first Eurovision Song Contest arranged in Finland, following Lordi's win in 2006.
At the Senate Square in September / October 2010, the largest open-air art exhibition ever in Finland took place: About 1.4 million people saw the international exhibition of United Buddy Bears.
Helsinki is the 2012 World Design Capital, in recognition of the use of design as an effective tool for social, cultural and economic development in the city. In choosing Helsinki, the World Design Capital selection jury highlighted Helsinki's use of 'Embedded Design', which has tied design in the city to innovation, "creating global brands, such as Nokia, Kone and Marimekko, popular events, like the annual Helsinki Design Week, outstanding education and research institutions, such as the University of Art and Design Helsinki, and exemplary architects and designers such as Eliel Saarinen and Alvar Aalto".
Helsinki is the centre of the Finnish media, most national newspapers as well as the broadcasters are located there.
There are two public service local radio stations in Greater Helsinki, Finnish-language Ylen aikainen (the regional edition of YLE Radio Suomi) and Swedish-language YLE Radio Vega Huvudstadsregionen (the regional edition of YLE Radio Vega). There are also privately owned local radio stations.
YLE produces local TV news programme for the region of Uusimaa, Uudenmaan uutiset.
Two daily newspapers, Helsingin Sanomat and Hufvudstadsbladet are published in Helsinki and function as the local as well as the national newspapers.
Helsinki has a long tradition of sports: the city gained much of its initial international recognition during the 1952 Summer Olympics, and the city has since then been very open to arranging sporting events, for example the first World Championships in Athletics 1983 and 2005, and European Championships in Athletics 1971, 1994 and 2012 etc. Helsinki hosts fairly successful local teams in both of the most popular
