Oulun Juhlaviikot

The 30-year-old Air Guitar World Championships has been awarded the 2026 Etta Title. Since 1983, the Oulu-Seura (Oulu Society) has presented the title to an entity that has significantly promoted the visibility and recognition of Oulu.

In its award criteria, Oulu-Seura describes the event as a "fun, absurd, and communal rock performance."

"According to the 'Make Air, Not War' ideology, if everyone played air guitar, wars would end, climate change would stop, all evil things would vanish. Because you cannot hold a weapon while playing air guitar, the event is considered to champion peace," the award criteria state.

In his speech at Rotuaari, Oulu on September 5, Jukka Takalo—the founder and original writer of the Air Guitar Championships—recalled that the very first competition in 1996 took place in that exact same spot. The ideal of peace has been woven into the contest from the start. The air guitar perspective on world peace is one of carnival and joy, serving as a counterweight to gloom and fist-shaking.

The Air Guitar World Championships are organised by Airnest Productions Oy, owned by the Oulu Cultural Events Association. The event is part of the Oulu August Festivals. Marjukka Manninen, Vice Chair of the company's board, highlighted the visibility brought by the World Championships and its importance to the recognition and vitality of the entire region. In August 2026, media coverage of the Air Guitar World Championships reached 1.17 billion people, with an estimated media value of 11 million euros.

The most essential glue holding the Air Guitar World Championships together is the international community of air guitarists, who put the "Make Air, Not War" motto into practice across the globe and gather in Oulu every year to celebrate the message of peace and have fun together. This year, inspired by the event's 30th anniversary and the European Capital of Culture year, over 50 air guitarists from 13 countries participated in Oulu. The championships have been streamed live online since 1999, and this year remote watch parties stretched all the way from Nepal to Canada.

Photo: Roosa-Maria Kauppila

The Delta Life show drew around five thousand spectators to Pokkisenpuisto Park in Oulu on Friday evening. Built at the birthplace of Oulu, the delta stage hosted an original local performance combining music, dance, light, video, and circus arts.

The Delta Life festival weekend marks the summer climax of the European Capital of Culture year. In addition to the multidisciplinary 45-minute show, the evening hosted the first final round of the Air Guitar World Championships.

The top 8 air guitarists advanced from the first final round. The second and decisive final round will take place at the same location on Saturday, August 29.

Competitors advancing to Saturday’s final, with Friday’s scores:

Other competitors on Friday:

In Saturday’s second final round, the competitors will perform in reverse order of their rankings from the first final round.

This year’s final jury consisted of:

The evening was hosted by Justin “Nordic Thunder” Howard and Asta Salomaa.

The biggest summer event of the European Capital of Culture is the Delta Life Grand Finale, taking place August 27–29, 2026, in Oulu. The three-day carnival features the Air Guitar World Championships and the multidisciplinary Delta Life Show. The event is free of charge and will be livestreamed daily.

Daily Schedule:

The Delta Life Show brings top performers to the stage, ranging from musicians to dancers and circus artists. The 45-minute multidisciplinary artwork is performed at the birthplace of the city of Oulu. Three hundred years ago, the event venue was the site of a harbor and an adjacent marketplace, where people arriving via waterways once met. Now, the audience gathers on the shore to watch around 50 performers bring to life an original work rooted in Oulu's local identity. The scriptwriter and artistic director of Delta Life is Jukka Takalo, and it is produced by the Oulu Cultural Events Association, which coordinates the Oulu August Festivals.

The artist lineup includes Marzi Nyman, the Meta4 string quartet, the Oulu All Star Big Band conducted by Jukka Eskola, the Screaming Men's Choir (Mieskuoro Huutajat), circus artists from Lumo Company, and a group of over 10 dancers. The stage will also be taken over by numerous international air guitarists, led by Justin "Nordic Thunder" Howard, who was named the greatest air guitarist of all time.

The script is written by Delta Life's artistic director Jukka Takalo, compositions are by multi-talented musician Marzi Nyman, and the pieces for Mieskuoro Huutajat are composed by choir conductor Petri Sirviö.

Around 7000 spectators are expected at the venue each evening. Additionally, the event can be followed live at several local pubs across the city as well as worldwide anywhere via the internet.

Air Guitar World Championships

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the international Air Guitar World Championships. Inspired by the 30-year milestone and the European Capital of Culture year, over 50 air guitarists from 13 countries are competing in Oulu. Remote viewing parties span from Nepal to Canada.

