Oulu2026 Progress Report for 2024: Overview of Activities

Oulu, together with 39 partner municipalities, will be the European Capital of Culture in 2026. Cupore is conducting research and evaluation on the Oulu2026 project from 2022 to 2027.

This report outlines the progress of the Oulu2026 activities in 2024. It is preceded by a baseline report for 2022 and a progress report for 2023

The monitoring and evaluation of Oulu2026 activities is structured around seven themes: content and offerings, operating conditions in the arts and culture domain, spaces, participation and inclusion, community and well-being, reputation and image, and the development of Cultural Climate Change.

Each theme includes quantitative indicators as well as in-depth qualitative analyses. The data for the quantitative indicators come from several sources [1], not all of which are updated annually, and some of the information is only available in the ECoC year. The situation in 2024 is described for those themes and indicators for which information was available.

Additionally, indicators that broadly reflect the economic, social and cultural development of the Oulu2026 region are monitored.

This report focuses on the programme content and how the cultural programme and other measures related to Oulu2026 activities  align with the objectives set for the Oulu2026 activities. The report material is described in Table 7, Chapter 8. 

[1] This also affects the themes that are reported. For example, the theme of community and well-being will be reviewed in the next progress report for 2025, based on a citizen survey conducted in early 2025.

Sisällys

SUMMARY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL CLIMATE CHANGE – OULU2026 ACTIVITIES IN 2024
1. OVERVIEW OF THE OULU2026 REGION IN 2024
2. PROGRESS IN THE LIGHT OF QUANTITATIVE INDICATORS IN 2024
3. CONTENT AND OFFERINGS
4. OPERATING CONDITIONS IN THE ARTS AND CULTURE DOMAIN
5. SPACES
6. PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION
7. REPUTATION AND IMAGE
8. DATA OF THE PROGRESS REPORT

Sources

SUMMARY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL CLIMATE CHANGE – OULU2026 ACTIVITIES IN 2024

A vibrant and gripping city

• There has already been plenty of programming available in 2024. Nearly 150 events and over 600 occasions were organized under the Oulu2026 program, and their attendance was high.
• The increase in activity and the approaching Capital of Culture year are also reflected in growing visibility. Both the Cultural Foundation and project operators have become more active in their communications. Typical communication efforts for the projects have included activating professional and production networks both in Finland and internationally. For example, the established cultural actors participating in the European Capital of Culture year have made use of their existing communication channels and audiences. The Foundation has placed particular emphasis on international visibility.

A balanced community

• In 2024, the Oulu Cultural Foundation developed regional cooperation structures. For instance, a regional coordinator who supports municipalities in planning local cultural activities began his/her position on 1 February 2024.
• The level of cooperation in cultural activities among Oulu2026 municipalities has not changed significantly from the baseline situation. However, cooperation between municipal cultural departments and other municipalities has increased slightly. It’s important to note that in many areas, collaboration was already quite extensive, so major changes may not be expected.
• The abundance of cultural offerings has diversified participation opportunities. Programme projects make significant use of volunteer work, and involve many project actors, producers, partners, and event attendees who participate in various ways. Furthermore, the “We Are Culture” open call, opened in autumn 2024, aims to encourage various actors to participate in the Oulu2026 activities.

A creative region

• The resources available to programme projects have increased. According to project estimates, the majority of these resources are channeled into the Oulu2026 area.
• The projects have largely proceeded as planned. Any changes have mainly resulted from lower-than-expected funding from the foundation or a lack of other funding.
• Investments in facilities are mainly proceeding as planned. In some cases, renovations are being carried out by private actors who own the area or operate in the area.
• Collaboration among art and cultural actors has increased compared to the baseline situation, especially in the Oulu2026 area. Collaboration elsewhere in Finland is on a slight upward trend, but there has been no significant change from the baseline situation in 2024. The extent of collaboration with actors elsewhere in Europe has remained the same compared to the baseline.
• Capacity-building projects aimed at developing the operational conditions of art and cultural actors continue to be a strong component of the Oulu2026 activities. In the monitoring year, ten new capacity-building projects were launched.

