Ditch the dating apps. Finland has a different idea.
Visit Finland is inviting 16 single adults from around the world to apply for the Finnish Dinner Date — an all-expenses-paid, four-day trip to Finland in February 2027 that ends with a group blind dinner date over one of the country’s new official regional tasting menus.
Eight selected singles will go to Helsinki and eight to Tampere. Each dinner group will be joined by two local Finnish singles. Your destination is not your choice, and it is not revealed until you are confirmed — Visit Finland calls it your first surprise match.
The official pitch is not, strictly, that you will fall in love with a person. It is that you might fall in love with Finland — and its food.
At a glance
- What: Finnish Dinner Date, part of Visit Finland’s “Have Some Finnish” campaign
- Who can apply: Single adults age 18 and older, from anywhere in the world, who are not citizens or residents of Finland
- Places: 16 total — 8 for Helsinki, 8 for Tampere (in Finland’s Lakeland region)
- Trip: 4 days, sometime between February 9–19, 2027; exact window and destination confirmed if you are selected
- What’s covered: Visit Finland describes the trip as all-expenses-paid, with a full hosted itinerary of activities and dining throughout the stay
- Deadline: Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 11:59 a.m. Finnish time (EET, UTC+2) — note the morning deadline, not midnight. That is 4:59 a.m. Eastern.
- Winners announced: December 1, 2026 on Visit Finland’s Instagram (@ourfinland) and TikTok (@visitfinland.com)
More than a dinner date
The Dinner Date is the dating edition of a larger food campaign. Earlier this year, Visit Finland asked people across Finland to name the dishes that best define the country and its regions, then worked with leading chefs to turn them into four official tasting menus.
Two menus were already served to travelers in September. The remaining two — for the Helsinki region and for Lakeland — are the ones on the table in February.
Each tasting is designed as a journey through a region’s flavors, traditions, sights and sounds, not just a meal. In Helsinki, that means a seaside capital in winter: design, market halls, salmon soup and smoked fish, saunas and a dip in the icy sea. In Tampere, it means lakes and forests, public saunas — Tampere is known as the Sauna Capital of the World — and local specialties including the city’s iconic black sausage with lingonberry jam.
The dinners themselves are group experiences in surprise locations, not one-on-one blind dates. That format matters. There is no single person across the table to impress, no check to split, and no awkward exit to plan. You travel solo, you eat with a group, and the food is the main event.
The chefs behind the menus
In Helsinki: Chef Adele Kinnunen
Kinnunen is head chef at Café Savoy in central Helsinki and part of a new generation redefining Finnish food. She placed second on MasterChef Suomi: Professionals, trained in kitchens including Savoy, and builds her menus around clean, seasonal, locally sourced Finnish ingredients — bold flavor without unnecessary complexity.
In Tampere / Lakeland: Chef Henry Tikkanen
Tikkanen won Finland’s Chef of the Year title in 2001 and represented Finland at the Bocuse d’Or in 2003. He is the restaurateur behind Gösta, at the Serlachius Museums in Mänttä-Vilppula, known for pure tastes from Finnish nature. His philosophy is locality and simplicity: fresh Finnish produce, with seasonal flavors taking center stage.
How to apply for the Finnish Dinner Date — you have until Tuesday morning, Nov. 10
Applying is two steps, and both must be finished before the deadline.
1. Record a short video in English answering one question:
“What would you serve on a dinner date, and why?”
Post it publicly on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube — an unlisted YouTube link is also accepted — using #FinnishDinnerDate and tagging Visit Finland: @ourfinland on Instagram, @visitfinland.com on TikTok, or @VisitFinland on YouTube. If you post on Instagram or TikTok, your account must be public and the post must stay public at least until the winners are announced.
2. Complete the official application form at Visit Finland’s Finnish Dinner Date page and paste in the link to your video.
Visit Finland says entries are judged on creativity, authenticity and uniqueness. You may apply only once, and one application covers both cities — the organizers assign you to Helsinki or Tampere if you are selected.
A detail worth knowing from the official terms: you must personally create your application material. The terms say applicants must not use AI to generate material in connection with the application.
Other eligibility points from those terms: you must be single — not in a relationship — both when you apply and when you take part; and selected participants will be contacted personally. If Visit Finland cannot reach a winner or a winner does not respond within 48 hours of the public announcement, it may select a replacement.
Why this one is actually made for single people
Most travel competitions treat “single” as a demographic checkbox. This one is built around how a lot of single adults actually want to travel and meet people: solo, on their own terms, with a built-in group when they want company and a great meal at the center of it.
There is no promise of a partner, and Visit Finland does not make one. What it offers is rarer — a free, hosted, food-first trip to the country repeatedly ranked the world’s happiest, a table shared with other singles and local Finns, and a reason to answer one very good question before November 10:
What would you serve on a dinner date, and why?
Related reading: our solo travel hub and our guide to solo dining.
Apply here: Visit Finland — Finnish Dinner Date
Life Legally Single is not affiliated with Visit Finland or the Finnish Dinner Date campaign. Details above are from Visit Finland’s campaign page and terms, last updated October 16, 2026. Check the official terms before applying, including passport, visa, travel document and insurance requirements for your country.