Finland offers all-expenses-paid trip for singles in 2027 – How to apply

Finland is offering all-expenses-paid trips to 16 international singles for a four-day experience featuring blind dates, sightseeing and culinary activities in February 2027. The initiative, called Finnish Dinner Date, is being organised by Visit Finland, the country’s tourism board, as part of efforts to promote Finnish cuisine and attract international visitors.

The selected participants will travel to either Helsinki, the Finnish capital, or Tampere between February 9 and 19, 2027. Eight winners will be assigned to each city, where they will take part in a series of cultural and culinary experiences, including outdoor activities, sauna visits, sightseeing and group dinners with local Finnish singles. The highlight of the programme will be a group dinner where each group of eight international visitors will be joined by two Finnish singles for a special dining experience.

The meals will feature tasting menus developed by leading Finnish chefs. In Helsinki, the menu will be prepared by Adele Kinnunen, head chef of Café Savoy, who has also appeared on Finland’s MasterChef Professionals. In the Tampere region, the menu will be developed by Henry Tikkanen, the restaurateur behind Gösta, who has represented Finland at the international Bocuse d’Or culinary competition.

Visit Finland will cover the winners’ round-trip flights, accommodation in private rooms, meals and scheduled activities throughout the four-day experience. However, participants will not be allowed to choose their preferred destination, as the tourism board will assign winners to either Helsinki or Tampere. Despite being promoted as a blind-dating experience, the initiative does not involve a formal matchmaking service or guarantee romantic relationships.

Instead, it is designed to bring international visitors and local singles together through shared meals and cultural experiences. The campaign was inspired by a Finnish grocery shopping trend known as sinkkukori, meaning single basket, in which shoppers use pink baskets at selected supermarkets to indicate that they are single and open to meeting people.

The trend gained attention on social media, prompting Visit Finland to adapt the idea into an international tourism campaign. According to Heli Jimenez, senior director of international marketing at Business Finland, the initiative is an opportunity to introduce visitors to the country’s food culture. “Food brings Finns together, and now we are inviting travellers to join us in a truly one-of-a-kind way,” she said in an October 20 announcement.

How to apply for Finland’s free trip Applications are open to single people aged 18 and above from around the world, except Finnish citizens and residents. Interested applicants are required to complete a two-step application process. First, they must record a video in English answering the question: “What would you serve on a dinner date, and why?” Applicants must then publish the video on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube using the hashtag #FinnishDinnerDate and tag Visit Finland’s official account on the platform.

The relevant accounts are @ourfinland on Instagram, @visitfinland.com on TikTok and @VisitFinland on YouTube. While entries on Instagram and TikTok must be publicly accessible, applicants using YouTube can upload their videos as unlisted, allowing only people with the link to view them. After uploading the video, applicants must complete the official online application form and include a link to their submission.

A panel of judges will assess entries based on creativity, authenticity and how personally applicants respond to the question. Visit Finland is also seeking participants from different countries, age groups and backgrounds. Applicants are expected to use original video footage and audio featuring themselves. Applications close on November 10, 2026, at 11:59 a.m.

Finnish time. The 16 successful applicants will be contacted individually, while the public announcement of winners is scheduled for December 1, 2026, on Visit Finland’s Instagram and TikTok accounts. Selected participants must respond within 48 hours of the public announcement to confirm their places, or the organisers may offer the opportunity to other applicants.