1 OVERVIEW OF THE OULU2026 REGION IN 2024

The overall picture of the Oulu2026 region is monitored through indicators that reflect social, cultural, and economic development.

In the tables, statistical data is presented separately for Oulu and other urban municipalities, semi-urban municipalities and rural municipalities. This classification is based on Statistics Finland’s statistical grouping of municipalities.

Social development in the region has remained relatively unchanged, showing similar trends as in previous years. The population is increasingly older, and young adults are moving away from the region. At the same time, the share of  residents who are foreign language speakers  and of foreign backgrounds continues to grow steadily.

In terms of cultural development, data on municipal cultural activities — such as the net operating costs of municipal cultural activities or visits to art and cultural institutions — is not available for the year 2024. There have been no significant changes in state-subsidized institutions or their funding.

There have been small changes in the applicants and recipients of grants and subsidies from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike), as well as in the total amount granted. Across the entire region, both the share of grants allocated to the region from the national total and the proportion of applicants and recipients for the 2024 grants and subsidies have declined. These changes particularly applies the region’s rural municipalities, from which slightly fewer applications were submitted and which received fewer grants and subsidies than before in relation to the total number of applicants and recipients. As a result, in these municipalities, the proportion of the total grant amount awarded was also lower compared to both 2022 and 2023. Additionally, the share of grant recipients in Oulu declined to the 2022 level. In other urban and semi-urban municipalities, there were very few changes.

In terms of economic development, this progress report presents data on the number of overnight stays and arrivals in Oulu. Both overnight stays and arrivals at accommodation establishments continued to increase in 2024, although the growth rate slowed compared to 2023. When looking at domestic versus foreign tourists, overnight stays and arrivals among domestic tourists declined, whereas those of international tourists increased significantly.

Table 1. Social, cultural, and economic development in the region during 2022–2024. Regarding social development, the table shows regional averages, excluding total population and the net migration of young adults.

2 PROGRESS IN THE LIGHT OF QUANTITATIVE INDICATORS IN 2024

Table 2. Progress in the light of quantitative indicators in 2024.

*Written Communication, Oulu Cultural Foundation

**Written Communication, Oulu Cultural Foundation

3 CONTENT AND OFFERINGS

The theme focuses on the development of the Oulu2026 cultural programme. The primary material used consists of interim reports from programme projects (n=59). These reports have been supplemented with documents obtained from the Oulu Cultural Foundation, such as the foundation’s 2024 annual report and written statements.

According to a written statement from the Oulu Cultural Foundation, the 2024 cultural programme included a total of 107 cultural productions that were implemented by parties other than the foundation itself. Of these productions, 53 received funding from the foundation in the form of grants totaling over 1.1 million euros (Oulu Cultural Foundation sr, 2025, p. 6).

In 2024, several projects moved from the planning phase to the production phase, although the events themselves will mainly take place in 2026 (Oulu Cultural Foundation sr, 2025, p. 6). The progress and different phases of the program projects in 2024 can be described at three different levels: projects that have progressed to implementation, those in the content design phase, and those in the production planning phase. Multiple phases may have been ongoing simultaneously within individual projects.

According to the interim reports of the program projects, several different events were organized in the productions that had progressed to the implementation phase: festivals (e.g. Frozen People, Solstice Festival, Aaltosiilo Festival), community art events (e.g. Pikinen poloku), workshops and co-creation evenings (e.g. Sanginsuu-Lapinkangas-Sanginjoki cultural tourism route, MARAKNI Roma culture market), exhibitions and launch events, film clubs and camps (e.g. Kinosalonki Sofia and the revival of film culture in Raahe), symposiums (e.g. Liminka School of Art, Y L I T Y S). In addition to events, programme projects in 2024 featured performances in other European Capitals of Culture (e.g. Bang Bang Riviera), piloted new content concepts alongside established models (e.g. Haapavesi Folk / Folk Arena), produced premieres (e.g. Kajaani Poetry Weeks “Without a Man’s Connection”), held pop-up performances (e.g. Climbing over Oulu), and created public artworks, such as a mural in the Myllyoja district of Oulu.

