Happening in the university’s 2026 culture programme in April
After Work events
In April, the Campus as a Stage After Work event will be celebrated with a May Day theme on the last Wednesday of the month, 29 April, starting at 5:00 pm on both university campuses.
Is your May Day date missing, do you need to find something to do together, or do you simply want to enjoy the May Day atmosphere? On the Linnanmaa campus, the After Work event this month will feature the university’s mixed choir Cassiopeia and the Teekkaritorvet wind band’s joint concert Spring Fling, and it is held in Saalasti hall from 5 to 7 pm. Join for happy tunes and some vappu atmosphere! This After Work event has an entrance fee (10/15€). You can buy your ticket in advance via Cassiopeia's ticket shop.
On the Kontinkangas campus, the May Day spirit will be celebrated in the form of theatre. The Student Theatre of Oulu will take over the Kontinkangas Tellus’ Stage between 5.00-5.45 pm and invites you into the wonderful world of theatre. The event is open to everyone and free of charge.
Culture amidst a study day
The shining sun gives some more energy each day but sometimes you still need a bit of boost amidst a long day on the campus.
The first Campus as a Stage Culture Lunch in April will take place on Thu 8.4., when the University of Oulu Chamber Orchestra invites you to have lunch with them between 11:30 am-12:00 pm in the Restaurant Mustikka on the Linnanmaa campus. If you miss this Culture Lunch, you can still enjoy the chamber orchestra’s music at a Culture Lecture on Mon 13.4. from 9:50 am to 10:10 am in the Tellus Linnanmaa’s lobby, where a musical break awaits you.
On the Kontinkangas campus, Culture Lunch will be enjoyed on 15.4. from 11:30 am to 12:00 pm in the Restaurant Medisiina, where the Professor band's Duo Jäljet will delight lunch time diners with songs about love from both sides of the spectrum. Later in April, you can also venture into the world of fairy tales when the Student Theatre of Oulu hosts a Story Time on 22.4. between 11:30 am - 12:00 pm in the Restaurant H2O Campus on the Linnanmaa campus.
Other events
On Wednesday 8.4., the University of Oulu will also celebrate the National Roma Day. To celebrate, a Roma Day event will be held on the Linnanmaa campus in the lecture hall L5 between 12:00 – 3:30 pm. The audience can enjoy the short film Svalke ta Jang – Shadows and Light, the first short film in Roma-language in Finland (subtitles in Finnish). After the film, Henry Lindgren will give a lecture on Roma people’s history and the present (in Finnish). The film and lecture will be shown twice, at 12:30 and 14:15. Throughout the event, a Roma café is open in front of hall L5, offering free coffee and tea and an opportunity to learn about Roma culture. The event is part of the broader Oulu2026 Always Been Here series and is organised by the Mobile Futures research project.
The University of Oulu’s traditional Alumni Day is also part of the Oulu2026 programme this year. The cultural celebration year is reflected in many ways in the event’s programme. There will be science presentations related to the culture year’s themes Brave Hinterland, Wild City, and Cool Contrasts, as well as a panel discussion featuring alumni from the fields of culture and the arts. In addition to the daytime programme, there will also be an evening event with some stand-up comedy and Finnish rock straight from the Haukipudas. Explore the Alumni Day’s programme and register by 9.4.!
You can still also register for the University Inventor Day that is held on 23.4. The daytime programme of the event takes place on the Linnanmaa campus, and the afternoon session at Cultural Centre Valve. The event showcases research and the researchers behind innovations, making them accessible not only to the university community but also to other interested participants. Throughout the day and evening, there will be expert talks as well as performances in the arts and music. Explore the University Inventor Day’s programme and register by 16.4.!
The history-themed Women of Oulu lecture series continues in April every Tuesday at 18:00 at the Saaren tila space in the Central Library. This public lecture series, running until 19 May, is based on the book of the same name, in which the authors examine influential women from Oulu and their significance in the city’s history.
In April, the lectures will cover the women of action, Lydia Hällfors and Minken Kivekäs (Tue 7 April, 18:00), women entrepreneurs in the service sector (Tue 14 April, 18:00), the versatile influencer Hanna Hieta (Tue 21 April, 18:00), and Anna-Liisa Antila-Kaljunen’s contribution to music education in Oulu (Tue 28 April, 18:00). All lectures are held in Finnish, and they are open to anyone interested.
The University of Oulu’s Giellagas Institute organises Oulu2026 culture events as well and in April those include a lecture about Sámi objects in museums and publication of Alrik Paltto’s comic anthology.
Explore also the full Oulu2026 programme.
Welcome!