Oulu, with its 39 partner municipalities in Northern Finland, will step into the spotlight as European Capital of Culture 2026. The full programme will be officially launched on Thursday 4 September 2025 in Oulu, streamed live across Europe.

After being presented at the Venice Biennale last year, the site-specific project “Disobedience Archive” makes a stop in Trencin, European Capital of Culture 2026 in a Site specific installation, designed by Zbyněk Baladrán.

From July 3 to July 13, Trenčín will become part of the largest Central European literary festival. The theme: exile literature.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the European Capitals of Culture. In fact, there are an increasing number of initiatives, both at national level, in individual countries, and at international level, involving several countries, aimed at exploring individual aspects of the European Capital of Culture programme in greater depth.

Oulu 2026, European Capital of Culture,  has announced the First Highlights for the Oulu Music Video Festival: A Never-Before-Seen Brian Eno Documentary, a Performance by Billy Roisz, and a Musical by Chantal Akerman.