Single people aged 18 and above have an opportunity to win a fully sponsored trip to Finland under an international tourism campaign offering 16 places for a four-day social experience.
The initiative, called Finnish Dinner Date, is being promoted by Visit Finland, which is inviting applicants to demonstrate their creativity through a short video entry before the November 10, 2026 deadline, according to The Sun.
Candidates are required to answer a question about what they would prepare for a dinner date and explain their choice. Submissions must be recorded in English and shared on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube with the hashtag #FinnishDinnerDate. Entrants must also tag Visit Finland’s official account and submit the video link through the campaign’s online application form.
The competition is open to international applicants but excludes Finnish citizens and residents. Instagram and TikTok videos must be posted publicly, while YouTube entries can be submitted as unlisted links. Originality, personal expression and creativity will form part of the selection criteria.
The organisers plan to unveil the 16 successful candidates on December 1, 2026. Winners will be contacted individually and required to confirm their participation within 48 hours of notification.
Those selected will travel to Finland between February 9 and 19, 2027, for activities split between Helsinki and Tampere. Each city will host eight international guests, although participants will not be permitted to select their preferred location.
Visit Finland will finance the return journeys, private accommodation, meals and planned activities. The programme also includes encounters with Finnish singles, outdoor recreation, sauna experiences and visits to local attractions.
A specially arranged dining event will bring each group of international guests together with two local singles. The Helsinki dinner will feature a menu by Adele Kinnunen, head chef at Café Savoy, while Henry Tikkanen, the restaurateur behind Gösta, will handle the culinary offering in Tampere.
The campaign takes inspiration from sinkkukori, a trend in Finnish supermarkets where single shoppers use pink shopping baskets to indicate that they are available to meet other singles.
Business Finland’s Senior Director of International Marketing, Heli Jimenez, said the project was intended to introduce foreign visitors to Finland’s culinary traditions and create opportunities for cultural interaction.
The organisers have stressed that participants should not regard the trip as a guaranteed route to romance, as the initiative is a tourism experience rather than a formal dating or matchmaking programme.
