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The main goal of Oulu2026 is to create and bring culture, well-being, and vitality to our northern region. Like many other European cities, Oulu faces numerous challenges in the near future. Once a city with a youthful demographic, Oulu is now rapidly aging, experiencing a decline in birth rates, and struggling with high youth unemployment. Our aim is to build a soulful city and region where residents benefit from a diverse cultural offering and a vibrant urban environment.

The European Capital of Culture year is a joint effort involving local residents as well as regional, national, and international partners. The goal is for everyone to have the opportunity to participate in the realization of the Capital of Culture, both as creators and as participants. In addition to Oulu, 39 other municipalities are involved in this collaboration: Alavieska, Haapajärvi, Haapavesi, Hailuoto, Hyrynsalmi, Ii, Kajaani, Kalajoki, Kemi, Kempele, Kuhmo, Kuusamo, Kärsämäki, Liminka, Lumijoki, Muhos, Nivala, Oulainen, Oulu, Paltamo, Pielavesi, Pudasjärvi, Puolanka, Pyhäjoki, Pyhäjärvi, Pyhäntä, Raahe, Ranua, Ristijärvi, Sievi, Siikajoki, Siikalatva, Sotkamo, Suomussalmi, Taivalkoski, Tornio, Tyrnävä, Utajärvi, Vaala and Ylivieska.

The European Capitals of Culture (hereafter referred to as ECOC) are one of the most well-known forms of cultural support provided by the European Union. Oulu’s selection as a European Capital of Culture was confirmed in 2021. For us, this year represents a comprehensive urban and regional development project, bringing together cultural actors, various stakeholders, public and private financiers, as well as municipal and regional authorities to work towards a common goal. For many cities, the ECOC year has had lasting impacts on culture, tourism, collaboration among actors, and the city’s image.

The implementation of the ECOC year is led by the Oulu Cultural Foundation in collaboration with an extensive network of partners. The Oulu Cultural Foundation is a subsidiary organization under City of Oulu. Its primary task is to oversee the ECOC initiative, develop Oulu as a city of culture and events, promote the working conditions of artists and cultural professionals, and contribute to the development of the cultural sector both nationally and internationally. We work closely across a wide geographical area, from west to east.

As part of this initiative, City of Oulu has created the Culture Strategy 2030, which outlines Oulu’s cultural climate change. We interpret cultural climate change broadly: it encompasses education and art, creative industries, and the communal culture of everyday life. Cultural climate change strengthens Oulu’s international connections while enhancing the local identities of the region.

The Oulu2026 activities are managed by the Oulu Cultural Foundation, which focuses on developing Oulu as a cultural and event city, improving the operational conditions for artists and cultural professionals, and participating in initiatives that advance the cultural sector nationally and internationally.

Oulu2026 main goal is to achieve cultural climate change. By cultural climate change, we mean reconnecting with the world around us and fostering a new sense of togetherness. In this context, we understand culture in a broad sense: it encompasses education and art, creative industries, and the communal culture of everyday life. Cultural climate change strengthens both Oulu’s international connections and the local identity of the region.

Oulu is, and will always be, a city of technology. In the future, we also want to be a bold city of culture because we believe that culture plays a significant role in creating hope and fostering success. The goals of Oulu2026’s cultural climate change are:

Vibrant Gripping City

A creative and dynamic city that attracts visitors and new residents while retaining its current population. The number of tourists increases, bringing vitality to the economy, urban landscape, hotels, and restaurants.

A soulful city whose residents benefit from a diverse cultural offering and a lively urban environment.

Northern Finland becomes more open and international, with European collaboration strengthening and renewing local expertise.

Balanced Community

People who participate in cultural activities experience improved well-being and become more active. New audiences engage in cultural events. Culture strengthens its role as a driving force for building a better future. People lift their gaze from their devices to connect with one another, culture, and art.

The region sees an increase in jobs within the creative industries. Our small towns and villages do not become deserted as working-age individuals move to our city or further away.

Creative Region

On a national scale, the focus of state funding and major investments becomes more balanced. The North offers good conditions for businesses in various sectors, tourism, and cultural life.

