Programme Out Now!
The programme of the first-ever Hillaviikko is being planned and carried out collaboratively by local associations, businesses and residents, with the support of the Municipality of Ranua and Lions Club Ranua through the Hillaviikko project, funded by Peräpohjolan Leader via the EU’s Rural Development Programme.
The programme will be supplemented during the spring, and the participating businesses and organisations will be announced through Hillaviikko’s communication channels. Most events are free of charge, open to all ages and accessible; any exceptions will be communicated separately in each event’s information. Registration and booking instructions will be published as the programme is finalised at hillaviikko.fi. All events will also be listed in the Municipality of Ranua’s event calendar.
Pop-up Days at Hillatori, Mon–Tue 13–14 July 2026, 12:00–20:00
The week opens with two open pop-up days, during which anyone can organise their own small event in the Hillatori festival tent or elsewhere and register it in the Hillaviikko calendar. Instructions for hosting your own events and booking the Hillatori tent will be published later at hillaviikko.fi.
Car Orienteering in the Villages and Wilds, Wed 15 July 2026, 17:00–24:00
Last summer, car orienteering was organised for the first time since the 1950s – and it instantly became an unbeatable hit among locals. Now, teams from all over Finland are invited to take on the challenge!
In this car orienteering competition created by the Ranuan Reserviläiset, teams navigate through Ranua’s villages and wilderness while completing tasks that test wilderness and preparedness skills, nature and local knowledge, and problem-solving. Success comes from navigation, time management, vehicle control and teamwork – not rally driving skills.
The event is limited to the first 20 registered teams, with a discount for vehicles running on renewable energy (e.g. electric or biogas cars). Whose name will be engraved on the challenge trophy this year – the 2025 winners Ralliveikot or someone new?
Cyclists and walkers can also enjoy orienteering during Hillaviikko through the week’s Korttelirastit (neighbourhood orienteering).
Honkivaara Venture – Family Day, Thu 16 July 2026, 12:00–16:00
Multilahti Sauna’n’Song Evening, 18:00–21:00
Hillaviikko Neighbourhood Checkpoints Thu–Sun 16–19 July (submission at Monkkari 2.0)
Thursday marks the opening of a new multi-use route at Ranua’s own “ski hill”, Honkivaara, celebrated with a diverse family activity day. Along the nature trail and slopes of “Lontsunmäki”, and in the surrounding areas, visitors can enjoy: campfire grilling, nature guides dressed as animals, a children’s nature-pass quiz, a wilderness skills checkpoint course, information about invasive species, insect hotel building, and outdoor sports try-outs.
The day culminates in the Honkivaaran Valtiaat – a three-person extreme relay race for adults, limited to the first 20 teams. The first runner battles through deep mire, the second runs on firm ground while carrying a surprise load, and the anchor runner must conquer the uphill finish to claim the crown of Honkivaara.
Private car access to Honkivaara is discouraged; visitors should arrive by bike or on foot via the new route, or by Hillaviikko’s non-stop shuttle buses from Hillatori.
After all the sweating, soot, mud and forest dust, participants can unwind in the sauna and lake at Multilahti. Warm men’s and women’s saunas await, along with food sales (or your own snacks) and a community singalong by the campfire with local musicians and choir members. Song requests can be sent in advance to the Hillaviikko team, and visitors may also perform their own pieces. Both events are weather-permitting, and Multilahti’s blue-green algae situation will be monitored.
The Korttelirastit also begin on Thursday: ten checkpoints are hidden around Ranua’s village centre. The map will be released on Wednesday through Hillaviikko’s and the municipality’s channels. Participants have until Sunday at 16:00 to return their checkpoint card to Monkkari 2.0. Those who collect at least five checkpoints will enter a prize draw. Visiting all checkpoints totals about 10–20 km.
Summernight Setting – Evening Feast at Hillatori and Everywhere, Fri 17 July 2026, 18:00–22:00
Youth Evening in Ikosenpuisto or elsewhere, approx. 18:00–21:00
As the bright summer night begins, lanterns and laughter light up the community-wide Summer Evening Feast, celebrating local food, community and entrepreneurship. The Hillatori tent will be decorated, with long tables dressed in white tablecloths. People may also host their own feast at home or in their housing unit and share it on social media using #kesäillankattaus and #hillaviikko.
The Municipality of Ranua, the Parish, Lions Club and local entrepreneurs invite locals and visitors to join the Feast. The first 120 registered participants will enjoy a warm seasonal meal prepared with local ingredients. Two 60-person sittings will be held; reservation details will be announced later. The Hillatori feast is alcohol-free, accessible and open to all ages.
