An aerial view reveals Oulu's striking coastal location on the Gulf of Bothnia. Photo / Unsplash
From ice-hole pitches to frozen festivals, it’s time to visit Oulu, the European Capital of Culture 2026, writes Rebecca Crowe.
As I whizz up through the snow-capped Finnish landscape from Helsinki to the northern reaches of the country by train, I’m taken by how quickly the cities give way to the forest. Most of the six and a half hours of the train ride from the Finnish capital up to Oulu, the new European Capital of Culture for 2026, is taken up by stunning vistas of stark white snow and imposing fir trees. So much so that I’m at Oulu station before I’m aware I’m in a city at all.
Situated on the edge of the Arctic Circle, on the coastline of the Gulf of Bothnia, lies the tech hub of Oulu. As the headquarters for Nokia and a whole host of incubators and start-up angel investors, this remote-feeling city on the border with Finnish Lapland perhaps feels like a rogue choice for European Capital of Culture, but it’s precisely this marriage of innovation, natural beauty, and quirky, offbeat sensibility that makes Oulu one of the most exciting Capitals of Culture for years.
Fundamentally, the Capital of Cultures are designed to highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe. When awarded, a city puts together a series of initiatives that put culture at the heart of the destination, with EU support, for a year-long celebration of art and culture. That’s what a Capital of Culture is on paper. In reality, the impact is a lot more far-reaching.
For its 2026 initiative, Oulu, and the 39 other Northern Finnish municipalities that make up the Capital of Culture, chose the theme Cultural Climate Change. Given the city’s location on the frozen sea in Northern Finland, the impact of climate change is hard to ignore here. In the week I was there in February, the temperature swung wildly from -20C to -3C.
Under this theme, the sense of change is central. Throughout the year, exciting art exhibitions featuring both local and international artists are popping up in the least likely of places. A Fotografiska Tallinn exhibition on Play is open for free in a shopping centre in the middle of the city. A world-class exhibition by Swiss glacier photographer Berndt Nicolaisen is being held in AaltoSiilo, a 1931 wood pulp silo, designed by renowned architect Alvar Aalto. An AI-infused interactive exhibit by Ekho Collective is being housed across three floors of the Oulu City Hall that will alter throughout the year depending on audience interaction. Later in the year, the underground carpark in the city centre (and central bomb shelter) will be transformed into a virtual, utopic, nature-filled version of Oulu, including plants and references from the city’s botanical garden.
This collaboration between tech, nature, and culture is the perfect blend of what Oulu is as a city. Given its stunning surroundings with the forest and snow-filled landscape of Northern Finland, and its coastal location, getting outside, regardless of the temperature, is part of the programme.
While the Capital of Culture funding has helped to create new initiatives, exhibitions, and events in Oulu, it’s also strengthened the incredible events that are already there.
Frozen People is perhaps one of the most bizarre and wonderful music and art festivals I’ve ever attended. It’s an electronic music festival held directly on the frozen sea on the Gulf of Bothnia, with numerous art installations dotted around in between the stages. However, the coolest thing about this objectively already cool festival is that it’s a social programme that helps to support the young people of Oulu.
The festival is created and run by people in their 20s and early 30s. As with many small cities, a lot of young people in Oulu feel the need to move away to Helsinki or other larger cities within the EU for job prospects and more opportunities. Heike and his team at Frozen People offer jobs and internships where young people can put together their own stages, marketing, understand the technical aspects of event management, and the admin side, as well as managing teams, budgets, and more.
While Frozen People Festival isn’t new for 2026, it’s an idea that came out of the extensive bid process for Capital of Culture. Not only is it a fantastic idea that engages people of all ages in Oulu’s music and arts scene, but it also has a lasting impact and development pathway for the young people of Oulu.
With Oulu being a tech hub, the use of technology and the impact of the industry haven’t gone unnoticed. November 2026 marks the return of the Lumo Art and Tech festival, except this year it’s being extended into a fascinating 10-day festival with light trails, installations, tech conferences, and more.
One of the quirkiest events on the Oulu calendar centres around the tech and nature connection in the city. Polar Bear Pitching is perhaps one of the craziest pitching competitions in the world. Much like Dragon’s Den, participants pitch in front of a panel of experts, and there are a range of angel investors in the crowd. However, you’re not pitching from a stage, you’re standing in 0-degree water in an ice hole in the frozen sea. So, you can only pitch as long as you can stand the cold.
The prize is 10,000 Euros, which in start-up terms isn’t a lot. However, the reason competitors travel from Japan, India, Spain, and beyond is because of the number of investors in Oulu and the worldwide free streaming on YouTube.
For Oulu and the other 39 municipalities, Capital of Culture isn’t limited to local artists. It shows off the region and the themes and people that make it unique. Oulu is home to the largest Sami village outside of the Sami homeland in Lapland. Out of the 10,000 Sami in Finland, 1000 live in and around Oulu. They’re also the only indigenous people in Europe.
Throughout Oulu’s Capital of Culture programme, Sami artists and experiences are highlighted and celebrated. In the Oulu Art Museum, there’s one of the largest exhibitions of Sami artists from across the world on display. Eanangiella – Voice of the Land shows a blend of art, traditional handicrafts, music, film, and fashion from Indigenous artists over the years.
Meanwhile, in the Oulu Theatre, you can learn about the oppressive history of the Sami people in the Ovllá Opera, which is performed in both Northern Sámi and Finnish with Northern Sámi, Finnish, and English subtitles.
There are plenty of ways in which cities and regions have interpreted Capital of Culture in the past. However, the true success of Capital of Culture is using the platform to create a lasting legacy for the arts and culture of the region, which continues long after the year is up. With programmes highlighting the importance of indigenous culture, the power of nature, the innovation of technology, and the ongoing empowerment of young people, Oulu is certain to be a Capital of Culture that remains a top Nordic destination for years to come.
DETAILS
Getting to Oulu: You can fly to Oulu airport from Helsinki with Finnair, or you can get here via train from Helsinki or Rovaniemi (Santa’s Village in Lapland).
The writer travelled courtesy of VisitOulu, Visit Finland, and Oulu2026.