The page also includes information about the Veteran Week program.
National Veterans’ Day – National Main Ceremony
National Veterans’ Day is observed in Finland on 27 April to honour war veterans. It is also an official flag day. The day commemorates Finnish war veterans and marks both the end of the war and the beginning of peace. It is the anniversary of the end of the Lapland War.
In 2026, Mikkeli has the honour of hosting the national main ceremony of National Veterans’ Day, marking 81 years since the end of the war.
The theme of the year is “Facing the future together”
For Finland and Finns, National Veterans’ Day marks the end of the Second World War, the beginning of peace, and a day of remembrance for the experiences of war veterans and the wartime generations.
The veteran and wartime generations carried responsibility and did what had to be done in the harsh conditions of war. Their values were many, but love for the homeland, a strong sense of duty, perseverance, shared responsibility, trust and belief in the future bound them together. These were not only virtues of wartime – they were the foundation for peace, reconstruction and the welfare society they built after the war.
National Veterans’ Day 27 April 2026 invites us to reflect on these values – not only to remember the past, but also to consider their meaning today. How do we take responsibility for one another? How do we strengthen community, participation and democracy at a time when our sense of security and trust in the future is being challenged?
The legacy of the veteran generation lives on in how we treat one another, how we respond to crises and how we build the future together. Looking forward does not mean forgetting history – on the contrary. It means understanding that from past experience comes the strength, capacity and insight needed to build the future, and the confidence that our wings will carry us.
In 2026, National Veterans’ Day is celebrated in Mikkeli, the wartime headquarters city, where decisions, leadership and responsibility converged. It was here that decisions about the nation’s future were made – with eyes fixed on the road ahead, even in times of greatest uncertainty.
In the headquarters city of Mikkeli, history and the present meet. The Headquarters Museum, Muisti the Centre of War and Peace, and the Infantry Museum open the experiences of the wartime generations to visitors. The Finnish Army Headquarters and NATO’s Multi-Corps Land Component Command continue the city’s central role in national defence leadership. In the same place where wartime decisions shaped the fate of the whole country, we now look forward together – as a chain of generations rooted in shared values.
Facing the future together is an invitation to remember, to understand, and to build – together.
Veterans’ Week 20–27 April 2026
Each day has a specific theme guiding the programme. The program will be implemented in Finnish.
Monday 20 April – Inclusion and Community
Programme coming soon.
Tuesday 21 April – Film and Performing Arts
Programme coming soon.
Wednesday 22 April – Stories and Literature
Programme coming soon.
Thursday 23 April – Poetry
Programme coming soon.
Friday 24 April – Music
Programme coming soon.
Saturday 25 April – Cultural Heritage
Guided tours by Mikkeli Guides:
- 10:00 Women at War, starting at the railway station, ending at the Market Square
- 11:00 In the Footsteps of Mannerheim, starting at the Market Square, Headquarters Statue
- 12:00 Mikkeli in the Reconstruction Era, starting at the Headquarters Statue
- 13:00 Post-war Mikkeli – Economic Development, starting at the Market Square
Free entry to Mannerheim’s Salon Coach, open 10:00–16:00.
Free entry to Muisti, Headquarters Museum and Mikkeli Art Museum. Museums open 10:00–17:00.
Sunday 26 April – Towards the Day of Celebration
- Looking Forward Together – seminar at Muisti at 12:00
- People’s Market Event 12:00–16:00 at the Market Square
- Finnish Defence Forces equipment exhibition with pea soup served
National Veterans’ Day – 27 April 2026
Programme:
- 09:00 Flag raising, wreath laying at the Headquarters Statue, possible Air Force flypast
- 10:00 Festive service at Mikkeli Parish Church
- 11:00 Lunch for invited guests
- 12:30 Guests gather in the Mikaeli’s Martti Talvela Hall (doors close 12:40)
- 13:00–14:15 National Main Ceremony in Martti Talvela Hall
Veterans’ Day Ecumenical Service
The ecumenical festive service takes place at 10:00 in Mikkeli Parish Church. Sermon and liturgy by Bishop Mari Parkkinen. Assisting clergy: Father Mikko Mentu of the Orthodox Church and Dean Arja Huuskonen. Cantor: bass-baritone Henri Jussila; organist: Toni Heino. Music performed by the St. Michel Strings. The festive church service will be held in Finnish.
News about the National Veterans’ Day