You can also host your own feast at home using local ingredients or ready meals from local entrepreneurs. Symbols of the Feast include: a white tablecloth, something orange, a pine-cone cow, and the hashtags #kesäyönkattaus and #hillaviikko. Information on local picnic products and reservations will be announced later.
The evening also features a youth-led cultural event. Planned and produced with support from the Hillaviikko project, this event gives young people hands-on experience in responsible and impactful event production and communication. Hillaviikko will hire two young people for summer communication roles, and a security steward training course will be organised in spring, improving local youth’s employment opportunities in events throughout the region.
Hillamarkkinat Sat–Sun 18–19 July 2026, 10–17 & 10–16
Ranuan Peura Street Hockey Tournament, Sat daytime
The Book Bar 18+ Festival and Hillatanssit on Sat evening after the market closes
Children’s and Families’ Theme Day, Sun at the market stage and sports field
A shaded rest and meeting area in Hillatori’s festival tent throughout the market days
Hillaviikko culminates in a two-day Hillamarkkinat market at the Peuransarvi sports hall area. Hillamarkkinat has been a Ranua tradition for over 50 years, annually drawing thousands of locals and visitors. Traditionally held during the first weekend of August, the event will now move permanently to July as part of Hillaviikko.
The market stage will again offer a wide range of inclusive programming for all ages, designed based on resident feedback. Particular attention is given to accessibility and suitability for different audiences. Outdated traditions, such as the “Hilla Girl” competition, will be discontinued and replaced with fresh concepts.
In addition to the lively market atmosphere, the weekend includes both physical and mentally refreshing side activities, as well as calm spaces away from the crowds. Programme details will be confirmed in spring, but highlights already include the street hockey tournament, The Book Bar’s adults-only festival, and the Sunday family day. Hillatori’s tent provides a shaded chill-out space for eating your own snacks or meeting others.
Hillamarkkinat also aims to reduce its carbon footprint and encourage both vendors and visitors to act in climate-wise and nature-friendly ways. Environmental measures include consolidated transport, energy-saving actions, organised waste sorting, and a vegetarian option in volunteer meals. Vendors are encouraged to consider the carbon footprint of their products and transport, with an award for the most responsible market vendor. Visitors will be guided in waste sorting with the help of volunteers and small prizes. Muscle-powered access is promoted by reserving the closest parking for those who truly need it, such as visitors with limited mobility.
Come and Colour Your Hillaviikko!
Ranua’s Hillaviikko will be organised for the very first time on 13–19 July 2026. At the same time, the traditional Hillamarkkinat (Golden Cloudberry Fair) will move two weeks earlier and will crown this brand-new family-friendly activity week. The programme outline will be published on 29 November at Ranua’s Christmas Opening during the Piparimarkkinat Fair. The Hillaviikko project team will also launch an all-ages design competition for the event’s logo.
Hillaviikko, created together with local businesses and community groups, will bring a wide range of experiences for families throughout the week. Everyone is sure to find something they enjoy in the mostly free programme.
“Our programme outline is now being published, but the real hands-on work actually begins at the Piparimarkkinat,” says Hillaviikko project coordinator Raisa Wegelius.
“We’re inviting all kinds of people to join the working groups, to design experiences for the themed days and to work on communications. The municipality and a great number of local businesses and communities already support Hillaviikko wonderfully, but we truly need everyone! Former Ranua residents, Ranua-curious visitors, and all kinds of delightfully “kesytön” people and companies are warmly welcome to join in,” Wegelius encourages.
The programme to be published on Saturday will include local flavours, nature experiences, untamed adventures, culture, exercise, market bustle and, above all, unhurried togetherness. And if the week doesn’t offer exactly what someone is looking for, Wegelius reminds that anyone is welcome to organise their own small Hillaviikko-themed event in line with the values of the week.
“We jointly defined the event’s values to mirror the municipality’s: responsibility, community, courage, entrepreneurship and openness. With these in mind, our working group tried—sometimes painfully—to find the red thread among more than a hundred ideas gathered from residents and workshops. Since not everything can be included and we want to leave space for spontaneous ideas, the pop-up event days fit perfectly with our working style and our slogan: ‘our Ranua, your Hillaviikko,’” Wegelius explains.
The design of Hillaviikko’s visual identity has also been crowdsourced. The logo competition opens alongside the programme publication on 29 November 2026. The competition is open to everyone of all ages, and entries can be submitted until 10 January 2026.
A Programme Shaped by Its Makers
The first-ever Hillaviikko is designed and produced by local associations, businesses and residents, supported by the Municipality of Ranua and Lions Club Ranua through the Hillaviikko project, funded by Peräpohjola Leader ry from the EU’s Rural Development Programme.
Since late summer, workshops and volunteer teams—both large and small—have been running, and anyone has been able to join at any time, contributing as much as they wish. This operating model will continue throughout the project. The practical work on the programme and communications will begin after the New Year, so there is plenty of room for all kinds of skills and new makers.