Table 3 presents a summary of the events and occasions organised by the program projects, and estimated attendance figures as reported by the project organisers.

Table 3. Events and occasions organised during the past season; No. + event type (Programme projects n=58).

* An event is a production entity that may include dozens of performances or activities. An event can also be a continuous work, such as a nature trail or an exhibition.

** A performance/event refers, for example, to a single concert, dance, or theatre performance; a single event may include several such performances. This category may also include workshops, training, and discussion events that advance the project.

*** Total attendance is generally calculated as the sum of sold tickets (including multi-day festival passes), free tickets, and estimated attendance at free events. (See also Finland Festivals, 2025.)

In productions at the content design phase, activities focused on artist recruitment, commissioning and scripting of works (e.g. Kuhmo Chamber Music Weeks, Hydropower Plants), competition planning (e.g. Oulu Music Video Festival, Knitwear from the Edge of Europe), and developing residency programmes.

According to the interim reports, projects in the production planning phase focused especially on acquiring grants and additional funding. Additionally, staff were recruited and trained for the productions, and communication measures were developed, including building partnerships in production and media both regionally, nationally, and internationally, as well as enhancing digital communications.

A total of 22 projects reported in their interim reports that changes had occurred in their original plans. According to project organisers, reductions in funding from the Oulu Cultural Foundation or a lack of alternative financing led to modifications in project content and reassessment of staffing needs. These programme projects assessed that implementation would be more modest than originally planned. Additionally, project organisers reported adjustments included clarification of content, refining of focus areas and target groups, and changes related to event locations.

Other identified changes and reasons for them included changes in collaboration structures (e.g. staff changes in partner organisations), broader factors related to municipal and urban development such as challenges in zoning processes and municipal cooperation.

To complement the cultural programme created through the first and second open calls, an additional open call titled “We Are Culture – Vi är kultur” was launched in September 2024 for one year. The goal of this three-part call is to ensure that all interested parties have the opportunity to participate in the implementation of the 2026 cultural programme. A total of 218 applications were received during autumn 2024. (Oulu Cultural Foundation sr, 2025.)

4 OPERATING CONDITIONS IN THE ARTS AND CULTURE DOMAIN

Oulu2026 aims for a long-term cultural climate change, with one of its central goals being to strengthen the capabilities of the cultural sector and its connections with other sectors. The theme focuses on monitoring the development of operational conditions in the arts and culture domain.

Financial resources channeled to the region through Oulu2026 programme projects

Time-bound events, such as European Capital of Culture activities, generate direct, indirect, and multiplier effects on the regional economy. The financial resources directed to the region through Oulu2026 programme projects are monitored by collecting percentage-based estimates from project implementers via the systems of the Oulu Culture Foundation. This data will be supplemented with a follow-up survey conducted after the Oulu2026 year.

For activities in the year 2024, project implementers (n=58) reported a total of €2,803,491 in income and €2,596,623 in expenses. The income structure of the projects was very diverse, as is typical of project productions: reported revenues came from public funding (state and municipalities), funding from the Oulu Culture Foundation, grants, corporate partnerships, and self-financing, which often included volunteer work.

Thirty projects estimated that over 90% of their expenses were directed to the Oulu2026 area (total approx. €910,000). Of these, 22 projects assessed the local impact to be 100% (total approx. €630,000). Eight projects either did not answer the question or estimated that none of their expenses were directed to the area. Twenty implementers estimated their local expenditure to range between 25% and 85%. In total, programme projects estimated that more than €1,700,000 of their 2024 expenses were directed to the Oulu2026 area

Projects focusing on the development of cultural actors’ skills, operational models, and revenue models within the Oulu2026 initiative

In addition to the cultural programme, the Oulu2026 activities include a wide range of projects aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of actors in the cultural and creative domain in the region. These capacity building projects highlight the importance of developing operational conditions as a key part of the Oulu2026 activities.