The Air Guitar World Championships will be held across three rounds this year:

August 27, 2026 – Dark Horses Qualifier Running Order:

  1. Sven “Spandex” Smith, United Kingdom
  2. Minami “Yometen KD” Kado, Japan
  3. Eero “One Last Comeback” Ojala, Finland
  4. David “The Incredible D.FendAIR” Monreal, Germany
  5. Cole “Slappy Nutz” Lindbergh, United States
  6. Piers “The Joke’Air” Burnell, United Kingdom
  7. Michael “Airvant-God” Lovely, United States
  8. Toshio “Shariten KD” Kado, Japan
  9. Dave “Iron Age” Chen, Taiwan
  10. Argo “String Theory” Thompson, United States
  11. Zachary “Ichabod Fame” Knowles, Canada
  12. Brittany “The Beast Georgia Lunch” Diaz, United States
  13. Frédéric ”French Kiss” Reau, France
  14. Apolline “Lady Attila” Andreys, France
  15. Luke “Lucky Luke” Sevcik, United States

August 28, 2026 – Final Round 1 Running Order:

  1. Dark Horse
  2. Dark Horse
  3. Dark Horse
  4. Dark Horse
  5. Léonard ”Lenny Pocket” Pollet, Belgium
  6. Tyler ”Cat Friday” Gardner, Canada
  7. Fausto ”Heavyer Dannair” Carraro, Brazil
  8. Aapo ”The Angus” Rautio, reigning World Champion, Finland
  9. Nanami ”Seven Seas” Nagura, Japan
  10. Howard ”Devil Narcissus” Lo, Taiwan
  11. Armin ”The Arminator” Van Schie, Netherlands
  12. Saladin ”Six String Sal” Thomas, United States
  13. Patrick ”Ehrwolf Van Airhoven” Culek, Germany
  14. Kirill ”Guitarantula” Blumenkrants, France
  15. Sam ”Airlo Guv’na” Nicoresti, United Kingdom

Full Air Guitar Week Program: https://airguitarworldchampionships.com/ohjelma/

Two decades of creative work spanning photography, film, music, and screenwriting; his own art studio; multiple exhibitions. Despite all this, Juuso Laatio is still shy about the "A-word."

"I’d like to say I’m an artist, but I don’t have the nerve to give myself that title. Should there be some kind of diploma that I’m missing?" Laatio muses in his characteristically self-critical style.

For now, let’s at least grant Laatio the title of Delta Life Visual Artist. From Laatio’s brush emerged an energetic and striking image featuring performers and characters from the Delta Life event. The picture will be seen in posters and other visual materials of the event.

Juuso Laatio's Delta Life -painting, Acrylic on Canvas, 80 x 53 cm

"There is an ambitious story behind the event. Jukka Takalo had a vision of a movie-poster-style image. I ended up making a sketch that didn’t pass right away, but we polished it until it was ready", Laatio explains.

The result is a painting where the air guitar forces of the Western powers collide with characters wielding the sword of the word. Among the many details, one can find both clichéd symbols of Oulu and layers of cultural history, all wrapped in a carnivalesque atmosphere fitting for the air guitar style.

"Commissioned works always come with a different kind of pressure when you aren't just doing it for yourself."

Juuso Laatio captured the creative process on film:

Näytä tämä julkaisu Instagramissa

Henkilön Juuso Laatio (@artery.jl) jakama julkaisu

Laatio left long film projects behind. As a counterweight to years of planning and the grind of securing funding, he began to paint.

"This is raw craftsmanship, and I don't have to listen to anyone else. You see results faster."

Laatio admits that the transition has been scary at times, but putting himself out there is also rewarding. His personal work can be described as dark, often dealing with the difficult aspects of the mind.

"It feels rewarding to get feedback from someone who hasn't been able to describe their own feelings but has found peer support in my work. I’m not the best at talking about things myself," Laatio reflects on the meaning of art for himself and others.

Oulu Fan Celebrates the Capital of Culture Year

Oulu’s year as the European Capital of Culture delights Laatio, who identifies as a genuine "Oulu fan." This is a rare attitude among the typically self-critical residents of the city.

"Maybe during this year, it’ll finally become clear why I like Oulu so much," Laatio says with a chuckle.

Currently, Laatio is planning an art exhibition in the center of Oulu as part of an artist collective. The Delta Life project also sparked an interest in exploring new types of characters.

"I did a lot of faces for this piece, and I’ve become interested in painting different kinds of portraits," Laatio says, fingering a frame waiting for a new canvas on his studio desk.

Juuso Laatio

Think you’ve got the best air guitar moves in the world? Prove it!

Send the Air Guitar World Championships your air guitar video – 30 will go through to a Virtual first round event for Dark Horses, and 5-10 of the best will make it to the live Dark Horses in Oulu, Finland.

Create a one-minute video showing off your ultimate solo performance — no edits, no cuts, just one camera and one take. You must perform alone, but you can go wild with costumes, props, and attitude. Use your own music or a mix of tracks — whatever makes your performance rock.

