Finland Is Throwing an Epic Dinner Party for 16 Singles—Here's How to Get Invited

The Nordic countries are well known for their rather gimmicky yet innovative travel campaigns luring travelers to the icy north. From doctors prescribing travel to Sweden as a medical treatment to Oslo's viral mock-documentary narrated by a jaded local called Halfdan. Preceding these by a decade, Danish tour operator Spies Travels famously promoted its ”Do It for Denmark!” campaign focused on Denmark’s low birth rates, offering “ovulation discounts” to couples who proved they conceived on their romantic trip.Now, Finland has announced it's flying out sixteen international singles this February for a "blind group date with likeminded travelers and local Finnish singles.”The country is touting the so-called Love At First Bite campaign as an epic blind dinner date, designed to help participants “discover Finnish food, meet new people, and perhaps even find love.” The singles will be divided and hosted in two group dates in capital city Helsinki and Tampere located in Europe’s largest lake district, Finland’s Lakeland region.Joining the singles over candlelit tasting menus crafted by local celebrity chefs will be local single Finns. Get ready for lots of prolonged eye contact—the Nordic way of flirting—under low light as you bond over the likes of wild trout, reindeer, chanterelle mushrooms, and sea buckthorn. For those heading to Tampere, the destination is monikered the “world’s sauna capital,” so chances of sweating with your fellow single strangers is probably on the menu too.I’ll admit, when the campaign was launched worldwide, my Finnish friends and I wrinkled our noses in confusion. Romantic and sexy aren’t the first words that come to mind when you think of Finland. And it's not the Nordic country you'd first go to for love if we're talking stereotypes. The Danes have their extroverted charm, the Swedes their chic worldliness, and the Norwegians typically have more money to spend on you. Popular Nordic comedians Helgi and Erlend riff on these regional stereotypes, depicting their Finnish character as stoic, quiet and mentally tough. The very Finnish ethos of “sisu” means grit and the tenacity to push through tough times. But maybe those are qualities you'd want in a lifelong partner as you navigate challenges together.So the campaign got me thinking a little deeper. Named the happiest country in the world for the ninth consecutive year in a row, Finns are satisfied with their lifestyles firmly rooted in the outdoors, nature, and a slower pace of life. In this contentment is where you’ll find Finland’s hidden sexier side.In a country of roughly five million, there are two million saunas. And few places are more intimate than sweating together naked in a sauna, dipping in chilly lakes during winter, then warming back up indoors in many more ways. There’s also something rather romantic about grilling wild-caught salmon for two over an open flame in the backcountry.This isn’t the first time the country has dabbled in an unconventional approach to dating. The viral “Sinkkukori” phenomenon introduced pink shopping baskets as a way for singles to covertly signal their availability. Now Finland is taking a more overt approach to romance. As the well-known nineteenth-century English idiom reminds us, the quickest way to the heart is through the stomach, and Finland certainly wants to put this to the test.To shoot your shot at finding love in Finland, apply by November 10, 2026 at 11:59 AM Finnish time. All you have to do is make a video answering the question: what would you serve on a dinner date, and why? Just like a proper prospect, Finland would like to know your preferences in advance so it can woo you in the most epic and intentional way. If that isn’t romantic, I don’t know what is.This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK.