BACKGROUND: Party on from dawn till dusk
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By Riku Jokinen
The duo behind night club Stockholm Diskotek, Niko Hallamäki and Mehdi Younes , have tested the boundaries of the traditional Finnish drinking culture on previous occasions as well. For example, they have helped organise parties on Sundays in various Helsinki restaurants.
Morning parties are an exotic phenomenon in Finland. In Helsinki, morning parties are organised in some restaurants a few times each year. Information on the parties travels through the grapevine, and only a small inside crowd is usually present.
Partying in the morning is more common in other countries. In many large cities, a part of the clubs regularly open their doors only at the crack of dawn, and the customers arrive from night clubs and other restaurants to continue the party there.
In Finland, one clear obstacle to such parties is the strict alcohol legislation.
In the discotheque that was renovated into the building owned by temperance society Koitto, the beer taps do not open until nine in the morning.
In fact, Hallamäki does not believe that regularly held morning parties would be a success unless the laws are relaxed. There would be enough customer potential in a place the size of Helsinki.
"People who do not party themselves decide on restaurant culture. You should let people try things out", he says.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 23.10.2005
More on this subject:
 Morning parties at their best after six a.m.
Helsingin Sanomat
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