Free drop-in craft workshops and chair yoga for seniors at Monitoimitalo 13 and Pohjola this autumn

According to the City of Tampere, free, drop-in craft workshops and two new chair yoga groups for seniors will run at Monitoimitalo 13 and Pohjola through 9 December and 27 November 2026 respectively. The events are part of the city's wider autumn programme for older residents, building on nearly 100 low-threshold cultural events this autumn the city described earlier and the free autumn exercise classes and instructor training starting 31 August announced previously by the city.

At Monitoimitalo 13 the senior craft workshop runs Monday to Wednesday, 9–13, with an adult education instructor on hand. Pohjola has an instructor on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8–14, while volunteers staff the space at other times. Guidance is free and some materials are provided. "You can come with your own ideas or unfinished projects. You don't have to know anything beforehand," says Kati Suonpää-Rantanen, who runs the Monitoimitalo 13 workshop. The sessions are open to all adults but aimed at seniors, and organizers highlight craft activities' benefits for wellbeing and brain health.

The new chair yoga groups meet Fridays at 12–13 and 13–14 and require no advance sign-up. Movements can be done standing, using a chair for support, or sitting, which makes the classes suitable for participants with balance challenges. The craft workshops are part of the Kaikkien Tampere development programme, and funding for the chair yoga comes from the Tampere City cultural and sports fund.