"Cultural climate change" is the inscription on the hat worn by the Mayor of Oulu, Ari Alatossava, at the inauguration of the year's European Capital of Culture. And it is the main theme of Oulu 2026, which opened with a snowy ceremony attended by the President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb, who emphasized that "the theme invites us to think about how we can learn new things through cultural experiences and create a sustainable future."

A huge number of people gathered at the Oulu2026 Opening Festival to celebrate the launch of the European Capital of Culture year on 16–18 January. Around 200 events across Oulu city centre attracted over 250,000 visits. The programme offered a wide range of cultural experiences, from concerts to ice hockey, acrobatics to car tuning, panel discussions to pub quizzes, and from art exhibitions to dance parties in the snow.

Culture Next, the network of 50 European cities of which EcocNews is a media partner, will be present with its own delegation and its own space at the Oulu 2026 opening ceremony.

Fotografiska Tallinn is bringing a photography exhibition to Finland for the very first time! The high-quality exhibition, curated for the Oulu2026 programme, is inspired by the Oulu2026 main theme, cultural climate change.

In just 100 days, Oulu and its 39 partner municipalities in Northern Finland will open their year as European Capital of Culture. Excitement is building across the region as final preparations are underway – and the official event calendar, featuring thousands of cultural experiences throughout 2026, has just been published.