Please find a sample of events in Oulu in February below. For more listings, visit the events calendar. A pdf version of these listings is downloadable here. 

General information

To find out where an event is happening, you can—for example—type in the address at the map service or http://kartta.ouka.fi/ for a little more detail. Websites often offer more detailed information about an event in Finnish. To have a website translated from Finnish to English or another language, you can use a free machine translator. Just copy the website address into the text box, then click ‘translate.’

When making reservations or inquiries about an event, the following telephone numbers may be useful: Valve: 08 5584 7500, Oulu City Theatre: 08 5584 7000, Oulu Art Museum: 044 703 7471, Finnkino film reservations: 0600 007 007 (1.5€/min + local calling charges), The Star Theatre: 08 5542 71, Oulu City Library: 044 703 7331.

Lippupalvelu, the ‘Ticket Service’ company, sells tickets for many events including Oulu City Theatre events and many band gigs. ‘Lippupalvelu’ ticket points are situated at Limingantulli Prisma, Nuottasaarentie 1; Musiikki-Kullas, Torikatu 12; Linnamaa Prisma, Kauppanlinnankuja 1; Raksila Prisma, Tehtaankatu 3; Pateniemi R-kioski, Keskuskatu 7; and Stockmann at Kirkkokatu 14. You can reserve a Lippupalvelu ticket by calling 0600 10 800 at 1.96€/min + local calling charges, or 0600 10 020 at 6.79€/call + local calling charges.

Theatre

The following theatre productions are in Finnish unless stated otherwise.

Outdoor

An outdoor, thirty-minute dramatisation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet is at the Oulu marketplace on February 25 from 21.00 to 21.30 and from February 26 and 29 from 19.00 to 19.30.

Valve (Hallituskatu 7, tickets from the Valve ticket office) (08 5584 7500)

The Inishmore Lieutenant, a production by the Oulu student theatre company in which ‘Monty Python meets Quentin Tarantino’ is at 19.00 on February 10, 11, and 12, tickets 9/5€ from the Valve ticket office. Looking for Treasure (Aaretta etsimässä), a play by the Aleksi Klonk Puppet Theatre company in which a little bear and tiger are ‘seeking their fortune’ is on February 18 at 13.00 and 15.00 and February 19 at 16.00. Other productions include Rat-tat-tat (Tät-tät-tää), also by the Aleksi Klonk Puppet Theatre company, and Relationship(Suhde), Rio de Luna, Call me, Cauli Flowerington (Soita minulle, Kukka Kaalinen), The Moon and I (Minä ja kuu), and The Doorman (Ovimikko), which are part of the Oulu children and young people’s theatre festival (Oulun lasten ja nuorten teatterifestivaali). For more details click here.

Oulu City Theatre (Kaarlenväylä 2, tickets from Lippupalvelu) (08 5584 7000) A dramatisation of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is at the Oulu City Theatre on February 11 at 19.00, 18 at 13.00, 24 at 13.30, and 25 at 18.00. Other productions at the city theatre this month include Fiddler on the Roof (Viulunsoittaja katolla), War horse (Sotahevonen), Viiru and Pesonen (Viiru ja Pesonen), Donna – a lonely woman (Donna – yksinäinen nainen), The Shaky House (Huojuva Talo), Elsewhere (Muualla), My own little dustbin (Oma pikku roskis), Oh hello baby (Ai hei vauva), and Aino and Reino (Aino ja Reino).  Click here for more details.

Other productions A production of Robin Hood by the Kiiminki spotlights is at Jokiranta school, Jaarantie 4, Kiiminki, on February 15 and 16 from 18.00 to 19.00, tickets 5€. Leninki is on at the Pit Theatre (Teatterikuoppa) in Haukipudas on February 12 from 17.00 to 19.00, tickets 19€/17€. For more information on these plays, click here. 

Film

The following films are in English and have Finnish subtitles unless stated otherwise.

Valve (Hallituskatu 7, tickets from the Valve ticket office) (08 5584 7500) Films showing at the Studio cinema at Valve include Contagion, One Day, Iris (Finnish), Muriel (French), My Week with Marilyn, Le tête en friche (French), Wer wenn nicht wir (German), and Bodas de sangre (Spanish). For more details, click here.

