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 32nd Oulu Music Video Festival culminated on Saturday evening with the awards gala at RioLive, where the best Nordic and Finnish music videos and their creators were celebrated. 

The first ever Nordic music video competition was won by Norwegian Sander August Dahl with the video Honningbarna – Rød Bic. Dahl received a pair of Genelec 8351B SAM™ speakers worth €8,000. An honourable mention went to Icelanders Anna Róshildur B. Bøving and Simon Bendroth for the video Roshildur – Timi, ekki lioa.

The main award of the Finnish competition, went to Heini Susanne for her video NCO – Ei rakkaut. She received a 3001 euros gift card donated by Kinos Rentals. The award given to a promising new director, together with a colour grading gift card donated by Toast, was awarded to Aatos Ketvel for Kirsikkapuu – Kirsikkapuu kaatuu. Ketvel also composed and wrote the lyrics for the song.

The award for best cinematography, along with an equipment rental prize sponsored by Valofirma and Kamerafirman, was awarded to Hannu Käki for his cinematography in Kissa Uolevi & Sebastiwan – Vierelläin, directed by Joonas Schwanck. The award for the best post-production and a Valco product gift card went to kaverikarimfor the video Sexmane – V!ttu.

The audience vote crowned Yoki – Oon pahoillani as the public’s favourite. Honourable mentions were awarded to Miikka Lommi, Eva-Liisa Orupõld, Oliver Webb and Jaro Koho.

This year’s jury for the Finnish competition consisted of journalist Anton Vanha-Majamaa, Tromsø International Film Festival director Lisa Hoen, and film director Mika Ronkainen. The Nordic juryincluded filmmaker Mika Taanila, director Marcus Söderlund, and artist Billy Roisz.

The Oulu Music Video Festival, August 21 to 24, offers music video screenings featuring the latest music videos and selections curated by industry professionals. In addition to the videos, the after-parties will offer a diverse selection of live music from Finland and around the world. The theme of the 2025 music video festival is hyperreality. 

In addition to its traditional domestic music video competition, this year OMVF is organizing the Nordic Music Video Competition. Videos from both competitions will be screened at separate events, which are free to attend. The competition will culminate in the Pumpeligaala, where the best entries in both competition categories will be awarded. Tickets for the popular Pumpeligaala are sold in advance. For more information about the gala, visit the OMVF website. 

Music videos that did not make it into the domestic competition series will also be shown in their own free screenings. 

In addition to the competition, the festival will feature curated music video screenings. In Carte Blanche screenings, curators will present their favorites, while some screenings will be organized around a specific theme. In the Master Class and retrospective screenings, creators shed light on their careers in music videos and reveal their methods. 

The festival also offers a unique opportunity to see five longer music-themed films. 

Tickets for curated screenings, special screenings, and film screenings are sold in advance. You can buy tickets at Valve Ticket Office, Oulu10 service points and Ticketmaster. Afterparty Club tickets are sold at the door.

You can visit the Broken Edge exhibition at Valve Gallery free of charge from August 5 to 24. It's also free to visit the Silakkalounge events, with music provided by local DJs. 

Screenings, clubs, and other related events will be held throughout Oulu city center. The venues are Valvesali and Studio Cinema at Cultural Centre Valve, 45 Special, Snooker Time, Real Deal, Mallassauna, and RioLive. 

See full program and schedule at the Oulu Music Video Festival website. 

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.

The Oulu Music Video Festival has unveiled the line-ups and screenings for its 32nd edition’s competition series.

A total of 116 music videos were submitted to the festival’s first-ever Nordic Music Video Competition, aimed at directors from or residing in the Nordic countries. Submissions came from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Sápmi. From these, 12 videos were selected, including I’m Not Done (Therapy Sessions) by Swedish director Martin Falck for electro-pop icon Fever Ray, and Dreamweavers by Danish director Jonas Bang for Trentemøller.

“There’s an incredible passion for music videos across the Nordics, ranging from DIY no-budget pieces to high-end productions. Our selection reflects this diversity, from cinematic storytelling to 3D and puppet animation,” says OMVF’s artistic director Joel Karppanen.

The Finnish entries in the Nordic competition include:

Orvokki – Sinä lennät kuin minä by Johanna Vapaavuori

Paradox Obscur – Switch to Love by Mariangela Pluchino

Lyyti – Tuolileikki by Vili Järvinen and Vilma Inkeri Tietäväinen

Alma Alanko – Mä Pelkään Sua by Seena Talve

Hildá Länsman & Tuomas Norvio – Dajan by Kim Saarinen and Alice Jekteveki, a Finnish-Norwegian-Sámi co-production.

