Late May through August is the season. Daylight in midsummer lasts past 11pm and the temperatures are mild — 18 to 22°C on a warm day. The seafront and the old town look their best in this period; cafes set up tables outside and the harbour fills with leisure boats.
September has dark blue skies, autumn colour in the inland forests and very few tourists. October to April are cold and increasingly dark — Raahe gets only a few hours of low sunlight in December, and the harbour ice closes the port. Snow lies from late November into April. The midwinter trip rewards travellers who want frozen seascapes, snow-laden timber houses and the occasional faint aurora — but most of the museums and small attractions are closed.
The Raahe Blues festival in late July is the main event of the calendar, drawing visitors from across northern Finland and Sweden.