Summer in Oulu 2025 - 10 tips: experience at least these summer destinations, events and experiences in Oulu this summer!

1. Festivals, park picnics and culture: an all-time event season in Oulu!

European Capital of Culture 2026 Oulu is celebrating an all-time event season! Big festivals, such as Qstockin there are also numerous smaller festivals and events in the city and surrounding areas that are part of the Oulu2026 Capital of Culture programme, for example:

💫 Hässäkkä-Days 4.-6.7.

💫 Koivuranta stand up summer 27.6.

💫 Hapavesi Folk 27.-29.6.

In summer, Oulu is a lively city with at least one event for every day. Oulu Park Picnics is a summer series of free low-threshold picnic events around the city. There will also be free picnics in the summer street of the Valkea shopping centre. Viva La Summer Street concerts are open to all and free of charge. Next door to Oulu in Kempele Pirilänpuisto event tent is full of fun summer theatre and atmospheric shows this summer! Downtown pubs and terraces, including At the Mallassauna, Hietasaari Seelari and Jumping on enjoy live music.

Domestic top-flight football can be seen at Raat Stadium, when AC Oulu is playing in the Veikkausliiga: during May-August, more than 10 home matches will be played in Raat. For example, AC Oulu vs KuPS will be played on 4 June and Tampere vs Ilvest on 18 August.

Lovers of good food should already mark their calendars for the most popular food events in Oulu this summer: Summer evening table setting 14.8. and A taste adventure 2.-7.9.

World famous Air Guitar World Championships will be held at Rotuaar on 20.-22.8. Oulu Festival Weekend, which will take place this year from 31 July to 30 August 2025.Other events in the Oulu Festival include Elojazz, Oulunsalo Soi - Chamber Music Festival, Oulun Muusajuhlat - Word Art Festival, Oulu Arts Night, Oulu Music Video Festival and Flow Productions.

Also Oulu Days are bringing the city to life with a variety of events in late summer from 5 to 7 September.

3. Maritime Nallikari: beach life, activities and picturesque sunsets

Nallikari is where Oulu's seaside is at its best! The popular Nallikari area is home to what is known as the Nordic Riviera. beach, picturesque maritime nature trails with campfire sites and bird towers, as well as accommodation, cafés and restaurants for those who want to enjoy themselves.

Nallikarin Wave is a new, upscale accommodation by the sea in Nallikari. A wide range of services, including an Italian restaurant Bistoria Patio with sun terraces, Osfysion welfare services, and Nallikari Safaris an adventure centre where you can conveniently rent a kayak, canoe, SUP board or fatbike. With Nallikari Safaris you can also go on guided trips, such as a kayaking safari to the Oulujoki estuary!

In Nallikari Holiday Village you can experience the cottage atmosphere just a stone's throw from the centre of Oulu. You can stay in a cosy cottage, a quality villa or a comfortable camping site. Dogs are also welcome!

This summer, the thrill of speed is on offer for the daredevils Oulu Zipline! It is a 250-metre-long cable link that runs along the shoreline of Nallikar. It starts from a 20-metre high tower and ends near the Nallikari lighthouse. You can slide alone, or with a friend, as there are two ropes in parallel. Please note that you must weigh a minimum of 30 kg and a maximum of 120 kg.

Right next to Nallikar Holiday Village is a favourite destination for children Speed Park. The park will be open daily from 31 May to 23 August from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the summer of 2025.The big amusement park for little people will have rides ranging from mini roller coasters to spinning coffee cups. Enjoy speciality coffees, ice cream and snacks at the park's café.

A walk along the seafront on a bright summer evening and dinner at a fine Nordic restaurant is the highlight of a day in Nallikar. Restaurant in Nallikari, with one of the most spectacular views of Oulu from its windows. A classic Oulu experience is climbing up to the Nallikari Lighthouse at sunset!

The summer kicks off in a relaxed way at Beach Jump, where you can jump in a good mood on the beach. Enjoy live music on the villa's patio on Wednesday evenings, and get together for a bonfire and midsummer dances on Midsummer's Eve. A beach football tournament at the end of June gets the beach moving, while adult nights in the Frenzy Park also let the older ones have fun on the amusement park rides. In early July, a Rock'n Roll barbecue evening combines good food and live music in a seaside setting.

