Kulttuuri ja vapaa-aika Oulussa
Culture and leisure in Oulu
The Info Bank Culture and Leisure pages provide further details of culture and leisure activities in Finland.
Oulu provides many kinds of leisure time activities for children and young adults. Children and young adults between the ages of 7 and 17 years can hang out with their friends free of charge at various facilities for young people around the city. These facilities provide information on other leisure time activities for children and young adults in your area. Contact details are available in Finnish or English.
Tourist information
Oulu provides plenty of leisure time activities in the fields of culture and sports. The tourist information service provides tips and advice on leisure time activities, free brochures on Oulu and its attractions, city maps, and maps of cycle paths and walking routes. It also provides information on travelling elsewhere in Finland.
The daily spread of events in the city is best represented in the events calendar, available in Finnish.
You can contact Tourist information by calling, sending e-mail or simply dropping by. Further details are available on the City of Oulu webpage available in Finnish, Swedish, English, Norwegian, and German. You can download the City of Oulu tourist brochure as a pdf file (Adobe reader or equivalent application required) in Estonian, French, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Chinese and Russian.
Library
The libraries in Oulu have books and magazines in dozens of languages. Members may borrow books, talking books, magazines, music and films on DVD.
The library also hosts visits from authors and experts, exhibitions, reading groups and children’s hours. All library events, the library card and borrowing are free of charge. You may also access the Internet free of charge at the library.
You can access the electronic library catalogue online and ask the library staff for assistance with searching. The library website in Finnish, Swedish and English includes contact details, the electronic library catalogueand library opening hours.
Culture
Oulu has a busy cultural calendar. The city is home to many theatres, museums and exhibitions that serve the public at all times of year. There are plenty of club gigs for lovers of popular and rock music, and friends of classical music will enjoy the concerts of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra (Oulun Sinfoniaorkesteri). Open air events and summer theatrical productions spice up the city’s cultural life in the summer.
The traditional art forms are complemented by new trends in urban culture – games, film and media art are visibly present. The Tietomaa science centre aimed at children and the young at heart provides a fun way to see the wonders of science. Cultural phenomena that are characteristic of Oulu also include playing the air guitar and a choir consisting entirely of yelling performers.
Further details of cultural events in Oulu are available on the Oulu webpage in Finnish or English.The tourist information pages also provide information on cultural events in Finnish, Swedish, English, Norwegian and German.
Sport and exercise
The City of Oulu provides a wide range of opportunities for sport and exercise, with sports venues all over the city. Structured activities are organised in gyms, swimming halls and sports centres.
The city maintains cycle paths and hiking routes, running tracks, ski tracks, bathing beaches, playing fields and ice rinks, and a venue for ice swimming. Over one hundred clubs engage in various sports in Oulu with the support of the City.
The Oulu Sports and Recreation Office (Oulun liikuntavirasto) is responsible for sports venues. Further details of sport and exercise in Oulu are available on the City of Oulu website in Finnish or English.
Details of various sporting pursuits can also be found on the Tourist information website under outdoor activities and sports in Finnish, Swedish, English, Norwegian and German.
Cycling
Oulu has the most extensive network of cycle paths in Finland. The city residents are enthusiastic cyclists, and some even cycle all year round. Cycle paths are also suitable for roller bladers, Nordic walkers, and runners. A map of cycle paths is available from the Oulu10 Service Point at Torikatu 10.
Parks and surroundings
The pedestrian precincts, nearby parks and sea views of the downtown district make strolling very enjoyable in Oulu, and the city’s nature trails also provide excellent hiking opportunities. There are also many resting and campfire sites, as well as bird watching towers and platforms in hiking areas. The Hupisaaret park area in the downtown district and the maritime ambience of Hietasaari with its tourist services are very popular.
Further details are available on the City of Oulu webpage under Parks and nature in English. Printed maps and nature area brochures are available free of charge from the Oulu10 Service Point at Torikatu 10.
Hunting and Fishing
The website of the City of Oulu in English provides information on hunting and fishing opportunities in Oulu, and details of how to obtain the required permits.
Boating
Oulu provides many opportunities for boating on the Oulujoki River and the sea. Further details of harbours and boat mooring points are available on the City of Oulu website in Finnish and English.