How can we protect and share vulnerable cultural heritage online? Oulu Löyly is an open culture festival of ideas and action taking place on June 8–10, exploring digital survival strategies for vulnerable cultural heritage.
Oulu Löyly is an open culture think & do workshop taking place on June 8–10, 2026, at the newly renovated Oulu City Library Saari in central Oulu. The event is part of the Oulu 2026 – European Capital of Culture programme.
The event is organized by AvoinGLAM and its partners. It brings together advocates of open culture, decision-makers, technology experts, and creative thinkers. The three-day programme includes:
Open Culture Marketplace (one-day event, open to everyone)
At the Open Cultural Heritage Marketplace on Monday, June 8, participants of Oulu Löyly will present their projects and share knowledge and perspectives on endangered cultural heritage.
Schedule: starts at 10:00 and ends at 17:00.
Sauna Festival in Tuira — June 8, 2026
On Monday, the event culminates in a sauna festival in Tuira. The sauna festival is intended for registered participants of the event
Two-Day Think & do Workshop for Deeper Collaboration and Hands-On Work
During the two-day workshop, participants will collaboratively develop practical digital survival strategies for vulnerable community archives, endangered languages, and cultural heritage at risk in the digital age. The workshop begins on Tuesday and concludes on Wednesday with presentations of the outcomes.
Theme: Cultural Heritage at risk
Heritage at Risk
Amidst economic distress, climate catastrophe, conflict and oblivion, small and under-resourced communities struggle to safeguard and keep alive their heritage. Oulu Löyly invites you to explore digital strategies for vulnerable cultural heritage together with a mix of experts from these perspectives.
Culture is everyone’s right – Culture as a global public good.
Whose heritage, whose conditions? – Sovereign governance of open digital heritage.
Equipping the cultural commons – Accessible platforms and interoperable heritage.
Reasons to join
By joining Oulu Löyly, you will:
Collaborate with professionals and stakeholders from Northern Europe and beyond in crafting digital survival strategies for heritage at risk.
Draft concrete action plans and recommendations to guide policies and practice.
Network and learn from others’ experiences and insights, gaining knowledge you can apply in your own work or community.
Join Us!
Register at okf.fi/oululoyly by May 31, 2026.
Read more about the schedule at oululoyly/aikataulu
Contact
Susanna Ånäs
Executive Director
susanna.anas@avoinglam.fi
More About the Organizations
AvoinGLAM promotes open access to cultural heritage materials and collaborates internationally within the open culture networks of Creative Commons and Wikimedia. Alongside institutionally preserved collections, we emphasize the cultural heritage of communities. For this reason, we interpret the acronym GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) as Global Languages, Art & Memory.
Open Knowledge Finland advances projects and supports communities and working groups focused on open knowledge, science, and culture. We participate in shaping discussions about the digital future to ensure it is fair, sustainable, and open.
