Copyright yle
Preparations for the Independence Day gala are underway, the Office of the President announced on Tuesday. It said around 1,700 guests are being invited to attend the event on Sunday 6 December, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. This year's reception will highlight the role of education and learning as cornerstones of Finnish society. The planned guest list includes people from the education sector, as well as citizens that President Alexander Stubb and his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb have met during visits around the country, the office explained in a press release on Tuesday. Half of the guests are being invited to the gala for the first time, according to the office. Among other musical entertainment, attendees will dance to tunes played by the Guards Band and the Guards Combo, featuring singers Jenni Vartiainen and Klaara Koivunen. In terms of food, a cocktail buffet will offer domestic delicacies, with a special focus on food from Eastern Finland. The festivities will begin on Tuesday 2 December, with a daytime reception for war veterans, members of the Lotta Svärd organisation and "other representatives of the war generations as guests of honour". "This arrangement has been made in accordance with the wishes expressed by veterans, their families and those representing them. Taking into account the advanced age and health conditions of the guests of honour, it allows more guests to attend and provides space for interaction and conversation in a calm setting. The reception will be attended by representatives of Finland’s state leadership," the press release read. Yle will offer live coverage of the Independence Day gala on TV and its streaming platform Yle Areena.
