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.

Those who aren’t able to travel to Oulu and watch the world’s best air guitarists compete at the Air Guitar World Championships Final this year, have the amazing opportunity to host a fun Watch Party. Gather all your nearest and dearest to witness the international air guitar talent, while cheering on your favorites in the intensive final Watch Party!

Anyone can now host their own Watch Party on Friday 22nd of August when the Final’s Live Stream is broadcasted on our website starting from 7:45 PM (UTC +3). The minimum precondition for hosting a Watch Party is just to have a TV or some other type of screen with internet connection, to watch the stream from.

There is however a possibility to get even closer in the heat of it, where everything happens at Rotuaari Square in Oulu. During the final the hosts will be contacting the signed up Watch Parties around the world. In addition to the big screen in Rotuaari, the Watch Parties will show on the live stream which has a potential reach of 334 million people globally (Meltwater Media Assessment, 2022)!

All Watch Party organizers can download WP-themed graphic materials from our website (f.e. a poster and social media templates) to use, regardless of being a part of the live stream or not. All Watch Parties joining the live stream will be listed on our online platforms before the final.

If you wish to join us in the live stream, our Production Assistant will answer all your questions and give you more details about it. Contact Maria via e-mail: viestinta@oulunjuhlaviikot.fi by Sunday the 3rd of August 2025. 

We are looking for volunteers for a variety of roles at Oulu August Festival events. Volunteering offers valuable experience, helps you develop new skills, and gives you a behind-the-scenes look at event production.

Oulunsalo Soi

Oulunsalo Soi offers relaxed and engaging volunteer roles such as ticket sales, decoration, and catering. As a volunteer, you’ll get to enjoy incredible concerts and meet artists. If you're excited to join, sign up by Monday, July 14.

Sign up to volunteer here.

OMVF – Oulu Music Video Festival

OMVF is looking for volunteers for roles such as info staff, club assistants, tech crew, and roadies. As a volunteer, you’ll experience the festival from the inside and contribute to this unique celebration of music, moving image, and Northern urban culture in a warm and welcoming team. Volunteers are provided with a hot meal for each workday, free access to screenings and club events, and a festival t-shirt as a souvenir.

Sign up to volunteer here.

Elojazz

Elojazz is looking for cheerful, energetic, and reliable volunteers for various roles including setting up the festival area, decoration, wristband exchange, and customer service at ticket sales. The festival is also seeking a social media volunteer to create content from the concerts during the festival days.

In addition to work shifts, volunteers are offered meals, a festival t-shirt, and a festival pass for enjoying the music outside their shift hours. No previous experience is required.

Sign up to volunteer here.

Air Guitar World Championships

Volunteer tasks at the Air Guitar World Championships include event preparations, airport transfers, and working at info points and merchandise stalls. Volunteers are needed during the event week, Tuesday, August 19 to Friday, August 22.

Sign up to volunteer here.

The Finnish Air Guitar Championships will be held in Valkeakoski on Saturday, July 26, 2025.
The home country of the World Championships got its own national competition last year when the Workers' Music Festival took on the responsibility of organizing the final.

Competitors will take to the Freedom of Speech Stage with their invisible instruments. The most impressive solo performance will take the win for home and earn the right to represent Finland at the World Championships in Oulu this August. The event will also feature a solo guitar performance by Ben Ross.

Each participant must choose a performance persona with appropriate props. The mission is to dazzle the audience with a 60-second version of a chosen song, playing air guitar like there’s no tomorrow.
You can check the competition rules here.

The World Championships will be held August 20–22, 2025, at Rotuaari Square. The grand final is free and open to all ages. The event will be streamed live to a global audience. This international community, known for its inclusiveness, welcomes everyone.

So grab your leather jacket and start tuning those invisible strings – we’ll rock together this July!
Sign up to compete in the Finnish Championships via the link below.

Sign up to compete here.

Check Workers' Music Festival's other events here.

The production team of the Air Guitar World Championships is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help with the competition week’s events. The volunteers will catch a glimpse behind the scenes of a big international production, and will gain experience on working at events. The help of the volunteers is needed between Tuesday 19th and Friday 22nd of August.

The volunteer tasks can include for example preparatory tasks before the events, airport pick-ups, helping during the events (Airientation, Dark Horses Qualifications and World Final), as well as working at the info/merch desk.

Apply as a volunteer by filling the Google Forms -form through the link button below, by Sunday 3rd of August 2025. If you have any questions about volunteering, please send them via e-mail to: agwc.office@gmail.com

APPLY AS A VOLUNTEER

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