The countdown for 2026 is just around the corner! Start planning your year by marking these unique winter and spring highlights in your calendar from January onwards. As the European Capital of Culture, Oulu2026 kicks off the year with a lineup of unforgettable events– from opera and art exhibitions to deep-snow skiing and electronic music on the frozen sea.
Photo: DJ collective Article 3, Harri Tarvainen.
Big Events to Ring in the New Year
New Year’s Celebration: Oulu2026 Show 31st Dec 2025
Ring in 2026 at the biggest New Year’s celebration yet, live at Ouluhalli and broadcast across YLE channels (Finnish Broadcasting Company). The lineup includes KUUMAA, BESS, Ege Zulu, Suvi Teräsniska, Goldielocks, pehmoaino, Screaming Men’s Choir, and the Oulu Symphony string quartet. Buy tickets here
Oulu2026 Opening Festival 16-18 Jan 2026
Over three magical days, this captivating winter city festival unveils the essence of Oulu2026, the European Capital of Culture. The weekend will be packed with diverse programme -both indoors and outdoors- in Oulu City Center, giving the audience sneak previews of the upcoming year. The full programme will be announced in November 2025. Read more.
Visionary Exhibitions
Fotografiska Tallinn: PLAY 14 Jan –31 Dec 2026
When did you last play? This photography exhibition, curated by Fotografiska Tallinn, features 16 international artists year-round. PLAY aims to reconnect us with unplanned play, and open up a space where viewers can explore whether or how play has survived in their lives. It encourages visitors to imagine how play can come back into their lives in unexpected ways. Read more
Earworm– Media Art from Kiasma 15 Jan –31 Dec 2026
This exhibition is packed with good songs only! Earworm – Media Art from Kiasma presents a selection of video works in which music and sound are integral to the atmosphere and narrative. Spanning different decades, the works highlight the close relationship between media art and the technologies and digital culture of their time, including the Internet, television, pop music and video games. Free entry! Read more
Layers in the Peace Machine 15 Jan –31 Dec 2026
Ekho Collective’s immersive installation Layers in The Peace Machine at Oulu City Hall, is an immersive and multidisciplinary media-installation entangling technology and art. Based on the literary work ”Peace Machine” by late Timo Honkela, the artwork offers visitors means to interact with the installation through language, movement, senses and cognition. Free entry! Read more
Spotlight on Sámi Culture
Eanangiella – Voice of the Land 16 Jan –19 April, and 3rd May 2026
Over 50 Sámi artists and artisans bring together contemporary and traditional works, duodji (Sámi craft), soundscapes, and art history in a powerful celebration of Sámi heritag at Oulu Art Museum. Read more
Ovllá opera 16 Jan –28 Feb 2026
The production brings to the Main stage of Oulu Theatre the perspective of the Sámi, the only indigenous people of the Nordic countries, and the painful consequences of state-led oppression that continue to affect new generations of Sámi. Performance languages are Northern Sámi and Finnish. There will be Finnish, Northern Sámi and English subtitles. Read more & buy tickets
Sámi National Day 6 Feb 2026
A week of celebrations feature concerts and art! Events include an album release concert by Ingá-Máret Gaup-Juuso with the Oulu All Star Big Band, as well as performances by Amoc, Áilu Valle, and Hildá Länsman & Tuomas Norvio.
Coolest winter events
Frozen People 28 Feb 2026
An urban winter festival of electronic music, light, and art on the frozen sea. A truly unique Nordic experience by the Nallikari Beach, Oulu. Free entry! Read more
Off-track Skiing World Championships 6- 8 Feb 2026
This arctic adventure is where heroes and heroines compete for their strength and skills – some to win the title of world champion, others to win themselves. Come along with a twinkle in your eye and another in the Nordic night sky! Read more
Polar Bear Pitching 26 Feb 2026
The world’s coolest startup event invites entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas while immersed in icy water. The event includes a seminar, networking events, outdoor activities, and evening parties. Read more
Winter Swimming World Championships 3–8 March 2026
Over 2,000 participants from 45 countries are expected to gather in Oulu for this bold and refreshing winter tradition. Side events will also take place across the Oulu2026-region. Read more
Music for the soul
Via Crucis – Easter multi-artistic street play 3 April 2026
This large-scale street performance tells the story of Easter through theatre, dance, music, and light. The audience follows the procession across the city, experiencing the final moments of Jesus’ life as described in the Bible. Free entry! Read more
Leonard Bernstein: MASS 17–21 April 2026
Four nights. Hundreds of performers. One unforgettable experience. Leonard Bernstein’s MASS is a music theatre phenomenon of epic scale – a once-in-a-lifetime event, unlikely to be seen again this far north. Best known for West Side Story, American composer Leonard Bernstein transforms the Catholic Mass into a dazzling Broadway-style spectacle. Read more
What is the European Capital of Culture?
Oulu shares the European Capital of Culture title with 39 partner municipalities, spanning from the Tornio River Valley to Pielavesi and from Kuusamo to Hailuoto.
Throughout next year, thousands of events will take place across the Oulu2026-region. But Oulu2026 is more than just a year of celebration – it aims for cultural climate change where culture, art, and collaboration help shape the future of the entire region. The culture programme highlights northern nature, cultural diversity, and bold actions that turn Europe’s eyes towards the North.
