Visit Finland is inviting single travellers from around the world to apply for an all-expenses-paid, four-day food trip to Finland that ends with a blind group dinner date. Sixteen people will be selected, eight for Helsinki and eight for Tampere, and the trips will take place between 9 and 19 February 2027. Applications close on 10 November 2026.
The trip is called the Finnish Dinner Date. It covers accommodation, meals and a hosted programme of activities. The main event is a group dinner in a surprise setting, where each group of eight is joined by two local Finnish singles. Winners will not know whether they are going to the capital or to Tampere until their place is confirmed.
Each city offers a different version of Finland. Helsinki has its waterfront, its architecture and city life. Tampere, on the western edge of the Finnish Lakeland, is surrounded by forests and lakes and is known for its sauna culture. Each dinner will serve an official regional tasting menu. Chef Adele Kinnunen will cook in Helsinki and chef Henry Tikkanen in Tampere.
The idea comes from a Finnish custom called the sinkkukori, or “single basket”. In some grocery stores, shoppers can pick a pink basket to show they are open to meeting someone new. It is a quiet way to start a conversation in a country known for valuing personal space.
The dinner date is the latest part of Visit Finland’s “Have some Finnish” campaign. The campaign aims to make Finnish food a reason to visit, rather than something secondary to the scenery. Earlier in 2026, people across Finland were asked which dishes best represent their regions. Leading chefs then turned the answers into four official tasting menus. Two were served to a first group of travellers in September. The Helsinki and Lakeland menus are the last two.
Visit Finland calls Finnish food “Europe’s last undiscovered cuisine”. It admits that most visitors could not name a single Finnish dish. Examples include creamy salmon soup, fried vendace and Tampere’s black sausage with lingonberry jam.
How to apply
There are two steps. First, applicants record a short video in English answering one question: what would you serve on a dinner date, and why? They post it on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube with the hashtag #FinnishDinnerDate and tag Visit Finland’s account on that platform: @ourfinland on Instagram, @visitfinland.com on TikTok or @VisitFinland on YouTube. Instagram and TikTok profiles must be public. YouTube videos can be uploaded as unlisted for anyone who prefers not to apply publicly.
Second, applicants fill in the online form on Visit Finland’s website and include the link to their video.
The trip is open to single adults who are not Finnish citizens. The deadline is Tuesday 10 November 2026 at 11:59 am Finnish time. Visit Finland will announce the winners on 1 December 2026 on its Instagram and TikTok accounts.
Romance is not guaranteed, but every participant will at least get to know Finnish food.
