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By Dianne Apen-Sadler
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Following an opening festival last weekend, Oulu in Finland is now the newest European Capital of Culture for 2026.
Taking over from Nova Gorica in Slovenia and Gorizia in Italy, the first cross-border European Capital of Culture, and Chemnitz in Germany, which were both title holders from last year, the Finnish city will be putting on a year-long programme of events.
Planning a visit? Here is everything you need to know about Oulu 2026.
Major events and happenings at Oulu 2026
Oulu 2026 will focus on climate change, both cultural – in helping to build up the city’s creative industry for years after the fact – and literal.
- The latter will come to the forefront in June with the launch of the Climate Clock art trail, including seven site-specific artworks commissioned from both Finnish and international artists.
These include Rana Begum’s No.1574 Stone, which features five stone sculptures that have been inspired by glaciers and sea ice, and Architectural Snowflakes: Letters from Heaven, a piece from Takahiro Iwasaki that has hundreds of delicate symmetrical snowflakes made to resemble the architecture of the local church.
Making the most of Oulu’s location in northern Finland, the programme also invites visitors to enjoy the country’s famed seasonal extremes.
In mid-February, the Nallikari SnowFest will see 10 teams compete under the theme ‘By the Sea – Meren äärellä’, with just three days to complete their snow sculptures.
Shortly after, Nallikari in Oulu will play host to Frozen People, an electronic music festival held on the frozen sea.
Come summer, the dark nights are replaced with seemingly endless sun, with sunset taking place in the early hours. The host city will take advantage of this with a midnight sun run on 4 July, with options from 10km up to a full marathon.
As the days get shorter again, the Lumo Art & Tech Festival will then come to the city in November, with 10 days of digital artworks and events.
Throughout the year, visitors will be able to learn and experience the unique local flavours at the Arctic Food Lab with events such as Sense Fest and the Arctic Tasting.
Sámi culture in the spotlight
The Sámi people, an Indigenous group that traditionally lives across northern Finland, Sweden and Norway as well as part of Russia, will have the chance to share their story with visitors, too.
Through the opera Ovllá, Sámi playwright Siri Broch Johansen brings the history of the group’s oppression to the stage. With many having lost their connection to their traditional culture through forced assimilation policies, the play addresses the topic through the fictional tale inspired by real-life stories.
Oulu Art Museum will also be transformed for the first Sápmi Triennial between now and May, with the travelling exhibition showcasing both contemporary Sámi art and duodji, traditional Sámi handicrafts.
What is the European Capital of Culture programme?
Since its launch in 1985, more than 60 cities have been designated a European Capital of Culture.
The initiative aims to highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe, and cities chosen to take part have seen their destination put on the cultural map of the continent.
The number of European Capitals of Culture varies by year, and has seen as many as nine cities hold the title at once. For 2026, there are two: Oulu, and Trenčín in Slovakia. The latter’s programme of events and exhibitions will kick off in February.
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