The operating conditions and earning models for cultural professionals are developing.

Northern Finland becomes more attractive and gains recognition at the European level.

At the core of our activities is the Oulu2026 culture program, which includes hundreds of cultural events across the Oulu2026 region. Volunteers play a key role in implementing the culture program.

The culture program is structured around the story of cultural climate change, divided into three main themes. Each theme includes fascinating projects that bring the story to life. Together, these stories create a credible vision of a possible future. The themes are arranged chronologically and provide rhythm to our culture program throughout the year.

Each theme is launched with a large-scale international flagship production, and the Peace Machine program, related to the main theme, offers a dynamic and impactful opening performance for the story of cultural climate change. The themes are divided into program lines, which bring together related projects.

Brave Hinterland

Early 2026 is at its best in the brave hinterland, in the heart of the exotic northern winter. We invite everyone to a unique opening event, to experience Sámi culture, and to dance on the ice of the Bothnian Bay to the beat of electronic music.

Oulu has a special role and responsibility as the northern leader, also in culture. We may be far away, yet right in the middle of everything – boldly on the edge. We tell the story of life in Oulu – geographically, we live on the shores of the sea, at the edge of Europe. In the Oulu2026 cultural program, this is especially reflected in the appreciation and utilization of nature.

We have swamps, forests, and ice, and in the future, these will be used even more effectively. Culture will be brought to places where it has previously been difficult to reach. Parks and other vacant areas will be activated, but always in harmony with our unique and beautiful nature.

Wild City

Spring and summer awaken the wildness of the city, making us free to experience the best parts of light, nature and city life. Culture is everywhere, just like water: it experiments, plays and challenges, and it surprises on nature trails and in suburbs. Northern flavors complete the whole in the spirit of Arctic Food Lab (AFL).

We want to make the city thrive, lively and easily accessible. Our city will have spaces for artists and citizens – places to drop by, stay, and enjoy. We are a vibrant city, pulsating with joy and events. Oulu will become a city that attracts more and more young people and tourists with its urban and exciting environment: a place that is easy to visit and hard to leave.

Cool Contrasts

Autumn and the rest of the year are all about experiencing the power of opposites: the struggle between light and darkness, the powerful combination of art and technology, and the mystery of the north. In autumn, we witness the North transforming into a focal point of light art during the darkest time of the year, and experience interactive installations of the encounter between nature, people and technology.

In Oulu, we have many contrasts, both spiritual, physical, material, and intangible. We have bright summers and dark winters, cold and hot, silence and shouting. We want this to be reflected culturally as well. Traditionally considered opposites, art, science, and technology will walk hand in hand in the future. This will be seen in festivals, projects, productions, and events that will be realized in unprecedented ways and volumes.

The development of the culture programme

Our culture program has primarily been developed through program calls. It involves a large number of creators and experts from 40 municipalities. The Oulu Culture Foundation is responsible for approximately 15 major productions, including the European Capital of Culture opening event, Arctic Food Lab, Climate Clock, Peace Machine, and many others. Thanks to a broad program call in 2022, we were able to include 62 projects. The latest program call will close in the fall of 2025, at which point the full culture program will be published. You can find the program lines published so far from Oulu2026 website – the complete program, including the event calendar, will be released in September 2025.

Our volunteers are committed to the Oulu2026 principles in their work, which are courage, diversity, safety, and opportunities. These principles have guided us since the application phase of the European Capital of Culture year, and they are part of our equality and diversity strategy.

Courage

Courage in our work means that we are always boldly advocating for equality and diversity. Our goal is to increase expertise in promoting equality within arts and culture institutions. As concrete actions, the Oulu Culture Foundation boldly highlights equality in our blog, videos, and other writings, and we organize equality and anti-racism trainings for other operators. For a volunteer, courage might mean addressing observed issues while adhering to the principles of creating a safe space.

