The University of Oulu’s opening ceremonies for the European Capital of Culture year will provide tastes of the 2026 culture programme

Oulu’s year as the European Capital of Culture 2026 is just starting. For the next 365 days, thousands of culture experiences take place around the Oulu2026 area, that in addition to Oulu includes 39 other municipalities. The main goal for the celebration year in Oulu is Cultural Climate Change that aims to fuel creativity, joy and development in the area. Culture has a significant role in creating hope and success as well as in broadening our ways of thinking, bringing people together and in listening and understanding each other.

The University of Oulu is also an official Oulu2026 programme partner and participates in creating an unforgettable Capital of Culture year. The university has its own culture programme that includes about 120 events that will be organized on both campuses as well as outside of those.

The spearhead for the university’s 2026 culture progrmme is a year-long Campus as a Stage event series that aims at showcasing our university community’s broad cultural knowledge and skills and bringing culture to the everyday life on the campus as well as in front of larger audiences. The event series includes culture lunches, culture lectures, After work events, various exhibitions and communal art works as well as guided tours in the university’s art collections.

Join the university’s Capital of Culture year opening ceremonies!

You can get a taste of this wonderful culture programme in the University of Oulu’s own 2026 European Caoital of Culture year opening ceremonies on both campuses. Opening ceremonies celebrating the start of the culture year will take place on Kontinkangas campus on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, starting at 10 am and on Linnanmaa campus on Thursday, January 22, 2026, starting at 10 am.

Both opening ceremonies include a daytime event where we will hear opening words from the university’s rectors and enjoy culture experiences created by, for example, Cassiopeia, University of Oulu Chamber Orchestra and the Student Theatre of Oulu. On the Linnanmaa campus, there will also be a panel discussion about the topic “What is culture?” as a part of the opening ceremony. The panel discussion will be held multilingually (Finnish/English) and you can also follow it remotely.

On both campuses, the opening ceremonies’ activities continue all the way until evening, when starting at 5 pm the very first After work events will take place. Later on After work events will take place throughout the 2026 on every months’ last Wednesday with a few exceptions. In the After work event on the Kontinkangas campus, you will get to orientate yourself with Pegasus Library’s “Off to North!” movie week and on Linnanmaa campus the night will be rocked away with the Professor band and Teekkaritorvet.

The opening ceremonies are open for everyone, and we warmly welcome students, staff members and all people interested in culture to join them.