Lumo Art & Tech Festival is a ten-day international event exploring the intersection of art and technology, taking place in Oulu, Finland, from 13–22 November 2026. The festival brings together public and professional programmes that examine the evolving relationship between artistic practice and technological innovation.
The Lumo Art & Tech Festival is one of the highlights of Oulu’s European Capital of Culture year. Built around the Lumo Light Festival, it forms an international platform developed through collaboration between artists, universities, cultural organisations, and technology companies. Events will take place at more than ten venues across the city, including the new cultural space Tarkastamo and the VISIO immersive experience space at the Tiima Museum and Science Centre. The programme also includes seminars, discussions, and conferences.
“Oulu is a city where technology and creativity meet naturally. The darkness of November provides an exceptional stage for light, sound, digital art, and media art,” says Henri Turunen, Programme Director of Oulu2026.
Ten Days of art, technology and light
For the first time, the Lumo Light Festival will run for four days, from Thursday to Sunday, 19–22 November 2026. As part of the Art & Tech Festival, the light art programme will be expanded.
The FLASH Light Art Biennial, Hidden Glow, will present a high-quality selection of Finnish light art installations in unexpected indoor and outdoor locations throughout the city.
Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen’s immersive media art exhibition The Garden of the Moon Goddess will transform the Kivisydän underground parking facility into a virtual botanical garden.
At the Valve Cultural Centre, visitors can experience Josefina Nelimarkka’s Arctic Clouds, an immersive environment where natural elements and real-time climate data intertwine.
Andrew Melchior’s The Logos transforms cosmic signals billions of years old into a spatial sound installation within Oulu Cathedral.
The new subarctic sound festival TAR will offer new ways to listen to and experience sound across six venues in Oulu. One of the highlights is sound artist Stefanie Egedy’s spatial installation, where ultra-low bass frequencies and infrasound are materialised through 24 subwoofers in the new event space Tarkastamo.
Strong professional programme alongside public events
The festival’s professional programme extends the artistic themes into broader societal and technological discussions through seminars, keynote talks, and networking events.
A seminar series at the new cultural event venue Tarkastamo will explore topics including sustainability, the future of wireless technology, light art, and the Art of Work theme, which examines the impact of art and technology on contemporary working life.
Oulu University of Applied Sciences will host its annual AVARA event, which this year carries the theme “Art & Tech <3 Space”. The programme invites participants to reflect on how space, technology, and creative work shape one another today and in the future.
Another key venue is the Tiima Museum and Science Centre, opening in October 2026. Its VISIO immersive experience space is being developed in collaboration with Ars Electronica Solutions of Austria. Through their participation and interaction, visitors can influence how the immersive environment evolves and responds.
The festival’s principal partner is Nokia. Other partners include Oulun Pysäköinti, Avidly, Genelec, LähiTapiola, and Oulu University of Applied Sciences.