Traditional May Day Eve festivities proceeded overnight without any major disturbances or mishaps, according to police departments around Finland. Outdoor Vappu Eve celebrations were muted in many areas due to cool, damp weather.
For instance, police in the northern city of Oulu said that Sunday night was quiet, with few people out and about amid cold, wet conditions. In Eastern Finland, overnight partying was also relatively calm, even though the weather was better there.
Inland Finland police said that the night was busier than a usual spring weekend, but with a typical number of police calls. These were related to disturbances and violent incidents in public places, as well as traffic-related incidents, for instance.
Police in Western Uusimaa and Southwest Finland told Yle that the number of emergency calls was roughly the same as on previous weekends.
Besides balloons and picnics, the Vappu holiday often involves heavy drinking, especially by university students and other young people.
In some places, partying became rowdy late in the evening.
Helsinki police said on Twitter that Kaivopuisto Park had been cleared of revellers "for the sake of public order and safety, as well as to protect against crime and disturbances".
"The park has now been emptied. More than 5,000 people left the area, including many minors. It took more than 2 hours to completely empty the park. The procedure mostly went peacefully," police said around 12.30am.
On Sunday morning, police in the capital added that "May Day night in Helsinki was reasonably peaceful. The number of duties during the night corresponded to a normal weekend night," they said, citing "disruptive behaviour, assaults and traffic-related tasks".