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 Championships, has now added playing air guitar to the National Inventory of Living Heritage of the Finnish Heritage Agency.
Nanami “Seven Seas” Nagura, Air Guitar World Champion 2023. Photo: Roosa-Maria Kauppila.
Unesco World Heritage Convention protects and preserves living heritage. Finland joined the Convention in 2013 and Finnish Heritage Agency is the executor in Finland.
The National Inventory of Living Heritage is a constantly evolving source of living heritage in Finland, which already has over 240 examples from 500 different organisations or upholders in seven different languages.
Air Guitar World Championships are working on accessibility as part of the European Capital of Culture Oulu2026 programme. The aim of the project is to make playing air guitar more well known and accessible for everyone!
Playing air guitar in the National Inventory of Living Heritage (only in Finnish): https://wiki.aineetonkulttuuriperinto.fi/wiki/Ilmakitaran_soittaminen
Information about the Unesco World Heritage Convention: https://www.aineetonkulttuuriperinto.fi/en/
