Flag days in Finland 2026 and 2027
Published Written by Flagpole Guides
This page is an English translation of the Finnish original. Where the two versions differ, the Finnish text is the original.
Finland has three kinds of flag days. Official flag days (viralliset liputuspäivät) are listed in the Decree on Flying the Flag of Finland (383/1978), most recently amended by Decree 1259/2025. Established flag days (vakiintuneet liputuspäivät) are marked in the University of Helsinki’s almanac. In addition, the Ministry of the Interior recommends general flag flying on certain days. Below are all the dates for 2026 and 2027 with weekdays.
Flag days year by year
Mother’s Day is the second Sunday of May and Father’s Day the second Sunday of November. Midsummer Day is always the Saturday between 20 and 26 June. Remembrance Day for the Fallen is the third Sunday of May and the Day of Finnish Nature the last Saturday of August. There are no national elections in 2026, and election day for the 2027 parliamentary election is 18 April.
Official flag days under the decree
Section 2 of the decree lists the official flag days as follows:
| Day | Flag day |
|---|---|
| 28 February | Kalevala Day, Day of Finnish Culture |
| 1 May | May Day, Day of Finnish Labour |
| Second Sunday of May | Mother’s Day |
| 4 June | Flag Day of the Finnish Defence Forces |
| Saturday between 20 and 26 June | Midsummer, Day of the Finnish Flag |
| Second Sunday of November | Father’s Day |
| 6 December | Independence Day |
| Election day | National elections, county elections, municipal elections, European Parliament elections or a nationwide advisory referendum |
| Inauguration day | The day the President of the Republic takes office |
County elections were added to the list by Decree 1259/2025, which entered into force on 1 January 2026. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the Flag Day of the Finnish Defence Forces is also the birthday of Marshal of Finland C. G. E. Mannerheim.
Established flag days
According to the Ministry of the Interior, there are fifteen established flag days each year: J. L. Runeberg Day (5 Feb), Minna Canth Day (19 Mar), Mikael Agricola Day (9 Apr), National Veterans’ Day (27 Apr), Europe Day (9 May), J. V. Snellman Day (12 May), Remembrance Day for the Fallen, Eino Leino Day (6 Jul), the Day of Finnish Nature, the Day of Miina Sillanpää and Civic Participation (1 Oct), Aleksis Kivi Day (10 Oct), United Nations Day (24 Oct), Finnish Swedish Heritage Day (6 Nov), the Day of Children’s Rights (20 Nov) and Jean Sibelius Day (8 Dec).
According to the Ministry, good flag culture includes flying the Finnish flag on established flag days in the same way as on official flag days.
Recommended flag days
Each year the Ministry of the Interior also recommends general flag flying on days that are not marked in the almanac as established flag days. In the Ministry’s 2026 list these are the Day of Alvar and Aino Aalto and of Finnish architecture and design (3 Feb), Sámi National Day (6 Feb), Roma National Day (8 Apr), Evacuees’ Day (20 Apr) and the Day of Tove Jansson and Finnish Art (9 Aug).
Evacuees’ Day was recommended as a flag day for the first time in 2026. It commemorates the people evacuated during the wars, and the date was chosen after the founding day of the Karelian League, 20 April 1940. The Ministry explains that a new day can be proposed for the almanac as an established flag day once flag flying has been recommended for several years in a row. This happened, for example, with the Day of Finnish Nature and Miina Sillanpää Day, which were first recommended in 2017 and entered the almanac from 2023.
Who flies the flag on flag days?
On official flag days, state authorities and institutions are obliged by the decree to fly the flag. Municipalities, parishes, businesses and private individuals fly it voluntarily. The Ministry of the Interior also issues flag orders, for example for state visits, and such an order binds only state authorities and institutions. For others it is a recommendation.
According to the Ministry’s frequently asked questions, good flag etiquette on official and established flag days is to fly only the Finnish flag. Company flags and house pennants are lowered on those days. Beyond the flag days, the flag can be raised at other times too, for example for a family celebration. The practice is described in the guide to flags on holidays.
Flying times on flag days
On flag days the ordinary flying times apply: the flag is raised at 8.00 and lowered at sunset, no later than 21.00. There are three exceptions. On Midsummer Eve flag flying begins at 18.00 and continues through the night until 21.00 on Midsummer Day. On Independence Day flag flying ends at 20.00, as it does on an election day when voting ends after sunset. More information is in the guide to flag rules.
When a flag day and mourning coincide
According to the Ministry of the Interior, a house in mourning flies the flag at half-mast on official and established flag days as well. The practice is described in the guide to flags in mourning.
Flag days of Åland and the Sámi
Åland has its own flag days based on its autonomy, on which the Åland flag is flown: 30 March (Demilitarisation and Neutralisation Day), the last Sunday of April (Åland Flag Day) and 9 June (Autonomy Day). The Sámi have their own flag days, on which the Sámi flag is flown. More information is in the guides to flag types and foreign flags in Finland.
Frequently asked questions
How many official flag days does Finland have?
The Decree on Flying the Flag of Finland lists seven official flag days each year. Election days, the day of an advisory referendum and the day the President of the Republic takes office are also official flag days.
What is the difference between an official and an established flag day?
Official flag days are listed in the decree, and on those days state authorities and institutions are obliged to fly the flag. Established flag days are marked in the University of Helsinki’s almanac. According to the Ministry of the Interior, good flag culture includes flying the flag on those days in the same way as on official flag days.
Do private individuals in Finland have to fly the flag on flag days?
No. The duty to fly the flag applies only to state authorities and institutions. For everyone else flag flying is voluntary, and under the Act on the Flag of Finland everyone has the right to fly the national flag.
Is election day a flag day in Finland?
Yes. The days of national elections, county elections, municipal elections and European Parliament elections are official flag days. The next parliamentary election is held on Sunday 18 April 2027, which is therefore an official flag day.
What is a recommended flag day?
On some days the Ministry of the Interior recommends general flag flying even though the day is not marked in the almanac. Examples are Sámi National Day on 6 February and Evacuees’ Day on 20 April. According to the Ministry, such a day may later be marked in the almanac as an established flag day once flag flying has been recommended for several years.
Sources
This guide is based on the following sources, most of them in Finnish:
- Asetus liputuksesta Suomen lipulla (383/1978) – Finlex (oikeusministeriö)
- Valtioneuvoston asetus liputuksesta Suomen lipulla annetun asetuksen 2 ja 3 §:n muuttamisesta (1259/2025) – Finlex (oikeusministeriö)
- Liputuspäivät ja -ajat – Sisäministeriö
- Liputuspäivät vuonna 2026 – Sisäministeriö
- Liputuspäiväesitykset – Sisäministeriö
- Maanantaina 20.4. liputetaan evakkojen kunniaksi – Sisäministeriö
- Vaalit – Oikeusministeriö
Related guides
- Flag rulesFlag rules in Finland: flying times, the Midsummer and Independence Day exceptions, the polar night, raising and lowering the flag, and respect for the flag.
- Flags on holidaysFlying the flag on holidays in Finland: May Day, Midsummer, Independence Day, birthdays, weddings and graduations, and the house pennant outside celebrations.
- Half-mastHalf-mast in Finland: how the flag is first raised to the top and lowered so that its lower edge is at the middle of the pole, and half-mast on a wall pole.
- Foreign flags in FinlandFlying a foreign state’s flag, the EU flag, the Åland flag and the Sámi flag in Finland: order of rank, flag days and the Ministry of the Interior’s guidance.