Helsinki bans mobile sales of goods at Senate Square, Esplanadi Park

Food and other products can be sold from bicycles or mobile carts without a permit in Helsinki but, in the future, mobile sales are prohibited in the Senate Square and the Esplanadi Park, said the City of Helsinki in a press release on Friday.

Regular sales always require a notification concerning the start of operations as per the Food Act.

Any tables, chairs, canopies or other structures may not be set up in parks without an advance permit, and any sales and events in parks and on streets that involve such structures requires a permit from the City.

“In recent years, there have been a lot of sales activities in the Esplanadi Park that have not complied with the common rules or the City’s guidelines. Vendors have continually set up tables and chairs in the park, and these items have been left lying around in the park when the vendors are not selling their items, disregarding continued notices. Because of this, we have decided to experiment with a prohibition on short-term sales. Sales from fixed sales points in the parks without the City’s permit is already prohibited,” said Elina Airaksinen, Head of the Land Monitoring Unit of the City of Helsinki.

The Senate Square and the Esplanadi Park are historically valuable areas that are important to both the city’s residents and tourists. Residents and companies have contacted the City about unauthorised sales in both areas.

Mobile sales points have been a common feature in the Esplanadi Park in the summer for a long time, and they have become increasingly popular in recent years.

“We want to make the city’s parks and streets available to everyone and to provide equal business opportunities. It is only positive that the eventfulness and sales activities in the city centre are on the rise, but it is also important that the hygiene of the food items is in order and that the Food Act and common rules are complied with,” said Suvi Tuiskunen, Unit Manager of the City of Helsinki.

The City would like to remind everyone that all operations in the park must be fair and equal for all parties, which is why unauthorised sales will be addressed more regularly in the future.