The programme and communication planning has been based on:
The Hillamarkkinat resident survey (December 2024)
A Hillaviikko concept created by Lapland UAS students for the Hillamarkkinat
Expert guidance on environmental, economic and sociocultural responsibility from Pidä Lappi Siistinä ry and on event design/communications from Puistola Advertising
The jointly agreed values of Hillaviikko: responsibility, community, courage, entrepreneurship and openness. These values guide the working groups and help exclude activities or ideas that do not support them.
Concern for the Cloudberry Region Sparked the Responsibility Project
The traditional Hillamarkkinat, held for decades, will now permanently move two weeks earlier to 18–19 July. Cloudberries ripen noticeably earlier nowadays—partly due to climate warming. Annual cloudberry yields also depend on weather and on pollinators, which suffer from habitat fragmentation. After the pandemic, the market has also had fewer visitors and vendors, raising concerns about the future of this important communal event.
The planning of Hillaviikko is fundamentally about how a small municipality prepares for challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, increasing inequality, and maintaining the vitality, safety and identity of northern rural areas. The programme has been built from the start to serve as a calling card for Ranua’s responsible solutions and as a spark of hope and community strength for locals amidst global uncertainties.
Many Are Already Involved—But More Are Needed
Hillaviikko already includes partners such as:
4H Ranua, Lions Club Ranua, Pidä Lappi Siistinä, Municipality of Ranua, Ranuan Reserviläiset, Ranua Resort, Ranuan parish, Ranuan Yrittäjät, The Book Bar…
By the turn of the year, this number will double as programme and communication content and partnerships are confirmed.
We now challenge your company or organisation to offer support and resources to showcase the collective spirit of the northern countryside!
Would you like to:
produce a free event at Hillatori and showcase your activities?
gain visibility—for example by sponsoring a rally team in the navigation race, forming a running team for the extreme relay, or entering a street hockey team?
offer a nature or adventure activity at Honkivaara?
put your mobile sauna design to the test at the Multilahti sauna night?
sell or provide northern local food products—or ingredients for the Summer Evening Feast?
reserve a prime market stall at the Hillamarkkinat?
or bring completely new ideas for collaboration?
Now is the perfect time to join and make a difference!
Contact Raisa at hillaviikko26@gmail.com or by phone/WhatsApp at +358 44 205 6926.
You can also contact any familiar working group member—or simply join the team!
Join the Working Group in Your Own Time and Your Own Way
We need many different people to help plan and create an event that truly tastes like Ranua! Our active working groups already include more than 30 people of various ages and backgrounds, and working together has been incredibly fun and inspiring. Join us boldly, even just to try it out—you might accidentally make new friends and even enjoy it! No one is pressured; everyone contributes according to their energy. Our number one priority is that making Hillaviikko should be just as enjoyable as the event itself.
Join the Working Group, the Mailing List, or the Logo Competition
See the Hillaviikko programme and values we are committed to as organisers.
Contact Raisa at hillaviikko26@gmail.com and tell us what you’d like to do:
communications (social media, video, photography, media work, events...),
event production (first aid, security, guidance, catering, traffic control, structures, transport...),
or idea generation, networking or partnership-building!
The next meeting will be in January, so there is plenty of time to join. The exact date will be sent by email.
You can also indicate—either at the meeting or beforehand—that you’d like to join the Hillaviikko WhatsApp groups.
Or you can simply join the mailing list to follow the planning process. In that case, you will receive only the main working group invitations and production updates.
Participating in the logo design competition is also a great way to show your support! Submit your proposal by 10 January 2026 to hillaviikko26@gmail.com or as a paper version in an envelope to Monkkari 2.0. See the competition rules and instructions via this link.
Additional Information
Raisa Wegelius
Coordinator, Hillaviikko Project
hillaviikko26@gmail.com / +358 44 205 6926
Hillamarkkinat / Lions Club Ranua ry
Keijo Ruonala, Chair
keijo.ruonala@osao.fi / +358 400 820 988
About the Hillaviikko Project
The first Hillaviikko is carried out within the “Hillaviikko 2026 – meille maistuvaa meininkiä” project, coordinated by Lions Club Ranua and funded by Peräpohjola Leader ry through the EU Rural Development Programme. The aim is to create, through broad community collaboration, a responsibly produced event concept for Ranua that activates residents, communities and businesses and brings sustainable development into practice. The event and its communication reflect the values of the municipality and share them both locally and more widely. As the project progresses, a handbook for responsible event production will also be created for future years and for use by other organisers. The project runs from 1 June 2025 to 31 December 2026. Anyone interested can join the planning and implementation at any point.
