Join the spooky Halloween walk in Äänekoski!
Suvi Kallioinen |
A free event for the whole family is the gem of a Central Finland autumn evening
Suolahden Urho and numerous other organizations, associations, and the City of Äänekoski are organizing the traditional Halloween Walk in Suolahti on the coming Saturday, 1.1.2025, starting at 18:00. Due to the swimming hall renovation, the route is new and the starting point has changed, which adds its own spice and brings new partners to this traditional free family event. Welcome!
The Halloween Walk has been organized led by Urho and powered by other volunteers since 2013. It is Äänekoski’s biggest sports event and at its best has attracted 1,700 participants. The Halloween Walk was awarded Äänekoski’s Sports Act of the Year in 2022. Working with Urho in the arrangements for a long time have been, among others, 4H, Suopartio, MLL and the City of Äänekoski.
Frights, sausages and outdoor torches
This year the Halloween Walk starts from Keski-Suomen opisto’s Wallila main building, address Sirkanpolku 1, Suolahti. At the starting point the city offers juice and sausages to visitors as long as supplies last. The main building also serves as the event hub, where you’ll find instructions and public restrooms. Parking is available by Keski-Suomen opisto’s main building and in the Suolahtisali yard. Additional parking is at Suojärvi beach and the ice hall parking lot.
– It’ll be nice to see how the new route works. The renewal brings in new partners, too. The Wallila main building will be decorated, the route runs from Suojarinne past the Lehtola and Marianpolku dormitories, which are also on board, and Suolahden työttömien kirpputori is open during the event, Urho’s executive director Sami Pekkala says.
Families getting moving together
Along the path there are theme-appropriate spooky scenes and decorations. The route is 2.7 km and accessible, and it runs mostly on a walking path. There is no age limit and even the smallest family members are welcome. Visitors can also dress up in Halloween costumes, and you may bring a flashlight. The event is completely free, and nothing is for sale.
– There are no jump scares in the Halloween Walk, mostly decorations. The route is lit with outdoor torches and the streetlights are turned off along the way, which also brings that Halloween atmosphere, Pekkala says.
Altogether, 50 volunteers are involved in the event. The joy of doing things together brings different organizers together every year. The aim is to offer families a completely free exercise event, of which, in Pekkala’s opinion, there are far too few.
– We’ve managed to keep this free, and that’s important so the event is possible for everyone. We want to get families moving together. People look forward to this every year and the event has grown tremendously over the years. Visitors come from surprisingly far away, so there’s clearly demand for it, says Sami Pekkala.