By the year 2024, a total of 29 projects had already been completed. In the follow-up year, ten new projects were launched, and the number of ongoing projects remained the same as in the previous year. (Table 4.)

Table 4. Status of capacity building -projects.

The following projects were launched in 2024:

• ANSEL – Access the North with the Speed of Light, which aims to improve access to culture and education in sparsely populated areas in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.[1]
• Arctic Food Plus, which aims to develop the food tourism potential of Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu.[2]
• CreArt 3.0, which expands the European CreArt (Network of Cities for Artistic Creation) network for visual arts in medium-sized European cities. In 2024, a portfolio call was opened for Oulu-based artists as part of the Artists in Public Space programme.[3]
• Ancient Survival Skills at the Kierikki Stone Age Centre.[4]
• Sustainable Darkness Partnerships, which explores and develops ways to create a new, strategic approach to urban lighting design that recognizes the values of darkness and dimness.[5]
• Creative Triangle, which develops cooperation between creators of the arts and culture, programme and event services, and tourism services.[6]
• The Best Local to Your Tables, where the regions of Kainuu and Northern Ostrobothnia collaborate to strengthen the food sector, information sharing, interregional cooperation, and internationalisation.[7]
• Reach – Equal Participation of Audiences in Cultural Events, which focuses on improving the accessibility of cultural events in Northern Ostrobothnia.
• Sopukka, which pilots, develops, and documents an established place-making process in Oulu.[8]
• Tiny Spaces Deep Connections, which develops more sustainable models for artist residency activities.[9]

Collaboration

Collaboration is a central part of maintaining and strengthening the operational conditions of the arts and culture sector. The extent and volume of cooperation between the culture departments of the Oulu2026 municipalities are monitored through surveys directed at regional arts and culture actors as well as the municipal officials responsible for culture. This data is supplemented by written materials obtained from the Oulu Cultural Foundation, such as information from annual reports.

In 2024, the Oulu Cultural Foundation has reinforced cooperation with municipalities in the Oulu2026 programme area. A regional coordinator hired by the Oulu2026 team has supported the municipalities in their preparatory work and facilitated the formation of a network of municipal leaders in the region. Additionally, the Oulu2026 Delegation, a consultative and network-based collaborative body of the Foundation, has continued its operations and met twice during the year. (Oulu Cultural Foundation, 2025.)

Development of Collaboration between Arts and Cultural Actors

The level of cooperation among arts and cultural actors in the region has increased from the baseline in 2022 to 2024, especially within the Oulu2026 area.

According to the survey responses, cooperation among arts and culture actors in the Oulu2026 area has grown, particularly with individual artists or other professionals in the arts and culture sector, public sector actors, businesses, and third-sector organizations. On average, cooperation has grown most significantly with third-sector actors and with individual artists or other professionals in the arts and culture sector (an increase of 0.4 percentage points). (Figure 1.)

Figure 1. Collaboration by arts and culture actors in the Oulu2026 region in 2022 and 2024. Average.

Collaboration by arts and culture actors elsewhere in Finland has increased with most types of partners compared to the baseline situation. On average, in 2024, actors collaborated more with individual artists or other art and culture professionals operating elsewhere in Finland, as well as with public and third sector actors. The amount of collaboration with businesses operating elsewhere in Finland has remained the same from the baseline year to 2024. (Figure 2.)  Collaboration by arts and culture actors elsewhere in Europe has not significantly changed from the baseline situation. (Figure 3.)

Figure 2. Art and cultural actors’ cooperation elsewhere in Finland in 2022 and 2024. Average.

