Cool contrasts
Oulu is the kingdom of great contrasts – positive, but also challenging. Contrasts such as the nightless nights of the midnight sun and sunless days in the heart of winter. Contrasts have the power both to connect and disconnect, but also to create something new.
Cool Contrasts is about rebalancing our communities. There is already a recognised European need to use culture as a means to help reduce health inequalities. Oulu2026 will work with our citizens and with European partners to develop cultural practices that promote positive engagement to re-balance these inequalities. People are literally dying of loneliness in parts of Europe, both in big cities and in struggling rural hinterlands.
Oulu2026 wants to help Europe to reconnect with itself, promoting community life and face-to-face connection and exploring mental wellbeing through sensitive and thoughtful projects.
How do we learn to better understand each other? What new and surprising connections can we create and nourish? We can listen, appreciate, be curious, supportive and interested in each other. Let’s celebrate our differences in the city of contrasts!
Programme Lines
Each of the three programme themes include programme lines which enable us to group connected projects together to maximise synergy and impact.
Art <3 Tech
Every day, nearly three billion people use mobile technology developed in Oulu. The city has long been a pioneer in technology research, product development and start-ups – and now it wants to take over Art&Tech. The models used to produce the culture of the future will increasingly utilise a hybrid strategy, a combination of virtual and physical experiences.
Dark Matters
No one has such an intimate relationship with light as us northerners. Acknowledging the dark and harvesting the light for health
and well-being.
Oulu Calling!
Celebrating the city’s resilience and power of reinvention as an inspiration for the future. We want to explore our local identities through outsiders’ eyes, and be surprised by what we discover about ourselves.
Latest
Climbing Over Oulu
Text by Erika Benke It’s a disused industrial building made of concrete that looks like a cathedral, designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto in 1931 as part of a cellulose factory. The Toppila Silo captured the imagination of Eleftérios Kechagioglou at first sight....
Open Call for the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme begins
Oulu, together with 39 municipalities, will be the European Capital of Culture in 2026. Oulu2026 is now launching an open call, inviting local communities and individuals to contribute to the programme. The call, which runs until the end of August 2025, will see...
Oulu’s Iconic AaltoSiilo to Host Aaltosiilo Festival 2024: ‘The Post-Industrial Dance’ on September 14th
On September 14, 2024, the Aalto Silo, Oulu’s historical architectural landmark, is set to host the much-anticipated Aaltosiilo Festival 2024: "The Post-Industrial Dance" on September 14th. This festival marks a significant step in the transformation of the concrete...
“We are the culture” Idea Workshops
We are the Culture - Idea Workshops The Equal Oulu2026 project will organize online workshops in autumn 2024 about the open call. In this two-part workshop, you’ll receive tips and support for developing your program idea and guidance on completing your application....
Fabio Petani is painting the third Oulu2026 mural in Myllyoja
Italian artist Fabio Petani was chosen among 479 applicants in a Europe-wide portfolio application process. The artist, known for his plant-themed artwork, has sought inspiration from local nature. The series of murals commissioned as a part of the culture program...
The Most Valuable Clock in the World will be made in Oulu – join us!
What is priceless in Oulu? Artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen invite the people of Oulu to co-create The Most Valuable Clock in the World. This 'valuable' artwork, like our response to climate change, will examine how our personal preferences can...
A 75-metre dinner table at Hallituskatu in August
The Long Table Dinner will be held during Oulu Arts’ Night on August 15th. A 75-metre table for dining and entertainment will be set up on Hallituskatu. The relaxed event is open to everyone and is free of charge. The Long Table Dinner is part of Oulu2026's Arctic...
We are a Proud Partner of Oulu Pride!
During Pride week 29.7-.4.8., lots of wonderful events take place in Oulu, and we are also involved in a few things! You can prepare for the Pride Parade on Thursday 1st of August at the comics & placard workshop. Comics & Placard Workshop Thursday 1st of...
Playing air guitar added to the national inventory of living heritage in Finland
Make Air, Not War! As a phenomenon, playing air guitar has been around for a long time. In Finland, it was popularised by the Air Guitar World Championships, organised since 1996 in Oulu, Finland. Oulu Culture Events Association, which organises the Air Guitar World...
Call for young volunteers to Tartu in August 2024
Do you want to take part in creating a youth festival abroad? Tartu, European Capital of Culture for 2024, is looking for volunteers aged 18-30 to help create a unique festival event alongside other Europeans and local youth from August 1-21, 2024. During this...