Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture Year’s cultural programme combines local and international perspectives

During 2023, the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture year’s programme expanded with 62 new projects. At the same time, the number of participating actors in the Oulu2026 programme grew to 688.  

The progress report by the Center for Cultural Policy Research Cupore found, that in many projects selected for the programme in 2023, the focus is on the integration of nature and art. In the projects, nature is seen as a subject of art, an object of activity, and a space for art and culture, for instance. Examples of projects include Delta Life, which utilises the region’s waterways as a platform for arts, the artist residency and environmental art exhibition Northern Landscape 2026, the music and art festival Solstice at the top of Ruka fell, and the Vesivoimalaitokset opera series. 

The programme projects also strongly focus on cultural and art spaces. Development targets and environments for activities include, for example, the Pikisaari district of Oulu inhabited by artists and craftsmen, the K2 Artist House located at the Cultural Barracks in Oulu’s Hiukkavaara, and the Bio Huvimylly cinema in Raahe. In addition to the cultural programme, Oulu2026 activities include several projects that focus on strengthening the skills and operational conditions of cultural and creative sector actors in the Oulu2026 region. 

Projects aim for sustainability and cooperation in their activities 

The goals of Oulu2026 activities emphasise cooperation and the implementation of the cultural programme outside cultural institutions in a geographically wide area. The plans of projects complementing the cultural programme include extensive international cooperation. Almost all (60) programme projects involve partners or implementers from other European countries. 40 percent of the events are organised outside the centre of Oulu, and 90 percent of the participants organise projects outside established art and cultural institutions. 

The core value in Oulu2026 activities namely sustainability is considered in the programme projects through various and concrete means. In their project plans, the participants named practices such as investing in local cultural tourism, preserving customs and traditions, and ensuring the social and economic accessibility of cultural content as a way to influence to the sustainable productions. 

The Center for Cultural Policy Research Cupore studies and evaluates Oulu2026 activities from 2022 to 2027. The latest progress report focuses on the content of the cultural programme and how the programme selections implement the goals set for Oulu2026 activities. The kay data of the progress report consists of the application materials of the projects approved for the Oulu2026 programme in 2023. The progress report is based on the analysis of the baseline situation of the Oulu2026 cultural capital project published last year.  

Read the report on Cupore’s website: 

Luonila, Mervi, Renko, Vappu, Ruusuvirta, Minna, Leppänen, Aino & Ruokolainen, Olli (2025). The Oulu2026 Progress Report for 2023: Overview of Programme Projects. Review. Cupore Center for Cultural Policy Research.

Additional information: 

Docent, PhD, Senior Researcher Mervi Luonila, mervi.luonila@cupore.fi, tel. 050 305 3414 

Also, check out the baseline report of the cultural capital project here.

News feed image: Frozen People festival is part of the Oulu2026 programme. The image shows the Nallikari lighthouse illuminated during the festival in March 2023. Photographer: Iina Tauriainen