Photo: ICPonline
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Hundreds of people queued overnight in Oulu for discounted soft serve as the popular “Pehmisten yö” event returned to the city’s Nallikari beach kiosk.
The ice cream giveaway began at 10pm on Tuesday and ran until 8am Wednesday, drawing a steady stream of customers throughout the night. The queue, which remained hundreds of metres long, wrapped around the beach area for hours.
The promotion started with a price of 90 cents per cone during the first hour. The cost then dropped by 10 cents every hour until the final hour between 7am and 8am, when cones were handed out for free.
According to one family, the wait for a cone lasted three hours. Others brought folding chairs and settled in for the long wait, treating the night like a casual festival. Music played from speakers and many passersby joined the line despite the delay.
The mild weather helped keep spirits high. Temperatures stayed close to 20°C throughout the night, and there was little wind at the beach. Families with children, teenagers and groups of friends made up most of the crowd.
A photographer from Ilta-Sanomat at the scene reported no disruptions or complaints, only a sense of anticipation and amusement as people slowly edged forward in the queue.
Some visitors described the experience as a spontaneous way to enjoy the summer night. Others admitted they joined out of curiosity after seeing the crowd form.
The event was organised at the Pingviinikioski, a seasonal ice cream stand well known among locals. Its annual soft serve night has become a tradition, though this year’s turnout appeared to exceed expectations.
Despite the long wait, there were no reported shortages. Staff at the kiosk served ice cream throughout the night without pause, keeping up with demand.
By dawn, the final hour of free ice cream brought a fresh wave of early risers and determined late-night visitors. Many left with photographs, videos and the satisfaction of having participated in one of the city’s more unusual summer gatherings.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
