Start at Myyrmanni, Where the Afternoon Sparkles
By three o'clock on 31 December, the central square of the Myyrmanni shopping centre has filled with glitter. A tattoo point opens and stays busy until six, and the first 200 visitors can walk away with a Polaroid photo and props to pose with. Between half past three and half past five, ShowDem Dancing performs "The Carnival of Your Dreams" twice, at 15:30 and again at 17:00. If you want a fresh look before the evening, the Clips quick hair salon runs from 15:00 to 16:30. It is free, it is indoors, and it is the easiest way to slide into the night without braving the cold too early.
Follow the Parade to Paalutori
Around six, ShowDem Dancing leads a parade out of Myyrmanni and down to Paalutori, where the City of Vantaa's own New Year's event begins at 18:00. The evening is staged in the spirit of Vantaa's 50th anniversary celebrations, with live music from the band Dingo and the pop group ANI, hosted by Iina Kuustonen. The programme is age-restricted, and the night closes with a musical fireworks show. Walk with the parade if you can — it is the neatest way to move from the shopping centre's afternoon to the city's evening without losing the crowd.
Where the Evening Runs and What to Expect
- Myyrmanni shopping centre — 15:00–18:00, free entry. Glitter tattoos, Polaroid photos for the first 200, quick hair styling, and two dance performances.
- Paalutori — from 18:00. Live music, a host, and a closing fireworks display. Age-restricted programme.
- The route between them — the ShowDem parade leaves Myyrmanni at roughly 18:00 and arrives at Paalutori in time for the city's event.
Times for the Paalutori programme beyond the 18:00 start are directed to the City of Vantaa's own pages, so check those before you set out. The Myyrmanni listing has been marked as a past event, and its page notes that some times may be confirmed later — treat the official city site as your final word on the evening's schedule.
Eating and Drinking Around the Celebrations
Both venues sit in the middle of everyday Vantaa rather than a cordoned-off festival zone, so the practical move is to eat before the programme or between the two. Myyrmanni's central square is surrounded by the shopping centre's own food outlets, which serve through the afternoon while the glitter tattoos and photo props are running. At Paalutori, the city event begins at six, so an early dinner nearby leaves you free for the music and the fireworks. Keep it simple: warm food indoors, then out into the cold for the finale.
Making a Night of It in Myyrmäki
Myyrmanni and Paalutori are close enough that the whole evening works on foot, which makes the Myyrmäki area the natural base. Arrive for the three o'clock start, stay through the dance performances, join the parade, and let the city's event carry you to the fireworks. If you are coming from elsewhere in Vantaa, plan your return journey around the end of the Paalutori programme rather than the start — the fireworks are the point, and the crowd will be moving at once when they finish.
New Year's Eve in Vantaa is a single, walkable arc: an afternoon of small pleasures at Myyrmanni, a parade through the early dark, and a city square lit for its fiftieth year. Check the City of Vantaa's pages for the confirmed Paalutori schedule, then build your evening around the 15:00 opening and the 18:00 handover. Everything else follows your own two feet.