The electronic music and northern arts festival Frozen People will be held on 28 February 2026 on a larger scale than ever before.
The electronic music and northern arts festival Frozen People returns to Nallikari in Oulu on Saturday, 28 February 2026, from 14:00 to 22:00. The outdoor event on the frozen sea, together with the After Sea afterparty at Cultural Centre Valve, will be more international and more arctic than ever before.
Frozen People is part of the Oulu2026 cultural programme and one of the highlights of the European Capital of Culture year. Now held for the fifth time, this unique event has gained wide international attention across several media outlets. This year, Yle will also be documenting the unforgettable atmosphere of the festival in collaboration with the European cultural TV channel ARTE.
The programme in Nallikari is spread across three stages: the Jäälava, the Blizzard Stage, and the Arctic Pulse Stage. Together, they present a diverse overview of electronic music, ranging from house and techno to hardcore, jungle, and experimental sound art.
During daylight hours, the Ice Stage will feature a live acid house set by the legendary British duo Paranoid London. As the evening progresses, Oulu-based Otto August will guide the audience between house and techno with a carefully curated vinyl selection. Berlin-based Sanna Mun and Paula Koski will deliver hypnotic and groovy techno, and the stage programme will culminate with Schacke, one of Copenhagen’s most in-demand DJs.
The Blizzard Stage, rising at the heart of the festival area, resembles a fractured iceberg. Its sonic landscape is pure rave: hardcore breaks, jungle, drum & bass, techno, and UK garage. Heavy sub-bass, sharp breaks, and rolling basslines echo like cracking ice. The Blizzard Stage will feature artists from across a wide geographical range, from Rovaniemi to the Netherlands.
The Arctic Pulse Stage is dedicated to alternative and experimental electronic music. Oulu Sound Collective will perform a live set featuring experimental compositions and self-built instruments. Local talent is also represented by DJ-producer Malsson. A northern perspective will be brought by grisha223 from Tromsø and Klint Andersson & Leifdroid from Kiruna. The Arctic Pulse Stage is produced in collaboration with the City of Oulu’s cultural services and the Arctic Music Circles (Interreg Aurora) project.
In addition to music, Frozen People presents an extensive art programme and installations spread across the sea ice, deepening the overall arctic experience. Selected through an open call, the queer collective Tuhmat will construct Katedraali, a kinetic installation and a temple dedicated to natural forces, inviting visitors to pause, feel, and breathe. Six artworks were selected for the art programme this year through the open call.
In collaboration with the Lumo Light Festival, the Nallikari lighthouse light artwork will be created this year by Rovaniemi-based media artist Arttu Nieminen. His work, Inner Flow | Neon Intuition, can be experienced after dark. International art is brought to the programme by Croatian artist Diana Zrnic’s interactive sculpture Well, well, well, a wishing-well installation that invites festival visitors to play, dream, and make wishes. The work is realised in cooperation with the City of Oulu’s cultural services and the CreArt 3.0 (Creative Europe) project.
The official After Sea afterparty will once again take place at Cultural Centre Valve. The event moves through the contrasts of three different spaces, drifting from electronic music frequencies into a multidimensional sphere of art. The lineup includes, among others, the Spanish artist Merca Bae, known for her vibrant rhythms, along with ten other performers.
As part of the After Sea event, the kryoPORTAALI installation and lounge space will expand into the Valve Gallery. The prefix “cryo” derives from the Ancient Greek word κρύος, meaning ice-cold. Participating artists interpret the theme through various media and perspectives. After the festival, kryoPORTAALI will remain open until Sunday, 8 March, and admission to the exhibition is free.
Frozen People is organised by nonprofit culture association Oulu Urban Culture. The festival itself is free of charge. The official After Sea afterparty at Cultural Centre Valve (18+) has tickets priced at €17.50 (+ service fee), available via the Biletti ticket shop.
FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
Nallikari music programme, 14:00–22:00:
Ice Stage
15:00–16:00 Paranoid London (UK)
16:00–17:30 Otto August
17:30–19:00 Sanna Mun
19:00–20:30 Paula Koski
20:30–22:00 Schacke (DK)
Blizzard Stage
14:00–15:00 Hellahighheat
15:00–16:00 Somepoe
16:00–17:00 Winter Games
17:00–18:00 ATI
18:00–19:00 TSEIM & SMU
19:00–20:00 ForestMind
20:00–21:00 CICELY (UK)
21:00–22:00 Rayven Lux (NL)
Arctic Pulse Stage
14:00–15:30 grisha223 (NO)
15:30–17:30 Malsson
17:30–19:00 Oulu Sound Collective
19:00–21:30 Klint Andersson & Leifdroid (SWE)
Nallikari art programme, 14:00–22:00:
KATEDRAALI, kinetic installation – Tuhmat
E75 EXTRAIT, sculpture installation – Petriina Kiiskinen & Miika Juutinen
KYTKÖ, spatial work – Kömmänä
VIIMEISET SUKUPOLVET, sculpture installation – Sub Nive
AEOLIAN LINES, sound installation – Xuše
KUDOS, installation – Anna Pietilä
WELL, WELL, WELL, installation – Diana Zrnic / CreArt resident artist
INNER FLOW | NEON INTUITION, light and media artwork – Arttu Nieminen / LUMO collaboration (visible after dark)
Frozen People: After Sea, Cultural Centre Valve
28 Feb – 1 Mar, 22:30–04:00
Soft Spot
22:30–00:30 Hellänelli
00:30–02:00 DJ Juls Sanchez
02:00–04:00 Armas
Soft Spot art installation:
nauthey
Black Box
23:00–00:00 Chimanda
00:00–02:00 Pedro MacLoughlin
02:00–04:00 Merca Bae (ES)
Black Box visuals
23:00–00:00 G-Angel
00:00–02:00 yungsame97
02:00–04:00 HCnieminen
kryoPORTAALI performances
23:00 Keliel
00:00 Ovddolaš
01:00 Sumutus
01:30 grisha223 (NO)
02:30 Illyana
kryoPORTAALI exhibition artists:
Arvi Penttilä
Gross Spice
Elith
Ill Ness
Ronja Levä & Reetta Varjo
Sara Ahde
Tenetz
Vera Lakovaara
