja Liukonen attended a Tampere Residents’ Evening held in Tesoma in autumn 2026 because they are interested in matters concerning their own neighbourhood. The evening proved rewarding, as it provided a wide range of up-to-date information.
– It was a big plus that the atmosphere at the Tampere Residents’ Evening was good, not formal at all, and the discussion was quite open, Liukonen says.
– People asked a lot of questions, and good answers were provided. They also promised to look into the issues for which there was no definite information available at the event, Lintula continues.
There is good reason to describe Lintula and Liukonen as active residents. Both are members of the board of the Tesoma residents’ association, partly because it enables them to keep up to date with plans concerning the neighbourhood and to express their views on them.
Tampere Residents’ Evenings go beneath the surface
There are two types of Tampere Residents’ Evenings. General evenings focus on matters that concern all Tampere residents, while regional evenings address current issues in a particular area. Accordingly, local concerns were raised at the Tesoma event: the closure of the Fimlab laboratory at the wellbeing centre, the lack of a facility in Tesoma for topping up Nysse travel cards, and noise caused by the extensive construction taking place in the area.
The City of Tampere has been organising various events for residents for a long time. Since 2024, some of these activities have been developed into Tampere Residents’ Evenings, which provide opportunities to enjoy yourself, have your say and connect with others. Alongside these evenings, the City also organises and develops numerous other forms of participation and influence.
– The role of Tampere Residents’ Evenings is to go a little beneath the surface. For example, if surveys conducted among residents produce a particular result, these evenings provide an opportunity to exchange views on the reasons behind that result, says Jarno Koskinen, Regional Coordinator at the City of Tampere.
Current topics in a relaxed atmosphere
Jarno Koskinen, who is responsible for Tampere Residents’ Evenings and their development, says he is proud of what he and his team have already achieved. In a relatively short time, Tampere Residents’ Evenings have become more visible and recognisable.
The change can be seen, for example, in attendance figures, which have grown from tens of participants to hundreds. Feedback from visitors has also shown that the events are being developed in the right direction, for example by making them more relaxed and lowering the threshold for participation.
– We have aimed to move from simply hearing residents’ views towards more interactive and impactful participation, Koskinen says.
The topics covered at Tampere Residents’ Evenings need to be current and interesting in order to attract residents. This requires Koskinen’s team to anticipate the issues that residents are concerned about at any given time. The themes are also developed in cooperation with, for example, city planning and the Mayor and Deputy Mayors.
Regional Tampere Residents’ Evenings have evolved from traditional, authority-led discussion events into a kind of mini-fair, with information stands and a cultural programme. Local associations and other organisations, as well as different City units, can be invited to present their activities.
– There can be a great deal of content, and visitors can walk around and explore the topics that interest them most, Koskinen says.
Direct discussion with the City’s senior leadership
The autumn 2026 season began with a Tampere Residents’ Evening at City Hall. The Mayor and Deputy Mayors and the Chair of the City Council were present, and residents had the opportunity to put questions to them both in advance and directly at the event. Merja Liukonen took advantage of the opportunity and came from Tesoma to hear for herself how things were going in Tampere.
– The evening was very interesting. The speakers were able to explain things in a way that even an ordinary person like me could understand what they were talking about, Liukonen says appreciatively.
The evening also included a cultural programme and an opportunity to explore the renovated City Hall on guided tours. The event was streamed, so the discussion could also be followed online.
– I think this was a good example of the idea that a Tampere Residents’ Evening is not just a traditional residents’ event or a series of speeches. Instead, the aim is to combine discussion and opportunities to have an influence with meeting people and enjoying yourself, Koskinen says.
An English-language Tampere Residents’ Evening is held approximately once a year. In addition, all social media and news posts about Tampere Residents’ Evenings are published in both Finnish and English.
Tampere Residents’ Evenings continue to evolve
Tampere Residents’ Evenings are promoted in a variety of ways. Each event has its own news article on the City of Tampere website, giving greater visibility to each evening and its themes. During 2026, the events have also been promoted around the city using more traditional methods.
– We have hired local young people through a gig work app to distribute posters and flyers about Tampere Residents’ Evenings. For some people, a face-to-face invitation works better, especially when they also have a flyer to remind them about the event, says Koskinen.
Tampere Residents’ Evenings continue to be developed, partly through experimenting with new approaches. According to Koskinen, one important area for development is assessing the impact of the events: are the themes chosen in such a way that participants genuinely have an opportunity to have their say and make a difference?
– My vision is for Tampere Residents’ Evenings to become the city’s best-known concept for face-to-face participation. The need to meet people face to face has not disappeared. On the contrary, it seems to have grown even stronger, Koskinen says.
