Tea Culture Festival is a new event. It will take place in Helsinki on March 14-15, 2026.

In March 2025 we organized a tea seminar, that brought together 150 tea lovers. With the new festival we are hoping to attract 300 visitors. The event will take place in Sofia, a Cultural Centre and Conference Hotel located by the Baltic sea, in East Helsinki.

The festival invites you to explore the tea cultures and traditions of different countries. Introductions and workshops will bring together companies and others involved with the field with tea enthusiasts – to create an opportunity for networking and meaningful moments over tea.

At the seminar there will be presentations by e.g. author Minna Eväsoja, writer and tea expert Pekka Nihtinen, as well as professor of African studies Friederike Lüpke and University Lecturers Mikko Autere and Liban Ali Hersi from the University of Helsinki. Teen Ystävät ry (Association of Tea Lovers in Finland) and Urasenke association Finland will also be present.

The festival will last two days. Saturday is more about information, and on Sunday the focus shifts more to the silence and art created around tea, e.g. in meditation and art workshops. On Saturday, various tea companies and e.g. ceramists present their activities.

Saturday March 14th

10.30-16.30 Program in the auditorium:

Author Pekka Nihtinen: Changing tea culture

PhD Mikko Autere: I take two roads to India

Professor Friederike Lüpke: African teascapes – global entanglements and the emergence of localised traditions (in English)

University lecturer Liban Ali Hersi: A cup of tea in the shadow of coffee

Tea expert Jesse Örö: Little Cups – Gongfu Tea from Southern China to Taiwan

Author Minna Eväsoja: With a beginner's mind, on the path of beauty

Program in other facilities 10-13 and 14-17 slots:

Calligraphy teacher Oskar Hellström: Calligraphy workshop

Kintsugi teacher Katja Seppinen: Secrets of Kintsugi

Tea expert Jarkko Myllykangas and musician Juho Luukkainen: Tea & Tabla meditation

Tea master Markku Peltola: Japanese chanoyu

Tea expert Jesse Örö: Secrets of Taiwanese tea and gong fu tea ceremony

Little turtle: Under the spell of Puerh - workshop

Poet Taolin: Tea invitation - poems about tea

12-17 Sofia Chapel: quiet area / tea time non-stop

10-17 Tea workers' market, tea tasting and sales in the lobby

11.30-15.30 Lunch (15 €), restaurant Xenia

Sunday March 15th

11-12 Tea and Silence / Chapel / Jarkko Myllykangas

12-13 Art and Piano Music / Artist Markus Tornberg 

13-15 Sofia's Karelian Afternoon Tea Setting and Introduction to the Karelian Tea Tradition / Restaurant Xenia (25 €)

Saturday lunch (15 €) and Sunday afternoon tea (25 €) are paid separately on site.

Participation fee:

25 €/person, incl. program Sat-Sun (excl. possible events organized separately by partners) and a unique tea tasting cup and VAT. The price also includes transportation between the metro and Sofia on Sat 14.3.2026.