Finland’s embassy in Australia became a social media hit after it announced a day of closure for internal planning. Ambassador Arto Haapea explained that the closure was a routine end-of-year event, where staff would celebrate the “many successes” of 2026 with a “pre-Xmas sauna.”
The announcement, featuring images of the Northern Lights, went viral on Instagram, garnering hundreds of thousands of likes and generating a flurry of memes and jokes from around the globe. “The extraordinary attention took us by surprise,” Haapea said. “We handled the buzz in a typically Finnish way, keeping cool and carrying on as usual. It was amusing that our planning day captured people’s imagination.”
This online frenzy coincided with Visit Finland’s tourism campaign, inviting singles worldwide to apply for a chance to travel to Finland for free and attend dinner dates with locals. The embassy’s Instagram post stated that 15 participants would be selected, with applications closing on 10 November, the same day as the embassy closure.
“You’ve tried Tinder, you’ve tried Bumble, but have you tried Helsinki?” Haapea teased in a promotional video, encouraging people to take a chance on Finnish culture and charm. The campaign reportedly attracted an overwhelming number of applicants, with the winners to be announced on 8 December.
Both the closure announcement and the dinner-date campaign received about eight million views each, far exceeding the embassy’s usual engagement levels. Haapea attributed the attention to Instagram’s algorithm, which helped expand their reach and inspired many to create their own content related to the embassy’s temporary closure.
The embassy joined in the fun by responding light-heartedly to various comments on social media, including one from a user lamenting the timing of their planned visit. Others jokingly acknowledged the closure as a reason for their disrupted plans. Even Finland’s embassy in Prague chimed in, assuring those affected that it would remain open.
Haapea noted the positive response to their social media presence, hoping it would lead to greater interest in Finnish culture and strengthen ties with Australia. “As long as it promotes good relations and visibility for our work, we welcome it,” he said.