5. Experience Oulu by bike! Finland's best cycle path network invites you on an adventure

Oulu is not only the winter cycling capital of the world, but also the Finland's best summer cycling city: Oulu has almost a thousand kilometres of cycle paths in good condition! Many cycle routes meander through beautiful, summery landscapes, for example along the Oulujokivart, and along the routes you will find interesting places to stop, such as environmental art and summer cafés.

So rent a bike and make a whole day out of it! Bike rental is conveniently available at the bike rental shop in the Oulu Market Hall. From the Tourist Information Office or From Nallikar Holiday Village. Fatbikes are rented by Nallikari Holiday Village and Nallikari Safaris in addition to Lapland.

Oulu also offers an excellent setting for fatbike and mountain biking on nature trails. Guided bike safaris In Oulu, Lappis and Nallikari Safaris offer. Twenty minutes drive away in Kempele, the Köykkyri is a popular destination for mountain bikers.

If cycling isn't your thing, but you want to explore the scenery of Oulu, hop on the city train. Potnapekan or go on a tour organised by the Oulu Tourist Board. guided walking tours: themed walking tours offer fascinating stories about the city's history and culture, as well as information about Oulu today. While walking around the centre of Oulu, you should also check out the virtual "Tervatarinoita" and "Pohjoisia soundeja" walking tours, part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme.

7. Take a dip on the patio! Summer cafés, seaside terraces and natural atmospheres

Did you know that in Oulu, a terrace is called a patio, and our city is full of them in summer? In the Park right next to Rotuaari, enjoy the products of a small bakery, as well as the restaurant's artisan pizzas and fine a la carte dishes. In Hietasaari Seelari basking in the sun on the picturesque sea terrace. Bootti is a restaurant ship located next to the Pikisaari bridge: it is a maritime living room where all those who want to get out on the water and enjoy the sea air are welcome.

Perhaps the most exotic of the summer cafés is the Linnunrada farm The Rain Room, known for its charming alpacas! During the café's opening hours, the alpacas can be freely visited and fed, and there are also cats, chickens and a rooster roaming the grounds.

You can admire the lively farmyard and the beautiful countryside while having a cup of coffee at a familiar social networking site. On the farm in the West. The farm shop offers freshly picked strawberries, peas, potatoes and other summer delicacies every day. In the same yard you will find Lännenpirt's summer café with sweet and savoury delicacies!

Located in the Sanginjoki nature reserve Loppula Nature House is open daily from Wednesday to Sunday in June and August. In Koiteli, it's worth stopping by for a coffee in a natural setting. I mothballed in the Emotional Dome, surrounded by the magnificent Koitelinkoski.

Koivuranta Sauna Ferry also serves as a floating café while on the beach, where you can enjoy the ferry's famous sweet and savoury waffles. Special mention must also go to the large sun terraces by the sea in Nallikari! Some of the most beautiful sunsets in Oulu Restaurant Nallikarin and Bistoria Pation sitting on the terrace.

Beer lovers, meanwhile, head to the legendary Rotuaar on Rotuaari. Beer room in Leskiseen or Hailuoto Brewery's malt sauna To the quick island. Sipping drinks and cocktails 1Bar on the patio.

9. Oulu with kids: top destinations for families with children this summer

For families with children, Oulu Summer offers everything from nature-based activities to water and amusement parks! Lapland Water Park Linnansaari is a paradise for water babies! The popular water park has been further expanded this summer. In addition to the water park, you can go kayaking, SUP boarding or cable wakeboarding.

An absolute summer destination for animal lovers is The state of the Milky Way In Kempele, where you can get to know the charming alpacas! The visit includes an introduction to the friendly camel animal and a relaxing walk in the forest for about half an hour on a leash with the curious alpaca. Also The state of the West with its livestock, small activities and summer café is a nice summer destination with children!

Saaga's Issica stable organises horseback riding tours and treks in the beautiful scenery of Virpiniemi for all those who love horse riding. Children are also welcome at the stables, leashes, camps and outings! Kipponien village and fairytale forest walks with ponies in Haukiputa are suitable for the youngest members of the family.

Right next to the Nallikari beach is the children's amusement park Speed Park, where you can find equipment ranging from mini quads to rotating coffee cups. From Nallikari you can also hop on the Potnapeka city train, which is a great way to see Oulu's scenery for the whole family.

The largest travelling fairground in Finland also offers fun on a summer's day, Finnish Tivoli, which will arrive in Kempelee, next to Oulu, on 31 May and continue until 3 August. In case of a rainy day, children's favourites include SuperPark, Oulu Climbing Centre and Exit Oulu escape games!