Up to 900 students pack Tampere Central Square for open-air singalong table party

Up to 900 students gathered at Tampere Central Square on Saturday for open-air academic table parties, Aamulehti reported.

Organised by the Tampere Student Union (Trey) and the Tampere University of Applied Sciences student union (Tamko), the event ran for a second year and centred on communal singing, shared tables and bring-your-own food and drink.

Attendees could request songs and add extra verses. Favourites included the Swedish drinking song Helan går and a popular tune called "Engineer and the Humanist," sung to the melody of the children's song "Sunbeam and the Goblin."

Sami Perkiö, Trey’s event and community specialist, described it as "a unique student event in a central location in Tampere."

Participants showed a strong preference for water and non-alcoholic drinks. One student, Lauri Uosukainen, put it bluntly: "Nobody wants to be totally wasted."

The gathering follows similar May Day traditions, including a packed Hervanta campus Wappu kickoff in April the Hervanta campus Wappu kickoff.