The Plaza (Torikatu 32) (0600 007 007 (1.5€/min + local calling charges)) Films showing in February at the Plaza include 50/50, Crazy for Sara (Hullun Saraan) (Finnish), Le Havre (French, Finnish), Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Iron Lady, Puss In Boots 3D (both dubbed and in English), Alivn and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked (dubbed), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D, The Descendants, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, This Means War, Man on a Ledge, The Italian Key (Italian), Tropa de elite 2 (Spanish), The Storeroom (Varasto) (Finnish), Vares – Walkers of the narrow road (Vares – Kaidan tien kulkijat) (Finnish), The Corner Boys (Kulman Pojat) (Finnish), Risto the Rapper and Cool Venla (Risto Räppääjä ja viileä Venla) (Finnish), Hamilton (Swedish), Canned Dreams (Säilöttyjä unelmia) (Finnish), Vuosaari (Finnish), and showings of Opera productions including Verdi’s Ernani and Wagner’s Twilight of the Gods (Götterdämmerung). For more details, click here.

Star (Kalliotie 6) (08 5542 711) Films showing in February at Star include The Descendants, Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Carnage, The Iron Lady, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D, Hugo, The Grey, Puss In Boots 2D and 3D (dubbed), Vuosaari (Finnish), The Storeroom (Varasto) (Finnish), Reunalla (On the Edge) (Finnish), Risto the Rapper and Cool Venla (Risto Räppääjä ja viileä Venla) (Finnish), Canned Dreams (Säilöttyjä unelmia) (Finnish), Hiljaisuus (Finnish), Bloom (Härmä) (Finnish), and The Corner Boys (Kulman Pojat) (Finnish). For more details, click here.

Music

Nuclear Nightclub (Uusikatu 23) (045 271 0772) Acts playing at Nuclear Nightclub include Olli PA (February 9, 8€), Tunguska Press and Kolossi (February 10, 3€/5€), Swallow the Sun (February 11, 12€), Lasse Joamets Strings Attached (February 16, 6€), Kirsi Helena and Tuulia (February 17, 8€), Cassie and Blind Architect (February 18, 6€), and Varvara and The Mondo Twist and General Private (February 25, 6€). For more details, click here. 

45 Special (Saaristonkatu 12) (08 8811 845) (entrance always involves a service surcharge of 2.50€) Acts playing at 45 Special include Lassi Valtonen (February 9, 11€), Suvi Isotalo (February 10, 4.5€), Fire in The City and Children of Boom (February 10, 4.5€/2.5€), Dj. Matson playing heavy metal and progressive rock music (February 13, free), Doc Lounge Oulu: Planet of Snail (February 14, 3€), The Blaster Master and Stache Duo (February 14, free), Vulture Club and Bullet Biters (February 17, 5.5€), Sici & The Boogie Brothers (February 23, 4.5€), Artturi Taira (Rubik) and the OAMK Indie Rock Band (February 24, 4.5€/2.5€). ‘Sunday jams’ are on February 12, 19, and 26. For more details, click here.

Hevimesta (Torikatu 11) (08 5221 437) Acts playing at Hevimesta include Catamamenia and Vuohivasara (February 11). 

Ykä’s Bar (Ykän Pub) (Merimiehentie 1) (08 342 569) Acts playing at Ykä’s bar include Pharoah (Faarao) Pirttikangas and Konsta Eskelinen (February 11, 5€/6€).

The Theatre Club (Club Teatria) (tickets available through lippupalvelu) (08 330 050 for enquiries) Acts playing at Club Teatria include DJ Pendulum with MC Verse (February 11, 25€) and Amon Amarth (Feburary 24, 30€/35€).

Madetoja Concert Hall / Tulindberg Hall (Lintulammentie 1-3) / Cathedral (tickets available through lippupalvelu) (044 703 7721 for enquiries) The Oulu Symphony Orchestra is playing the following concerts: Mozart á la Kangas (February 9, Madetoja hall), The East is Red, including music by Mjaskovski and Prokofjev (February 16, Madetoja hall), In Church! including music by Bach, Haydn, and Beethoven (February 23, Oulu Cathedral, Kirkkokatu), and Buoillabaisse, including music by Dutilleux, Martinu, Debussy, and Orkin (February 26, Tulindberg Hall). For more details, click here. 

Art exhibitions

Art Museum (Kasarmintie 7) (044 703 7471) (entrance 3€/1€/free on Fridays) Exhibitions at the Oulu Museum of Art in February including Episodes (Episodeja), a video installation by Murjukka Vainio, In Search of Beauty, art collected by Tuomo Seppo, and The Year of the Dragon, paintings by Jaakko Mattila.