The Nordic jury includes artist Mika Taanila, director Marcus Söderlund, and musician-filmmaker Billy Roisz. Awards will be given for Best Nordic Music Video and an Honourable Mention.

Finnish Competition features top directors and rising talents

This year, 288 music videos were submitted to the Finnish Music Video Competition, now in its 32nd edition. From these, 74 were selected. Instead of the usual ten screenings, the competition will be presented in seven curated programs.

“A tighter competition means higher overall quality and sharper curation, benefiting both the audience and the artists,” says Karppanen.

The selection includes fresh new talents as well as OMVF alumni. Two-time Kultapumpeli winner Miikka Lommi returns with a video for Sisko by emma & matilda. Last year’s award-winners Ilona Lehtonen, Paula Vesala, and Perttu Inkilä are also back with new work. Featured artists include Mirella, OLGA, goodboys, ibe, Erika Vikman, Scandinavian Music Group, Modem, Grande Mahogany, and Sexmane.

The screenings embrace the festival’s Hyper Realities theme and are named after reality TV classics—from Survivor to Big Brother and Love Island.

“In 1992, MTV’s The Real World laid the foundation for modern reality television. Over time, the channel shifted from music to hyperreal relationship drama. Now it’s time for a counterstrike!” Karppanen declares.

The Finnish jury consists of journalist and author Anton Vanha-Majamaa, filmmaker Mika Ronkainen, and Lisa Hoen, festival director of Tromsø International Film Festival. Awards include the Golden Pumpeli for Best Video, the Teen Pumpeli for Most Promising Director, the Lens Pumpeli for Best Cinematography, and the Post Pumpeli for Best Post-Production. Four Honourable Mentions will also be awarded.

More festival highlights

The Broken Edge art exhibition at Valve Gallery explores hyperreality through Northern lenses. Curated by Antti Tenetz, the show delves into how we experience and resist the loss of agency in both digital and physical worlds—through art, music, and video. Featured artists include Alan Abrahams, Liina Holmes, Monika Hauck, Krasimir Jovanovic Hyvärinen, Ola Lysgaard, Hugo Murtoniemi. The exhibition runs from August 5 to 24.

For accredited professionals, the industry program offers new networking opportunities at the Northern Finland Film Commission’s event and a joint reception hosted by OMVF and the Air Guitar World Championships. One-on-one mentoring sessions also return, giving music video creators confidential feedback from top professionals.

The UFOP afterparty on Thursday expands with a performance by Nykypost, a group blending aesthetics from sub- and countercultures.

The Oulu Music Video Festival takes place August 21–24 as part of Oulu August Festivals. Full festival program and schedule available at www.omvf.net. Tickets go on sale online and at Valve Culture Centre on August 9 at 12:00.

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.

Oulu Music Video Festival is proud to welcome a true icon: Mr. Lordi of the band Lordi. Having just released a new album and currently touring festival stages across Europe, the band is a baroque-scale multimedia horror universe – a total pop art piece created by its frontman. In addition to music, Mr. Lordi personally paints the band’s album covers, and designs their stage outfits and sets. Over the decades, he has also directed and done makeup for music videos both for Lordi and other artists. In his Carte blanche screening, the monster man shares his favourite videos – as well as his own work.

From shock rock to shock cinema: OMVF will host the Finnish premiere of American provocateur Harmony Korine’s latest, Baby Invasion (2024). The film is a "live broadcast" from an ultra-realistic first-person shooter game, following a squad of mercenaries disguised as baby avatars. With a score composed by legendary British musician Burial, the film carries the viewer through a hyperreality merging live action, AI animation and game-engine graphics. It can be viewed either as a nihilistic meme – or as an 80-minute Burial music video.

The electronic soundscape continues in a cineconcert, as Norway’s The Gloria, known for their minimalist, glitch-tinged sound, takes the stage at Valvesali to accompany a collection of silent films. In Walter Ruttmann’s iconic Opus tetralogy (1921–1924), cinema is liberated from representational imagery and transformed into an organic flow of colour, movement, and rhythm. Robert Florey and Slavko Vorkapich’s The Life and Death of 9413, A Hollywood Extra (1927) – a dark satire oozing with German expressionism – was made on a shoestring budget and became the most popular avant-garde film of its time in the U.S.

Francis Ford Coppola, too, experienced Hollywood’s dark side when his company Zoetrope neared bankruptcy after his passion project One from the Heart (1982) flopped at the box office. A visual triumph of artificial aesthetics, the film's neon lights from casinos and nightclubs blaze in garish hues across the Las Vegas night. OMVF screens the romantic cult musical in its newly re-edited and restored Reprise version, completed last year.

