The Euroclub has become one of the traditions of the Eurovision event in the host city. It is a place for those working with the event to wind down in a relaxed atmosphere. In Helsinki the Euroclub will be hosted in the very central venue Vanha.

This listed building, built in 1870 as a meeting and party hall for students of Helsinki University, is full of tradition but also a modern venue popular with events of all kinds. When it was built, it was in the outskirts of the fast growing Finnish capital, but today it could not have a more central location. Situated in the junction of the main thoroughfare Mannerheimintie and the main shopping street Aleksanterinkatu it has the best possible transport connections to the Eurovision venue, Hartwall Areena and is a walking distance from all central hotels.

Vanha ("The Old Student House") was originally used for student meetings, white tie student balls and for theatre and concerts. After the student revolution of 1968 the venue became a cultural centre catering for the whole nation. It is still owned by the The Student Union of the University of Helsinki and managed through its commercial arm, HYY Group.

It is also only a stone's throw from the Lasipalatsi media and cultural centre, where www.viisukuppila.fi together with the City of Helsinki are organising an event at the cinema Bio Rex where the contests can be followed live and which is open to everybody, the Euroclub at Vanha will be restricted to accredited press, delegations and artists.

The Euroclub will be open every night from Wed 3 May until the early hours, serving food and drinks at reasonable prices.

In addition there will be several outdoor screens in Helsinki, where the contest can be followed live.

On the Lasipalatsi and Bio Rex, visit www.viisukuppila.fi

Vanha Ylioppilastalo web site (Finnish)