Everyone who enters the competition with a video, will have the chance to perform in Oulu in the opening number of the Live Event. All videos will also be shown in a video show at the 2026 festivities!

Why is it different?

Oulu is the European Capital of Culture in 2026, and Air Guitar World Championships is a part of the Delta Life grand finale. The 3-day-event is the culmination of the whole summer. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform at a very special stage built on the birthplace of Oulu on the water over the delta area in Oulu, and an unique chance to be a part of the Culture Capital year. This is the biggest and fanciest stage that air guitar has ever taken over.

Competition Process 

 Entry application is open from 14th of April 2026 to April 30th 2026 until 4pm Finnish time.

In case of over 30 participants, A pre-jury will review all entries and select 30 videos to compete in the Virtual Dark Horses (round 1).

The Virtual Event takes place on June 6, 2026, featuring international judges who will watch and score each of the 30 videos live.

The 5-10 highest-scoring performers will advance to the Live Dark Horses (round 2) in August 2026 in Oulu, Finland. The number of round two competitors depends on the Delta Life schedule, which will be confirmed in the spring of 2026.

Read more about the Dark Horses competition here.

The member festivals of Oulu August Festivals will create a truly European August of experiences in 2026 by being part of the European Capital of Culture programme. The summer culminates in the Delta Life grand finale weekend, which invites the whole world to pause the wheel of time at the birthplace of Oulu.

Oulu August Festivals in the European Capital of Culture year:

The 2025 Air Guitar World Champion is Aapo “The Angus” Rautio from Oulu, Finland.

This was Rautio’s first world championship title, and the first time the title has returned to Finland since the year 2000.

In a fiercely contested final, second place went to Yuta Sudo “Sudo-chan” from Japan. The championship was decided only after an “Air Off”, as the two competitors were tied after two rounds. In the decisive extra round, Rautio edged ahead by just 0.1 points, securing the victory for Finland.

Results:

  1. Aapo Rautio – The Angus, Finland 34,8 + 17,6
  2. Yuta Sudo – Sudo-chan, Japan 34,8 + 17,5
  3. Apolline Andreys – Lady Attila, France 34,4
  4. Patrick Culek – Van Airhoven, Germany 34,3
  5. Zachary Knowles – Ichabod Fame, Canada 33,7
  6. Saladin Thomas –  Six String Sal, USA 33,4
  7. Lèon Ostrowsky – Leonfire, Belgium 33,1
  8. Dana Schiemann –  Danasaurus Rex, Canada 32,7

Audience favourite this year was Lèon Ostrowsky – Leonfire, Belgium.

On Saturday 26th of July, two new National Air Guitar Champions were crowned 8594 kilometers apart from each other. The months long US Air Guitar tour culminated at the National Final event held at The Independent concert venue in San Fransisco. The final competitors consisted of regional winners, the Dark Horse winner, and of the reigning National Champion 2024 Cole “Slappy Nutz” Lindbergh. After a very tight competition, the reigning champion placed second, with only 0.1 points between him and the new champion. Saladin “Six String Sal” Thomas is the US National Champion 2025, and will travel to Oulu to represent his country at the World Final! We are excited to see which air guitarist will the US organization send to compete as the country’s official Dark Horse at the Qualifications. 

The Finnish National Final was held a second time in a row at Valkeakoski, at the Workers’ Music Festival. Winner of the Finnish final was Veli-Pekka ”Don Corni Leone” Ristaniemi, who will represent Finland at the World Final. Placing second at the final, was a familiar name to some air guitar fans, Eero “Oulun Oma Poika” Ojala who made a comeback after a long break. “Oulun Oma Poika” (eng. Oulu’s Own Boy) will represent Finland at the qualifications as the country’s official Dark Horse 

There’s only two national champions left to be selected. The German Nationals will be held on the Saturday 2nd of August at Munich’s Free & Easy Festival, and France’s Nationals on the 9th of August at KIOSQNROCK Festival in Mirande. 

The second sign-up for the Dark Horses Qualifications ended last week on Tuesday 15th of July. All chosen Dark Horses have now been contacted. This year the organizers were surprised by the amazing amount of applicants, most of which signed up during the second round. Some re-planning was required to make sure that as many willing Dark Horses as possible were able to get admitted to compete at the qualifications. 

The amount of Dark Horses wasn’t however the only surprise, since there was also a record amount of countries represented within the applicants. The Qualifications happening in Oulu exactly in a month, on Thursday 21st of August will have contestants competing from 12 different countries – Taiwan, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Scotland, United States, France, Germany, Finland, Belgium, Japan, Sweden and Norway! In the very traditional way, most Dark Horses will arrive from France, Germany and United States with all having five contestants competing at the qualifications. 

