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
The Sound of the North route takes you through the different eras of popular music in Oulu
“The Sound of the North – tracing the origins of popular music” is a digital story route that can be experienced throughout Oulu using your own mobile device. The permanent route, which will be published on 10 April, is part of the Oulu region’s journey towards...
Open Call for the ARToulu art area
The European Capital of Culture 2026 brings us Oulu’s new ARToulu art area, where art will pop up and surprise you in unexpected places. Dozens of installed artworks will change the face of the Oulujoki estuary’s seven city neighborhoods, turning them into interesting...
Baseline for the evaluation of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture is published
The Centre for Cultural Policy Research Cupore explores and evaluates the next Finnish European Capital of Culture – Oulu2026. The English version of the report describing the baseline of the assessment in 2022 has now published on Cupore's website. The report shows...
CULTUR€ – Matching with Busine$$
Do you know how culture and art can be used to produce and increase the value of companies? Cooperation with culture and creative industries creates new opportunities to develop your company’s business, products and services. It is also a good way to reach new...
The artist for the third Oulu2026 mural is being sought in a Europe-wide open call
Artists participating in the open call can send their portfolios from March 27 to April 17 of 2024 and the selected artist will receive an invitation to work in Oulu's Myllyoja next summer. Upeart is implementing a series of murals in the Oulu region as part of the...
The Tales of Tar route expands to the surroundings of the Oulujoki river
The Tales of Tar route that can be experienced digitally on mobile devices around Oulu is getting three additional stories. The route is expanding along the Oulujoki river with events that took place in Muhos, Utajärvi and Vaalaa. In November 2023, Oulu2026 published...
Oulu August Festivals to produce the culmination of the summer’s end in 2026 – Delta Life spectacle
The Oulu Culture Events Association, coordinating the Oulu August Festivals, has entered into an agreement with the Oulu Culture Foundation for a major event to take place during the European Capital of Culture year. The climax of the Delta Life project will occur at...
Solstice Festival 2024: Art program – Open Call
Solstice Festival invites artists to partake in a celebration of light and life in the mesmerizing landscapes of Rukatunturi. Solstice is a gathering for people who enjoy music, art and nature, preferably combined. It takes place during midsummer (20.-22.6.2024) in...
Artists for the first Sápmi Triennale announced
For the first few months of Oulu’s European Capital of Culture year 2026, the Oulu Art Museum will be transformed into a museum of Sámi art. Combining contemporary Sámi art and duodji, traditional Sámi handicrafts, Sápmi Triennale will be one of the main attractions....
Open call for young artists for the Delta Life Project
Oulu August Festivals are looking for promising emerging artists from the Oulu2026 region for the documentary series “Artists Arise in the Delta” for the years 2024–2026. The open call lasts until the end of February 2024, and the selections will be made during March. Five artists/groups will be chosen based on the applications.