History

Oulu Days has been organized since 1962. It is Oulu's oldest cultural event and one of the oldest events in our country. Oulu Days' program is being built by a network of over 100 partners, and the program has an average of 100 events. The average number of visitors to Oulu Days has been 55,000.

Content-wise, Oulu Days is a general festival, and its versatile program has included, among other things, music, dance, sports events, film, literature, theater, excursions, market events, neighborhood events, maritime events, attractions, exhibitions and multiple programs aimed at families with children.

Oulu Days is an umbrella event where everyone can become an event organizer by proposing their own event to the program. Oulu Days is a community-based ensemble of events where the communities compose the program. Oulu Days' event organizers are companies, associations, public sector actors and also private individuals. Most of our partners are from Oulu, but there are also event organizers from other parts of Finland.

Oulu Days has been organized on the first weekend of September for almost its entire 60-year history. When Oulu-seura ry started celebrating Oulu Days in 1962, it was organized for the first time as a one-day event on September 26, the date when Oulu received its city rights in 1610. After that first time, the date of the event was moved to the first weekend of September, a more favorable time in terms of the weather and the arrangements, and was held for a long time as a two-day event. In the mid-2000s, the program and interest in the event had grown to such an extent that Friday was added to the duration of the event.

In 2013, the year of the municipal merger, the most radical change to the event time in the history of Oulu Days was made taking into account the wishes of, for example, representatives of the merged municipalities and outdoor event organizers, which caused a lot of discussion. Oulu Days changed from a three-day event to a more than three-week umbrella event, starting on the weekend before Midsummer and lasting until the first weekend of July. The concept of the event remained the same as before, but the event turned into a summer city festival and umbrella event.

Oulu Days moved back to the first weekend of September in 2022. The time of the event is determined by the first Saturday in September and lasts three days from Friday to Sunday. When the change was implemented in 2022, Oulu Days celebrated its 60th anniversary. On behalf of Oulu Days, we welcome everyone to participate in the organization of the event in the future. All program suggestions and new ideas are welcome. Information about signing up for the program will be published on this website, social media and media releases closer to the turn of the year. Stay tuned!