Oulu 2026: European Capital of Culture

Why the north won't let me go

Finland, music and a very personal invitation to Oulu

Finland has been with me for as long as I can remember. My first trips took me to Helsinki, and later to Lake Saimaa, where time and light have a different meaning. And in Savonlinna, I often sat in front of Olavinlinna Castle and understood how closely music, history and landscape are intertwined in Finland.

That's why I've been so happy for years to be able to offer the opera festival there in the castle.

The fact that Oulu will be one of the two European Capitals of Culture in 2026 does not feel like an event to me, but rather a logical shift in perspective: further north, closer to what Finnish culture is all about: clarity, reduction and a quiet strength.

Oulu 2026, a city in concert mode

Oulu is not a loud cultural city. It does not impose itself, but rather grows on you with its rough charm. This is precisely what makes it so interesting as the 2026 Capital of Culture. Music plays a central role, not as constant background noise, but as a deliberate accent.

What particularly appeals to me is that the musical formats of the cultural year are not fixed to a single genre.

Classical, contemporary, jazz and electronic music are given equal billing. Many concerts are closely linked to the city, using concert halls, industrial architecture and waterfront locations, and they make use of the winter and midsummer light.

And then there is something else in Oulu that you won't forget in a hurry: Mieskuoro Huutajat, the ‘choir of screaming men’.

This is not singing in the classical sense. The group appears in suits, performs with impressive precision, and then, instead of singing, they shout, roar and scream rhythmically and with concentration. On their own website, they describe it very clearly: They do not sing, they shout national anthems, lullabies, folk poetry and even legal texts, among other things, which suddenly take on a completely different effect in this form.

If you want to get a better idea of what this is like, you can find videos and more information on the website of Mieskuoro Huutajat from Oulu.

And if you want to experience Oulu 2026 in a more classical musical setting, these three events in the cultural year are ideal:

Three musical highlights of the cultural year

Oulu Music Festival (in March 2026)

A traditional festival featuring classical music, chamber music, jazz and musical theatre. This is not a prestige programme, but one that has been carefully put together, with an almost exclusively Nordic focus. For me, this festival is the ideal start to the cultural year.

Qstock (in July 2026)

A large summer festival with Finnish and international pop and rock acts. It shows a different side of Oulu: urban and lively.

Music becomes part of city life here.

Elojazz (end of July/beginning of August 2026)

A jazz festival spread across various venues, from small hidden venues to open stages.

The combination of music and summer light is particularly appealing, because the evenings are so beautifully long and dusk takes its time.

These events are exemplary of what Oulu 2026 is all about: music as a driving force, not as spectacle.

How this led to my trip to Oulu

I hesitated for a long time before offering a trip based on this personal connection to Finland.

Precisely because this Nordic country is so close to my heart.

The result is not a programme to tick off, nor a group tour, but an individual music tour with concerts as fixed points. Each trip to Oulu is made up of the same building blocks, but is put together differently depending on the season, musical interests and personal rhythm.

A concert evening can be the centrepiece of one day, while the next day is deliberately left open. Time for walks, for cafés, for Nordic silence. Perhaps the path will lead to Pikisaari, the island with its old wooden houses just outside the city, where Oulu takes on a completely different character. And if it suits you, a sauna on a raft on the Oulujoki, the river that flows out to sea here, is part of the experience.

Why I recommend Oulu in 2026

Oulu is the European Capital of Culture in 2026, but the city is not making a big fuss about it. It does not push itself into the foreground,

it seems pleasantly unexcited. That's exactly what I like about it.

Anyone who knows Finland will discover new facets in Oulu, because music, nature and culture come together here in a special way.

For me, Oulu 2026 is not a destination in the traditional sense, but an experience. And that's exactly how you should visit this city: attentively, listening, open-minded and without rushing.

You can find more information on my page Music trips to Finland: Oulu 2026 and Savonlinna Opera Festival