Figure 3. Art and cultural actors’ cooperation elsewhere in Europe in 2022 and 2024. Average.

It is important to note that the group of arts and culture actors who responded to the survey in 2022 and 2024 is partly different. Thus, changes in collaboration may be related to these differences in the respondent group, or to other factors beyond the European Capital of Culture activities. However, it is likely that the Capital of Culture initiative has influenced the increase in collaboration among arts and culture actors in the Oulu2026 region at various levels.

Development of Collaboration by Cultural Departments in Oulu2026 Municipalities

Within the Oulu2026 municipalities, cultural departments engage in diverse collaboration with other municipal branches. According to the survey conducted among municipal officials responsible for cultural affairs, in 2024, collaboration most commonly took place with the education branch and the technical branch (or equivalent branches). Cooperation with  the administration branch and the business development branch was also common. (Figure 4.)

Collaboration with the social and health branch was the least common. Structural changes have also occurred in this area during the monitoring period, as responsibility for organizing social, health, and rescue services was transferred to the new wellbeing services counties in 2023.

Collaboration between the cultural departments of the Oulu2026 municipalities and other municipal branches has remained relatively similar between the baseline and 2024. Cooperation with the technical branch has increased slightly, while collaboration with the social and health branch, education branch, and especially with administration branch has declined. The level of collaboration with the business development branch has remained unchanged. (Figure 4.)

There have been no significant changes in collaboration between the cultural departments of the Oulu2026 municipalities and external actors since the baseline.

Figure 4. Collaboration between the cultural departments (or equivalent) of Oulu2026 municipalities and other municipal branches in 2021 and 2024. Average.

Collaboration by cultural departments has increased especially with other municipalities in Finland. Collaboration with other Oulu2026 municipalities, as well as international collaboration within Europe, has also grown slightly compared to the baseline. (Figure 5.)

Cooperation with associations and other civil society actors, as well as with artists, is particularly extensive and has remained relatively unchanged since the baseline. It should be noted that when collaboration is already at a high level, significant changes cannot necessarily be expected. Based on the responses, collaboration between the cultural departments of Oulu2026 municipalities and businesses has slightly decreased from the baseline to 2024. (Figure 5.)

Figure 5. Collaboration by the cultural departments (or equivalent) of Oulu2026 municipalities in 2022 and 2024. Average.

[1] https://net.centria.fi/hanke/ansel/ [accessed 12.5.2025.]
[2] https://oamk.fi/hankkeet/arctic-food-plus/ [accessed 12.5.2025.]
[3] https://www.ouka.fi/avoin-porfoliohaku [accessed 12.5.2025.]
[4] https://www.kaleva.fi/kierikki-haluaa-nousta-yhdeksi-oulun-seudun-matkai/8134970 [accessed 12.5.2025.]
[5] https://www.oulu.fi/fi/projektit/kestavan-pimean-kumppanuudet [accessed 12.5.2025.]
[6] https://luovatriangeli.fi/ [accessed 12.5.2025.]
[7] https://www.maajakotitalousnaiset.fi/hankkeet/parasta-paikallista-poytiin [accessed 12.5.2025.]
[8] https://www.urbanculture.fi/sopukka [accessed 12.5.2025.]
[9] https://tinyspaces.eu/ [accessed 12.5.2025.]

5 SPACES

The Oulu2026 bid book lists a total of 20 investment projects supporting the implementation of the cultural programme (Bid Book, 2021, pp. 96–97). By the end of 2024, eight of the investment projects listed in the bid book had been fully completed (40%). For example, the renovation of the city hall was completed in autumn 2024. Major renovations were still ongoing, including those of the main library and the museum and science center. (Table 5.) Nearly 20 kilometers of Oulu’s cycling path network (baanaverkko) had been completed in total, of which 3.5 kilometers were finished in 2024 (City of Oulu, 2025, p. 101). In some cases, the renovations were being advanced by private operators who own or operate in the area. For instance, the restoration of Sahasaari was initiated by local entrepreneurs in 2024, and renovations at the Hiukkavaara cultural barracks are being carried out by KOy Hiukan piha (Alasuutari, 2024; Ahlroos, email communication 19.11.2024).