Diversity

The contents of art and culture are diverse and multi-valued. Diversity means that we pay special attention to ensuring that different people are highlighted in our communication. In our activities, we use multi-channel communication in several languages (Finnish, Swedish, English and Northern, Inari, and Skolt Sámi). We also take diversity into account when thinking about our culture program and various projects. We want to make our activities accessible, which is considered through service design methods. For a volunteer, diversity might mean being able to consider visitors who require special support. Volunteers play a key role in ensuring the accessibility of events and activities.

Safety

All of our events must be safe for both participants and organizers. We ensure that the events are as accessible and inclusive as possible for everyone. Accessibility means, for example, that the participation opportunities for people with hearing, visual, and mobility impairments are taken into account. It can also mean that, for instance, a quiet room is available for people who are easily overwhelmed by sound, which can also be used for moments of prayer. Through the “Equal Oulu2026” project, we have established principles for creating safer spaces at Oulu2026 events, which we follow in all of our activities. Volunteers are involved in creating safe spaces. The safety of volunteers is also important, so please familiarize yourself with our operational principles and how to act in challenging situations.

Opportunities

The Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture year is, above all, a year of opportunities. We have aimed to lower the threshold for participating in the ECOC year by involving communities, sharing information, and creating channels to support the arts of minorities. In practice, this means that we have organized regional community evenings and held equality workshops. We have also taken special groups into account when pricing events, so that as many people as possible can enjoy our culture program – which, of course, includes many free events!

All our activities and events follow the safer space principles. The principles apply to employees, partners, and cultural programme organizers and audiences.

Be part of cultural climate change 

The European Capital of Culture Oulu2026 belongs to everyone. Everyone has the right to enjoy culture without fear of discrimination. Everyone has freedom of opinion, but human rights are not a matter of opinion.

Do not tolerate inappropriate behavior or discrimination in any form.

Boldly address all forms of harassment.

Come as you are

Oulu2026 encourages participation and creativity. We have room for a variety of cultural expressions. Our events are carried out as accessible as possible. In experiencing culture, all emotions are possible, but you can still feel safe.

Implement a climate of respect and encouragement for diversity.

Respect everyone’s personal physical and mental state.

Assume good from others. Ask and listen.

Volunteering comes from each individual’s desire to do something for their community or environment. Almost half of Finns participate in volunteer work, making it a significant form of civic engagement. Volunteering does not provide financial compensation, but it offers a way to help, gain new experiences, meet new people, and make productive use of free time. Everyone chooses for themselves what cause they want to support as a volunteer – thank you for choosing us! Without you, there would be no us. You could be the first or even the only point of contact for someone with the European Capital of Culture year!

All our volunteers will receive orientation and a material and information package about Oulu2026. Volunteers have the right to support and guidance even after the orientation. By signing the volunteer agreement with the Oulu Culture Foundation, the volunteer receives the following rights:

• Orientation for the tasks being performed
• Treatment as an equal member of the team working towards a common goal
• Insurance coverage for volunteer tasks and immediate travel related to the task
• Possible reimbursement for travel or other expenses related to the work, upon providing receipts
• To receive appreciation and feedback for completed tasks
• To receive food or other reasonable refreshments
• To work in safe working conditions
• To request and to receive a certificate for completed volunteer tasks
• The right to discontinue volunteering

In addition to rights, the volunteer also has the following responsibilities:

• To familiarize themselves with the volunteer handbook and/or other orientation materials
• To take responsibility for the tasks they have committed to as a volunteer
• To follow the given instructions
• To notify as early as possible if unable to fulfill a commitment
• To maintain confidentiality regarding partner organizations and the Oulu2026 program
• To represent the organization with good conduct
• To refrain from using or being under the influence of substances while volunteering

Oulu Culture Foundation strives to match volunteers with tasks that align with their interests and skills to the best of its ability. We collect and store information about the volunteer and the tasks they perform in accordance with the privacy notice. If a volunteer does not behave according to the guidelines, we also have the right to release them from their duties. In addition, we reserve the right to photograph volunteers during activities and use these images in Oulu2026 marketing or on social media channels.

