Wild City
Oulu is on the cusp. We could settle for being a tame municipal city on the fringe. Or we could go Wild. We choose Wild.
With Wild City we bring wildness into the city by celebrating the wilderness around it. Creating a new cultural approach with our unique northern vibe. Oulu as a cultural laboratory, going wild for Europe.
What exactly is a creative city in the middle of the wild nature? What is a lively, creative village? How do art, subcultures and creative spaces fill emptiness, silence and darkness?
BidBook (pages 22-35)
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 Takeover!
Meet the buzz. Dancers, circus, poetry and artwork taking over the city. Art might surprise you as a spectacular event or when you walk into a grocery store. It tunes you into creativity at your workplace, makes you smile on a busy day.
Creative Villages
The Creative Villages programme line reshapes the city and its cultural climate by adding places for creativity in the urban space.
Stream to the future
True and sustainable cultural climate change begins with children and young people. Our schools and cultural services will collaborate to seek solutions to future challenges at the crossroads of art, science and technology.
Urban Boost
The Urban Boost programme line gives young people the opportunity to build the future on their own terms and to challenge out-dated practices.
Latest
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The success story of local food is the talk of the day – Oulu2026 Arctic Food Lab awarded food and catering professionals
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University Campuses will be filled with culture in 2026 – program proposals are being accepted now!
Have you dreamed of a more lively university campus? Would you like to be able to enjoy the cultural activities also during the working day, for example during the lunch hour? Could the campuses of the University of Oulu offer an attractive cultural program in the...
Frozen People – electronic music festival 4th March
Dance the frost away 4th March! Frozen People is a festival of electronic music as well as northern arts and wintry style. The unique event defies the weather conditions in winter on the sea ice. The festival will take place on the 4th of March 2023 at Nallikari beach...
Exhibition: Peace Machine Through the Eyes of Children
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Northern Lights
Finland is one of the best places in the world for viewing Northern Lights (aurora borealis). The probability of catching them is highest in Lapland but Oulu is not far behind. According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, we can see Northern Lights about 25% of...
Take part in a survey focusing on stories and places in Oulu
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Nearly 300 projects submitted in the Oulu2026 Open Call
Oulu is a 2026 European Capital of Culture. The Oulu2026 cultural programme is mainly built through a series of Open Calls, the second of which closed on 9 December. In total, 274 applications from Finland and 20 other countries were received. Oulu and the entire...