Newsletter
Subscribe to our Newsletter and get updates on local cultural personalities, stories, press releases and opportunities for international artists.
Although our journey is still in its early phases, we will send our latest stories to our subscribers once a month.
Interested in volunteering?
We welcome all participants to register as volunteers, aka Cultural Ambassadors, Currently the volunteer work is limited and focuses mainly in communication tasks. Participating to events and production-related work will take place closer to 2026, but feel free to leave your contacts already now so we can reach out to our network as our programme starts to take shape.
For more information:
Heli Metsäpelto
Community Manager
heli.metsapelto@oulu2026.eu
Latest
Oulu2026 Cultural Personality:Havina
The Cultural Personality of the Week is the indie band Havina. Hailing from Oulu, the band makes highly evocative music in Finnish. Havina is made up of musicians Juha Kuusela and Sini Sax. How are you these days? And how to you spend your spare time? Havina:...
Oulu2026 Cultural Personality: Sanna Korpi
The Cultural Personality of the Week is Sanna Korpi, who originally hails from Oulainen. Sanna Korpi completed her vocal teacher training at the Oulu University of Applied Sciences in spring 2020 under the tuition of Soile Isokoski. The same spring, she also earned a...
Oulu2026 Cultural Personality:Tessa Astre
The Cultural Personality of the Week is Tessa Astre, a multidisciplinary artist and art teacher. Tessa teaches comics and animation at the Liminka School of Arts and also serves as a planner and group leader in the Theatre Programme of the same school. Tessa Astre has...
Oulu2026 Cultural Personality: Iina Palokangas
The Cultural Personality of Week is Iina Palokangas, a singer-songwriter, music teacher, and cultural producer from Oulu. Singer-songwriter music has been close to Iina’s heart through her own music but also through the Taustatarinaklubi (‘Backstory Club’), a series...
Oulu2026 Cultural Personality:Kristian Heberg
Our Cultural Personality of the Week is Kristian Heberg, a 33-year-old professional choir director from Oulu. Heberg conducts the Cassiopeia choir, Oulu Chamber Choir, and Oulun Laulu. In addition, he works as a freelance pianist and teacher across Finland. Kristian...
Oulu2026 Cultural Personality: Nelli Milan
Our Cultural Personality of the Week is Nelli Milan, a singer-songwriter and producer. Music and writing songs are something Nelli has been passionate about from a very early age – it is a natural way for her to make sense of her experiences and the world around her....
Congratulations European Capital of Culture Novi Sad, Kaunas and Esch
The European Capitals of Culture of 2022 in Kaunas (Lithuania), Novi Sad (Serbia) and Esch (Luxembourg) will celebrate their opening in the coming weeks. Novi Sad will officially open the European Capital of Culture on 13 January with the opening play Zeniteum: 2022....
“It’s almost a miracle how nature has the energy to be reborn after so many months of frost”
Ever since I moved to Oulu from Northern Italy back in 2013, I have admired the connection people here have with nature. In the beginning, I thought it to be something innate in the Finnish culture; it was only later I discovered this trait to be much more enhanced in...
Oulu2026 Cultural Personality: Peltokurki Duo
Our cultural personality of the week is the Peltokurki duo which is formed by Anna Peltomaa and Emma Kurkinen. Both of them are music creators and entrepreneurs in the creative industries. Anna and Emma have been making music together since 2016 and they released...
Piia Rantala-Korhonen and Samu Forsblom Selected to Lead the Foundation
Piia Rantala-Korhonen has been selected as the Chief Executive Officer of the Oulu Cultural Foundation and Samu Forsblom as the Programmer Director of the Foundation. The Oulu Cultural Foundation's Board made an unanimous decision regarding these selections. Oulu will...