Viking fables and Kalevala poems served as the inspiration for this winter’s snow village. Lapland Hotels & Safaris, Tomi Kurtakko

The snow village that is built every year in Kittilä’s Lainio is sure to be a hit this season as well. The number of winter visitors is expected to be up to 80,000 guests.

The theme of Lapland Hotels SnowVillage changes seasonally. Characters from the Game of Thrones series, futuristic views and copies of world-famous attractions have been seen there.

This time, the icy and snowy sculptures present Nordic mythology. Both the Viking gods and our national epic, the Kalevala, have served as inspiration.

Kalevala interests me

Snow Village destination manager Maria Astren says in the announcement that this year’s theme has attracted a lot of love.

– The characters of the national epic Kalevala have been really popular, as have Odin and Loki from Nordic mythology, he says.

Visitors have also been delighted by the snow village’s longest ever ice slide and the snow hotel’s suite, the theme of which is Sammo’s forge.

Kittilä’s snow village attracts guests from both Finland and the world.

– Social media also certainly plays a part in the popularity, after all, this is a very descriptive and inspiring place, from which you want to share content on, for example, Instagram, Astrén continues.

The popularity may also be due to the fact that the Game of Thrones-themed snow village became a global news topic a few years ago.

Interesting options

Kittilä snow village is open for a fee every day until April 7. Of course, you can admire ice and snow sculptures elsewhere in Finland.

For example, a real-size snow sculpture depicting a blue whale has been made in Joensuu Botania, which is a whopping 33.6 meters long. A sound world created for the theme can be heard around the snow whale.

The theme of the snow suites at Rovaniemi’s Arctic Snow Hotel this year is softness and homeliness. The hotel also has three different ice restaurants, one of which was inspired by the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk.

In the surroundings of Kemi’s Snow Castle, there is a free winter park where you can practice many fun winter sports.