Table 5. Status of investment projects listed in the bid book at the end of 2024 

In addition to the listed investment projects, the bid book also mentions other construction and investment initiatives. For example, the former woodchip silo in Meri-Toppila, known as AaltoSiilo, is planned to be renovated and restored as a multipurpose space for various exhibitions and public events through a project by the Factum Foundation. The renovation of the silo began at the end of 2024. (Factum Foundation, 2024.) The application book also highlights the construction of the Hailuoto bridge, a state-funded project. Construction work on the bridge began in May 2024. The goal is to open the connection to traffic by the end of 2026. (Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, 2024.)  For the Housing Fair to be held in Oulu in the summer of 2025, an art program has been created, approved by the City of Oulu’s Urban Environment Committee. According to the plan, art will be acquired for the fair area through both a dedicated art budget and the percent-for-art principle. (City of Oulu, 2023.)

6 PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION

In the operations of the Oulu Cultural Foundation, volunteer activities offer residents opportunities to participate in the planning and implementation of the cultural program for the year 2026. A full-time volunteer coordinator began working at the foundation on August 5, 2024. In autumn 2024, a volunteer guide, training framework, and volunteer equipment were planned, and opportunities for business cooperation were also explored. A regional coordinator, who supports municipalities in planning cultural activities in their own area, started on February 1, 2024. (Oulu Cultural Foundation sr, 2025.)

As part of its activities, the foundation has collaborated with basic education, early childhood education, and secondary-level institutions. The goal of this collaboration is to offer easy ways to participate in the Oulu2026 implementation. In 2024, visits were carried out in 14 schools and 8 student groups. (Oulu Cultural Foundation sr, 2025.)

In the foundation’s own projects, participation is especially emphasized in the Climate Clock project’s participatory artwork The Most Valuable Clock in the World, whose production began with an open call for participants. The foundation also took part in projects aimed at promoting inclusion. The Equal Oulu2026 – Promoting Diversity and Strengthening the Inclusion of Minority Groups in Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu project received ESF+ funding and was implemented from March 1, 2023, to April 25, 2025. The project aimed to strengthen equal opportunities to participate in cultural activities. Its key activities included trainings, the creation and support of network-based activities, workshops, pilots, and advocacy. The project organized 69 trainings with a total of 1,354 participants and 84 workshops with 1,953 participants. The project also developed the We Are Culture program call through various information and ideation events, which had 695 participants. (Oulu Cultural Foundation sr, Annual Report 2024.)

The final open call for the We Are Culture program, which opened in September 2024 for one year, is in itself an encouragement to participate. Its goal is to “ensure that those interested have the opportunity to be involved in the implementation of the Oulu2026 cultural program.” Applications could be submitted in Finnish, Swedish, three Sámi languages, and English. (Oulu Cultural Foundation sr, 2025, p. 3.)

Half of the program projects that were already active in 2024 and had reported their activities stated that participation and inclusion were the project’s primary focus. Inclusion was most commonly implemented by combining community-building and audience engagement—for example, in the Echoes from the Villages project, which organized concerts as well as communal, guided group dances. Another example is the Bio Huvimylly cinema in Raahe, which offered free and open film screenings, events, and communal volunteer activities. It was less common to focus on skills development, for example by involving professionals, like in the Dance Hack project, which brought art into new environments and aimed to create new collaborative relationships with the local business community. The clearest focus on skills development was in the TAT Yrityskylä project, where students were encouraged to identify their own strengths by exploring real work tasks.

The projects involved many different partners. Altogether, the projects reported 778 partners during 2024, of which 535 were local (69%), 106 national (14%), and 137 international (18%).