Special Screenings: David Lynch, Idols nostalgia, and top new Finnish music videos

Themes of hyperreality – from video games to reality TV – are also explored in special screenings. Finland’s biggest computer festival Assembly presents a showcase of top demoscene videos, and Tähtipölyä… Sing along! brings audiences back to the first season of Finnish Idols. In memory of David Lynch, who passed away in January, OMVF presents a selection of his most iconic commercials and music videos. Festival regulars Roos Hekkens and Veli Kauppinen have also curated their own screenings, tackling themes such as simulated patriarchy.

Next Wave showcases the results of the OMVF Next masterclass, launched earlier this year to support the professional growth of a new generation of promising creators. Over the past six months, young directors have been developing new works under the mentorship of filmmaker Mika Taanila and director Marcus Söderlund. In addition to brand-new Finnish videos, the screening features a mini-retrospective of Söderlund – known for directing music videos for Yung Lean and The XX.

In The World Of Tomorrow places Mika Taanila's work in dialogue with that of futurologist Erkki Kurenniemi (1941–2017). Other already announced screenings include the visual music masterworks of Synaesthetic Dreams, Lunar Dust by Billy Roisz and Ilpo Väisänen, a Kalevi Suopursu retrospective, and a unique documentary film about Brian Eno.

Afterparties: DJs, live music & immersive visuals

The festival’s club nights are a continuation of audiovisual celebration. On Thursday, Finnish stoner rock group Möyhy-Veikot performs with live visuals by VJ Jani Pitkänen. On Friday, early-2000s cult artist Tero performs his Commodore 64–crafted electro, followed by a music video jukebox where the audience can request their favourite pieces.

Saturday's club lineup features an audiovisual house set by Portable – a regular performer at Berlin’s Berghain – as well as dub-infused vinyl vibes from Malsson, and a rhythmically captivating DJ set by rising Helsinki-based Ojelma. The night’s immersive visuals are crafted by Bergen-based artist Ola Lyysgard.

The Finnish and Nordic competition screenings, professional programme, artists featured in the Valve Gallery exhibition, and the full event schedule will be announced on 10 July. The entire program can be viewed here.

The 32nd Oulu Music Video Festival takes place 21–24 August, with Austrian avant-garde pioneer Billy Roisz as this year’s main guest. In Oulu, she will perform her brand-new audiovisual live piece Lunar Dust, joined by Finnish electronic music pioneer Ilpo Väisänen, known from amongs other things the legendary Pan Sonic duo with Mika Vainio.

Another one-of-a-kind experience is Gary Hustwit’s documentary Eno (2024). A portrait of ambient music innovator Brian Eno, the film is edited using generative AI, creating a movie that is never the same twice. It is made from hundreds of hours of unreleased music and never-before-seen footage.Other feature films on the line-up include Golden Eighties (1986), a shopping mall musical by Belgian master Chantal Akerman, and Disney’s all-ages animation classic Fantasia (1940), shown from 35mm film and dubbed in Finnish.

Music Video Screenings Feature Experimental Gems and a Kalevi Suopursu Retrospective

Curated by OMVF’s artistic director Joel Karppanen, the music video screenings mix musical short films with commercial promos and bold visual experiments. Expect machinima-style videos made with game engines alongside classic audio visual pieces.On the big screen, you’ll see Phil Solomon’s Rehearsals for Retirement (2007), filmed inside the Grand Theft Auto game, and Johann Lurf’s Twelve Tales Told (2014). Screened from 16mm film, you’ll experience abstract landmarks like James Whitney’s Lapis (1966) and Oskar Fischinger’s Studies Nr. 5 (1932), one of the earliest music videos ever made. The festival also offers a rich selection of Finnish works.

Short films and music videos by acclaimed filmmaker Mika Taanila will be shown in dialogue with those of artist and futurologist Erkki Kurenniemi. The highlight of this section is Spindrift (1966), created by Kurenniemi and Swedish composer Jan Bark. Animated using computers at the University of Helsinki’s Department of Nuclear Physics, the film was lost for a decade and nearly destroyed. It was reconstructed in 2013 by Taanila and Petri Kuljuntausta, and remains one of the most extraordinary music videos ever made.

Experimentation continues with a retrospective of Finnish media artist and musician Kalevi Suopursu. Based in Tampere, Suopursu is known for his distinctive use of analogue VHS techniques. He has directed nearly 50 music videos for artists such as Lasten Hautausmaa, Litku Klemetti, Hulda Huima, Lyyti, and Mara Balls. His video for Räjäyttäjät’s Samassa venessä won the Golden Pumpeli, the festival’s top prize, in 2019.

