Enter­tain­ment

The evening sun is shining on a group of people sitting on benches. They are all looking in the same direction, and a blonde woman wearing sunglasses in the foreground is smiling.

Get the groove on for par­ty mood – the enter­tain­ment scene in Oulu has a high­er grade of spe­cial­ty. Break a sweat in the sports field or on the dance­floor. There is plen­ty to see and do 365 days a year, from sec­ond-hand stores to music shows and good drinks to enjoy­ing a deli­cious meal.

Karaoke, gigs, bowl­ing, first-class sports, a plen­ti­ful pic­nic with bud­dies – Oulu offers the play­ground for fun-packed moments by your­self or with friends. And since we have the nature present even in the city cen­tre, the set­ting for events and activ­i­ties is pic­turesque.

More infor­ma­tion about leisure oppor­tu­ni­ties in Oulu

Although there are a lot of high-qual­i­ty restau­rants in the urban city cen­tre, the estu­ary and shores in Oulu offer won­der­ful loca­tions for hav­ing fun, too. The love­ly gra­naries of the Mar­ket Square and close-by build­ings exem­pli­fy­ing the archi­tec­ture of var­i­ous peri­ods con­sti­tute an enter­tain­ment hub that will not leave you hun­gry or thirsty. If you cross the bridge to the charm­ing Pik­isaari Island, you will find even more restau­rants and bars.

Winebar Kurkela – have a glass of wine in Pik­isaari (opens in a new tab)

Restau­rant Mal­las­sauna – local beer, food, and experiences (opens in a new tab)

Uleåborg 1881 – gas­tron­o­my from Fin­land and beyond (opens in a new tab)

His­toric Oulu Mar­ket Hall – food and shop­ping (opens in a new tab)

Restau­rant Hugo – an edgy, relaxed wine bar and restau­rant (opens in a new tab)

Restau­rant Nal­likari – for the best sea view (opens in a new tab)

Enjoy the city cen­tre

The Oulu city cen­tre is home to many kinds of activ­i­ties. The restau­rants, bars, and cafés cater for the tastes of all grown-ups. The pedes­tri­an street Rotu­aari hous­es all kinds of events through­out the year. The cen­tre also has leg­endary music venues as well as loca­tions for oth­er inter­est­ing acts – such as the­atre or stand-up com­e­dy shows.

Oulu The­atre – see the pro­gramme here (opens in a new tab)

Valkea Shop­ping Cen­tre – shop­ping and events in the indoor street (opens in a new tab)

Rio­Live – bril­liant shows every week (opens in a new tab)

45 Spe­cial – the old­est rock club in north­ern Fin­land (opens in a new tab)

Alfred Kitchen & Bar – tasty food in a cozy atmos­phere (opens in a new tab)

Puis­to­la – an oasis for gour­mands from morn­ing till evening (opens in a new tab)

Lesk­i­nen – a pub­lic house in the heart of the city (opens in a new tab)

Jumpru – leg­endary pub, restau­rant and night club (opens in a new tab)

Break a sweat at the hock­ey are­na or a rock show

A long-haired, tattooed man has his arm on his forehead on a stage. The photo is slightly tilted, the background is purple and there is a microphone at the edge of the picture.

Very near the city cen­tre, there are oth­er fan­tas­tic venues for big­ger shows and sports events. Rak­si­la and Limin­gan­tul­li will sat­is­fy even the demand­ing con­cert vis­i­tor or sports fan.

Kuu­sisaari Event Park – the num­ber one place for out­door events (opens in a new tab)

Tullisali is the home of events – see the pro­gramme (opens in a new tab)

Catch all the games of Oulun Kär­pät hock­ey team at Oulun Ener­gia Areena

Play ball sports at Nal­lisport – read more (opens in a new tab)

Impres­sive cul­tur­al expe­ri­ence at Oulu Music Cen­tre – see the com­ing events (opens in a new tab)

Oulu Hall, the largest event venue in North­ern Fin­land – read more (opens in a new tab)

Best places in the parks

People sitting on a lawn. A person wearing sunglasses is juggling, and there is a bicycle in the background.

Per­haps the most won­der­ful thing about Oulu is that parks extend all the way to the city cen­tre – with excel­lent venues for var­i­ous events around them! Gigs, art exhi­bi­tions, brunch­es, restau­rant ter­races… Dis­cov­er the best activ­i­ties for all sea­sons in these lush sur­round­ings! And in case you feel like arrang­ing your own activ­i­ties in the sum­mer­time, the Hupisaaret Islands pro­vide the best green­space in the north from sports to pic­nics!

Check out the Rav­in­to­lako­rt­teli hub of restau­rants com­bin­ing food, drink, and events (opens in a new tab)

Vis­it the City of Oulu Sport Ser­vices web­site for var­i­ous fit­ness activ­i­ties (opens in a new tab)

The Hupisaari Open-Air The­atre offers a vari­ety of enjoy­able experiences in an idyl­lic set­ting (opens in a new tab)

Oulu Muse­um and Sci­ence Cen­tre Luup­pi show­cas­es arts and sci­ence (opens in a new tab)