Among the projects that identified inclusion as their focus, there were 303 partners: 206 local (68%), 31 national (10%), and 66 international (22%). The projects that did not focus on inclusion had a total of 475 partners: 329 local (69%), 75 national (16%), and 71 international (15%).

In total, the projects estimated that just over 92 person-years of paid work were used to implement the projects in 2024. A total of 1,180 people participated in volunteer work, contributing a total of 15,966 work hours—equivalent to about ten full-time person-years.

There was some variation in the number of volunteers depending on whether inclusion or participation was a project’s main focus. In projects that did not emphasize inclusion, there were 488 volunteers who contributed 9,843 hours of volunteer work. In contrast, the inclusion-focused projects had 692 volunteers, who contributed 6,123 hours of volunteer work. So, while there were more volunteers in inclusion-focused projects, more total volunteer hours were recorded in projects where inclusion was not the central goal.

The project that engaged the most volunteers (396 people) was the Sanginjoki Cultural Tourism Route. The high number of volunteers is explained by the participants in co-development evenings; on average, each volunteer contributed about two hours. Event productions typically also involved many volunteers, whose contributed hours could be quite high. Of the events, the largest number of volunteers (72 people, who contributed 950 hours) participated in the production of the Solstice Festival, even though inclusion or participation were not the festival’s primary objectives.

It’s important to remember that even in projects not primarily focused on inclusion, participatory activities may still arise—for example, through the volunteer work required to organise events.

7 REPUTATION AND IMAGE

Activities and Communication of Programme Projects and Projects Outlined in the Bid Book 

The communication efforts of the programme projects are at very different stages, and due to the nature of the projects, they are inherently diverse. A small number of projects have not yet started actual communication activities or prepared a communication plan. The measures taken by projects that have started communication, in turn, vary greatly in their ambition, targets and methods. For example, some projects have gained visibility in top international media relevant to their genre or field, while others have  focused on advertising or visibility in local print media, local jam nights, or roadside billboards.

At this stage, typical communication activities have included activating professional and production networks both in Finland and internationally. Information about the projects has been shared at various events and gatherings of creative industry professionals, as well as through professional network communication channels, such as newsletters.

Particularly for existing festivals and events, communication efforts have typically targeted festival audiences through the festivals’ own channels, emphasizing the upcoming European Capital of Culture year. Some projects have already implemented actual content and events and communicating and sharing that content has been a natural part of their communications.

Most projects use websites or subpages, as well as common social media channels. However, the content produced for these varies. Some projects share information through event calendars, for example, while others, according to interim reports, produce a wide range of content across different channels and formats. Projects have produced, for example, podcasts, videos, article series, and newsletters, and some have also engaged audiences in their communication.

About half of the programme projects mention having a target audience. At the general level, these target groups are typically reported as “the general public,” “young adults,” or “an audience of all ages.” More specific target groups include certain minority groups, residents of a particular area, or Europeans. Target groups also include those related to professional and production contexts—such as networks, the international cultural field, project partners, collaborators, and industry influencers.

The Cultural Foundation created a “Part of the Cultural Programme” label for projects that receive funding from the foundation and are accepted as part of the Oulu2026 cultural programme. Projects can use this label in their communications. The purpose of the label is to make being part of the cultural programme more clearly and recognizably visible (Oulu Cultural Foundation sr, 2025, p. 19).

Coverage and tone of media visibility for Oulu2026 action

According to media monitoring, the visibility of Oulu2026 in 2024 reflected the preparatory phase of the European Capital of Culture year, as the number of media hits in 2024 began to return toward the levels seen in the launch year, 2022. The approaching Capital of Culture year and, for example, the launch of the “We Are Culture” call may have slightly increased visibility in news media. Visibility of the City of Oulu in domestic media decreased slightly, but the change was not significant. (Table 6)

In terms of social media visibility, growth was seen across all channels, except for YouTube video views. In 2023, video views were affected by the death of writer Miki Liukkonen, which caused a particular video featuring him to receive a large number of views. Visibility has been increased by paid advertising on social media, which has also been carried out by Visit Oulu in connection with the Capital of Culture year.