Once we count in Canada and Netherlands which both have National Champions at the final, it is possible that on the World Final stage we might even see contestants representing 14 different countries! 

The Oulu August Festivals are being held for the 15th time this year. Awesome August begins with Elojazz on Thursday, July 31st, and ends with Choir Day at the City Hall on Friday, August 29th.

During the month-long multidisciplinary arts festival, highlights include the 20th anniversary of the Oulu All Star Big Band, heroic chamber music experiences, literary art from punk to opera, the first Nordic music video competition, and a variety of children's programs. Contestants from 15 countries will compete for the Air Guitar World Championship title.

Most of the hundreds of events in August are free of charge. Tickets are already running low for some events, and tickets for late-August events will go on sale in early August. The full program is available on the Oulu August Festivals website. There you can browse and filter events by calendar, art form, or event type. The events of Oulu Arts' Night are also shown on a map.

Elojazz – July 31–August 2

Elojazz opens with a performance by Iiro Rantala at Tuira Church. As in previous years, the main concerts will take place in the atmospheric open-air Hupisaari Open-Air Theater on Friday and Saturday. Pre- and after-parties will be held at Jumpru and the Amarillo nightclub. Artistic director Aili Ikonen has curated a program featuring top-tier international and Finnish jazz performances.

Oulunsalo Soi – August 6–10

The Oulunsalo Soi Festival offers chamber music concerts with a twist of other art forms in surprising venues. Artistic director Atte Kilpeläinen’s guiding principle is that these experiences can’t be had anywhere else but at Oulunsalo Soi. Performances will take place in unique locations such as the Kuivuri venue at Akola Manor in Ii and a boathouse in Hietasaari. The world of comics also enters chamber music, as this year’s visual artist Aapo Kukko illustrates a Shostakovich concert.

Oulu Muusajuhlat Literary Arts Festival – August 13–17

Literature and spoken word in various forms fill downtown Oulu, with events at venues like Cultural Centre Valve, Cafe Konstantina, the pop-up stage Klonka, Tähtitorni Café, and several libraries. Events will also take place in Ii, Kempele, Pyhäjoki, and Hailuoto. The festival features literary discussions, poetry, and cross-disciplinary art clubs from lunchtime to late night—primarily in Finnish, but with room for other languages as well.

Oulu Arts' Night – August 14

The first program announcements for Oulu Arts' Night have been released, with dozens of events already scheduled. More events can still be submitted for programming. Traditionally, the Arts' Night draws tens of thousands of people to the city center to enjoy the arts.

Air Guitar World Championships – August 20–22

This year marks the 28th edition of the Air Guitar World Championships, promoting world peace, with the final taking place on Friday, August 22nd from 8–10:30 p.m. at Rotuaari Square. National champions and challengers from around 15 countries will compete, beginning with the Dark Horses Qualifications on Thursday. The festivities kick off on Wednesday, August 20th with “Airientation Day,” open to all air guitar enthusiasts. The day includes the whimsical “Airlympics” and takes place at World Music School Air by the river delta. The championship garners global media coverage reaching up to 450 million people each year.

Oulu Music Video Festival – August 21–24

In addition to the traditional national music video competition, the Oulu Music Video Festival will feature a Nordic competition this year. The festival’s theme is “Hyperreality.” Music videos, films, music, and club events will take place at Cultural Centre Valve, Pikisaari, Snooker, and 45Special. The Saturday night Pumpeli Gala will be held at RioLive.

Flow Circus – August 26–29

As part of the Oulu August Festivals, Flow Productions presents the contemporary circus performance A Study of Losses. The Kompani Giraffe production blends circus, modern magic, and object manipulation with music composed by Zach Condon of the American band Beirut.

Extras

The Extras program gives the audience the opportunity to experience the city from the perspective of a wheelchair user. The Esteetöntä (“Accessible”) performance is created in collaboration with the audience and will be turned into a media artwork. Accessibility to the arts is a special focus in the content and production of the Oulu August Festivals. The association's Saavuta project is working to improve both physical and mental accessibility at cultural events.

Choir Day – August 29

This year, Choir Day wraps up Oulu August Festivals on Friday. The final Friday evening of the summer will be filled with singing in pubs and on the streets—especially at Oulu City Hall. The newly renovated city hall provides a stunning visual and acoustic setting for choirs and vocal ensembles.

Children’s Program – August 3–17

Families will find plenty of events during Awesome August for Kids, part of the festival from August 3–17. From Children’s Jazz to the 30th anniversary concert of Soiva Siili, there’s something for kids of all ages.

Most of the events during the Oulu August Festivals are free of charge. You can explore the full program on our website, which is continuously updated. Ticket information is also available on the site.

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