Valve (Hallituskatu 7 (Rantagalleria, Kummigalleria, Café Minttu)/Hallituskatu 5 (Galleria 5)) (08 5584 7500)Exhibitions at Valve include Darkness, photographs by Marja Helander (Rantagalleria); photographs by Katariina Kynnös (Minttu); To Neighbouring Tables, photographs by Jaakko Koskentola (Kummigalleria); Teabag works (Teepussiteoksia) by Hanna Järvenpää (Galleria 5); Today the Sea is Calm (Tänään meri on tyyni), paintings by Hanne Juga (Galleria 5); Alone (Yksin), photographs by Gerlinde Miesenböck (Kummigalleria); and The Stars are Twinkling (Tähdet tuikkivat), photographs by Alvar Kolanen (Rantagalleria). For more details, see 

Galleria Art Halvare (Saarelansaarentie 11) (040 035 1271) Exhibitions at the Galleria Art Halvare include paintings of polar bears by Erkki Halvari.

The Square Gallery (Neliö-Galleria) (Asemakatu 37) (040 510 8680) Exhibitions at the Square Gallery include paintings by Olli Joki and paintings by Sari Haapaniemi. For more details, click here.Galleria Harmaja (Kirkkokatu 11b, second floor) (08 372117) Exhibitions at the Galleria Harmaja include paintings and ‘artist books’ by Senja Vellonen. For more details, see

Museum exhibitions

The Northern Ostrobothnian Museum (Pohjois-pohjanmaan museo) (050 3166 497) Silk, satin— costume treasures of the Opera, an exhibition of forty Finnish Opera costumes over 160 years, is on at the museum in addition to its usual exhibitions, tickets 3€/1€/1€. For more details, click here  and here.

Science World (Tietomaa) (Nahkatehtaankatu 6) (08 5584 1340) In addition to its other exhibitions, namely Sporttimus, Great Inventions, Gravitation, Illusions, Astronomy, The Tower, and the Hologram Gallery, Tietomaa now offers ‘Encore,’ a ‘sound and music’ themed exhibition; tickets 15€/11€/43€ (family ticket).

Other museums (exhibitions vary from time to time)

Geological museum (Yliopistokatu, Oulu University, Door K) (08 553 1446)  Zoological museum (Yliopistokatu, Oulu University, Door A) (08 553 1254) Botanical museum (Botanical gardens (Kasvitieteellinen puutarha), Kaitoväylä 5) (tickets 3€/2€/7€/2€) /08 553 1580)  Automobile museum (Automuseontie 1) (tickets 6€/4€/12€) (08 5521 600) 

Public lectures

Oulu city library (Kaarlenväylä 3) (044 703 7331)Professor Kaarina Määttä will be giving a lecture in the Pakkala hall on February 14 at 18.00 on the topic ‘Love’s charm never fades’ (Rakkauden lumous ei haihdu koskaan).

Sightseeing tours and excursions

Tours and excursions this month include skiing in Ruka (45€), shopping at Ikea (10€/15€), and a trip to the Kemi snow castle (35€/25€). For more details, see the Tours and excursions (Kiertoajelut ja retket) section at .

Courses

Courses advertised in Oulu this month include jewellery-making, hygiene pass, computer basics, knife-making, and working driver’s licence courses. For more details, see the Camps and courses (Leirit and kurssit) 

Sport

Ice hockey The Oulu Stoats (Kärpät) are playing at home on Feburary 17 and 28 at 18.30 and on February 25 at 17.00 at the Oulu Energy Arena (Oulun Energia Areena), Teuvo Pakkalankatu 11 (tickets from lippupalvelu at various prices, for instance 26€/21€ for an arena seat and 11€/10€ to stand). For more details, see

Other events

Standup An open mike standup evening is on February 21, 20.30 at 45 Special (Saaristonkatu 12), entrance free.  For more details, click here. 

Reindeer Carneval A ‘reindeer carneval’ involving races between ‘the world’s fastest reindeers’ will take place at Oulu marketplace on February 19 at 15.00. 

‘Blanket’ jam (Hankijamit) ‘Blanket jam’ street dance will take place at Oulu marketplace on February 26 from 13.00 to 16.00.  Book and music sale A sale of books and music will be held until February 10 at the Oulu city library, Kaarlenväylä 3.

Did you know?

The children’s sections of Oulu’s libraries—including Jääli, Haukipudas, Kaijonharju, Kiiminki, Koskela, Maikkula, Oulunsalo, Rajakylä, Ritaharju, and Ylikiiminki—offer ‘story hours’ in Finnish throughout February, March, April, and May. For instance, the next storytelling hour at the Oulu city library will happen on February 24 at 10.00.  For storytelling in English, you’ll have to wait until Saturday March 17 (also at 10.00).