OMVF’s Audiovisual Club Nights Spread Across Venues the City

Thursday’s club night takes place at Mallaslabra in Pikisaari, organised in collaboration with the Uleåborg Festival of Psychedelia. Friday’s event moves to Snooker Time, where C64-artist Tero performs with visuals by Oulu-based VJ LNA. On Saturday South Africa born, Berlin-based Portable (Alan Abrahams) takes the stage at 45 Special. Portable is a regular at Berlin’s iconic Berghain club and is known for his captivating live shows. At 45 Special he will sing over house tracks that he plays in real time on his analogue gear. Abrahams is also a visual artist, and his own unique visuals accompany his sets. Visuals for the rest of the night are made by Norwegian artist Ola Lysgaard.

The rest of the programme and full schedule will be released later in the summer. Submissions are open for both the Finnish music video competition and the Nordic competition. 

This year’s jury for the Finnish Music Video Competition includes journalist and writer Anton Vanha-Majamaa, director Kalevi Suopursu, and Lisa Hoen, festival director of Tromsø International Film Festival. The Nordic competition jury includes filmmaker Mika Taanila, Swedish director Marcus Söderlund, and artist Billy Roisz.

Submissions for the 32nd Finnish Music Video Competition at the Oulu Music Video Festival are now open. The deadline for submitting music videos is Friday 6th May.

Registration and more info:

https://www2.omvf.net/fi/kotimainen-kilpailu/ilmoittautuminen

The competition is open to music videos directed by Finnish filmmakers that have not been previously screened at the festival. Creators may also submit videos made for international artists. The same video can take part in both the Finnish and Nordic competitions, but needs to be submitted for both separately.

The submitted videos will be pre-screened and placed into either competition or showcase screenings. The competition screenings will be curated into thematic programmes, and all selected videos will be shown in free public screenings during the festival. All submitted videos will take part in the audience vote and will be archived in OMVF’s archive – the world’s largest collection of Finnish music videos – currently containing 7,301 works from the years 1994–2024.

Participation is free of charge, but the festival can be supported at:

https://maksa.mobilepay.fi/lgc9.

Winners will be announced at the festival’s awards gala, Pumpeligaala, on Saturday 23 August. The gala will also feature the winner announcement of OMVF’s first international competition, the OMVF Nordic Music Video Competition. Winners of The Finnish Music Video Competition will be selected by an independent jury, which this year includes journalist and author Anton Vanha-Majamaa, Tromsø International Film Festival director Lisa Hoen, and award-winning music video director Kalevi Suopursu.

Directors competing in the Finnish Music Video Competition are vying not only for eternal glory but also for the main prize, the Kultapumpeli, which comes with a 3000 € gift card donated by Kinos Rentals. A promising new director will receive the Teinipumpeli and a prize provided by Toast. The most outstanding post-production work will be awarded a product prize from Valco. Best cinematography will be recognised with the Linssipumpeli and an equipment rental prize sponsored by Valofirma and Kamerafirma. In addition, the jury will award four honorary mentions, and the audience vote winner will receive the Kansanpumpeli.

This year’s Pumpeli statues are designed by Irene Suosalo, who also created the festival’s 2025 visual identity.

The 32nd Oulu Music Video Festival will take place on August 21–24, 2025. This year's festival theme is Hyper Reality.

The modern music video was born into a world where media no longer just depicted reality but began to produce it. French philosopher Jean Baudrillard called this phenomenon hyperreality: visual imagery replicates itself to the point where the original reality disappears. In the 1980s, the power of simulation was especially evident in the United States, where advertising, television, and consumer culture turned products into symbols of identity. The golden age of music television reflected this transformation. Today, AI, VR and deepfake technologies, video games, reality TV, and social media platforms have made hyperreality a part of everyday life—alongside which physical reality, as we understand it, appears like an illusion, a pale imitation.

“Music videos are part of hyperreality, but they can also dismantle it—return the experience to the body, to time and space. I’ve curated screenings for the festival that mix 'traditional' music videos with experimental short films. OMVF wants to ask how music video might be freed again as an art form, reaching back to its avant-garde roots of the 1920s. A music video can be so much more than just a product to market music,” says artistic director Joel Karppanen.

The festival’s new visual identity and the Pumpeli Awards for the best music videos have been designed by video artist and illustrator Irene Suosalo. Based in Helsinki, Suosalo works primarily with animation loops and video installations, blending analog and digital techniques. She textures and compresses her animations using video synthesizers, in a way reminiscent of creating electronic music. Suosalo’s retro aesthetic often references experimental animation, abstract art, and techno culture. Internationally, she is known for illustrations published in outlets such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg. 

The first program announcements for the festival will be made later this spring. 

Submissions are currently open for the first-ever international music video competition in OMVF’s history, the OMVF Nordic Music Video Competition.

Photo: Adele Hyry

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