The international media visibility of Oulu2026 activities in 2024 was influenced by the foundation’s media investment. Journalists and influencers from around the world visited Oulu during the Frozen People event in March, the AaltoSiilo event in the autumn, and the Lumo Light Festival in November (Oulu Cultural Foundation sr, 2025).

In October 2024, British digital media reported with headlines suggesting that an Arctic city is trying to attract tourists with screaming men and air guitars (e.g., Telegraph, 4.10.2024). Other significant Oulu2026 mentions in the media included coverage in German-language press, such as listings of the world’s most environmentally friendly countries and a feature about Kinnula as the happiest place in the world’s happiest country (March 2024). The cultural capital year was also mentioned in the context of the Bothnian Coastal Route news coverage, which described road trip opportunities in the Bothnian Bay area of Sweden and Finland (September 2024).

Taulukko 6. Oulu2026-mediaseuranta vuodelta 2024.

* The search terms were refined by the service provider between 2022 and 2023, and as a result, the monitoring and evaluation work also focused on these updated search queries. For this reason, the figures for 2022 no longer align with those in the Baseline Report for that year (Luonila et al., 2024). The new search terms account for mentions of Oulu in headlines or introductions, or those that have additionally been shared at least 10 times on Facebook or X. The updated search terms exclude results from word combinations that are deemed irrelevant for the purpose of the search.
** A search that examines how culture is reflected in Oulu’s image as a factor. This search focuses on media mentions where Oulu is cited in the headline or introduction, and where various culture-related keywords appear elsewhere in the article.

8 DATA OF THE PROGRESS REPORT

The data for the progress report covering the year 2024 is presented in Table 7.

Table 7. Data for the 2024 progress report.

Sources

Alasuutari, P. (4.9.2024). Sahasaareen nousee hirsitalo. Kaleva, 4–5.

Factum Foundation (12.11.2024). Uutiset: Remontti on alkanut! Verkkosivu. Haettu 3.6.2025 osoitteesta: https://www.aaltosiilo.com/fi/News

Finland Festivals (2025). https://festivals.fi/tilastot/

Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriö (2025). Taiteen ja kulttuurin valtionosuudet. https://okm.fi/valtionosuudet

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City of Oulu (2023). Asteen verran esteettisempää asuinympäristöä. Hartaanselänrannan taideohjelma, Asuntomessut Oulussa 2025. Oulun kaupunki, kaupunkiympäristöpalvelut 20.2.2023. https://ouluntaidemuseo.fi/app/uploads/sites/9/2023/10/ouka_taideohjelma_2023_netti.pdf

City of Oulu (2025). Oulun kaupungin toimintakertomus ja tilinpäätös 2024. https://www.ouka.fi/media/14045/download

Richardson, N. (2024) The Arctic city trying to lure tourists with screaming men and air guitar. Telegraph 4.10.2024. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/finland/oulu-finland-european-capital-of-culture-2026/

Suomen virallinen tilasto (SVT): Väestörakenne [verkkojulkaisu]. ISSN=1797-5379. Helsinki: Tilastokeskus [Viitattu: 11.6.2025]. Saantitapa: https://stat.fi/tilasto/vaerak  Ladattu lisenssillä CC BY 4.0.

Tilasto- ja indikaattoripankki Sotkanet. Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos. Nuorisotyöttömät, % 18 – 24-vuotiaasta työvoimasta (ind. 189). Tietolähde: Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö. Viitattu 11.6.2025.

Väylävirasto (2024). Hailuodon kiinteä yhteys. Verkkosivu. Haettu 3.6.2025 osoitteesta: https://vayla.fi/hailuoto

Picture: Kevin Kallombo, AaltoSiilo Festival 2024.