Oulu2026 offers many different volunteering opportunities. As a volunteer, you will experience the European Capital of Culture year from a unique perspective. The first major volunteer-driven event will be the opening of the European Capital of Culture year in January 2026, but there will be plenty to do even before 2026 and throughout the year. You can volunteer at one or more events and commit to the work for as long as you wish.

We do not have task-specific teams, but we train some of our volunteers as lead volunteers, who take on more responsibility in the field of volunteering, as well as receive some additional benefits. Below, we have gathered a list of potential volunteer tasks as part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture year:

Information and hospitality

• Assisting and guiding people at events and public places
• Working at Oulu2026 information point
• Serving as an accessibility assistant
• Welcoming and guiding domestic and international visitors to the right locations

Events

• Event setup and dismantling
• Entrance and ticket checking supervision
• Coat check customer service
• Crowd control
• Catering and serving
• Working backstage
• Serving as a harassment contact person
• Traffic directing

Communication and marketing

• Photography
• Social media posts
• Distributing marketing materials
• Sharing volunteer experiences

First aid

• First aid duties at various events, if the volunteer has first aid certification

Additional tasks may arise as the European Capital of Culture year progresses. We are also collecting information about our volunteers’ special skills during the orientation process – it’s possible that we can create tasks around your expertise! We will do our best to assign you to tasks you are interested in, but we also ask for flexibility from our volunteers regarding the tasks.

We offer volunteer opportunities through an online portal when new tasks become available. As a volunteer, you will work with both the foundation and our partners’ projects. Our partners will be trained to receive volunteers, and each volunteer will have an event-specific contact person, whether from the foundation or a partner organization. The Oulu Culture Foundation will provide orientation for volunteers on the Oulu2026 themes and program, and is responsible for, among other things, volunteer insurance. The partner hosting the volunteers is responsible for introducing volunteers to the tasks at hand at the event and ensuring that volunteers are properly cared for during their shifts.

In 2026, Europe will be inspired by its edges as Oulu is named the European Capital of Culture.

Oulu is, and will always be, a city of technology. In the future, we also want to be a bold city of culture because we believe that culture plays a significant role in creating hope and success. The goal of Oulu2026 is a cultural climate change.

Cultural Climate Change

• It signifies a permanently richer cultural life. In 2026, we invite you to experience world-class culture experiences, from near and far.
• It means a desire to bring people together. A desire to bring fun and joy to life, but also to expand the ways we think, understand, and listen to each other.
• It fuels creativity and the development of new ideas. Those sparks from which future-changing ideas are born.
  
  We invite the entire Oulu2026 region to join in creating an experience where both local people, as well as domestic and international visitors, can take part in something bigger. The cultural climate change begins in the north.

Arctic Food Lab (AFL) – Arctic Food Lab is a multitude of a project that showcases the uniqueness of ingredients grown under the sky of the Oulu2026 region and the food traditions that have emerged in Arctic conditions.

ECOC – The abbreviation of the words European Capital of Culture, in Finnish Euroopan kulttuuripääkaupunki.

Gest – Volunteer portal through which one can sign up for tasks.

Cultural Climate Change – In the cultural climate change, we understand culture broadly: it includes education and the arts, creative fields, as well as the everyday communal culture. Cultural climate change strengthens both Oulu’s international connections and the local identity of the regions. In the cultural climate change, culture is one of the key resources for developing the future of the entire city.

Oulu2026 area – In addition to Oulu, Oulu2026 area includes all together 40 municipalities: Alavieska, Haapajärvi, Haapavesi, Hailuoto, Hyrynsalmi, Ii, Kajaani, Kalajoki, Kemi, Kempele, Kuhmo, Kuusamo, Kärsämäki, Liminka, Lumijoki, Muhos, Nivala, Oulainen, Oulu, Paltamo, Pielavesi, Pudasjärvi, Puolanka, Pyhäjoki, Pyhäjärvi, Pyhäntä, Raahe, Ranua, Ristijärvi, Sievi, Siikajoki, Siikalatva, Sotkamo, Suomussalmi, Taivalkoski, Tornio, Tyrnävä, Utajärvi, Vaala and Ylivieska.