LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit
Oulu

Ari Alatossava, Mayor of Oulu

As an active LUCI member since 2015, Oulu is delighted to welcome the international urban lighting community to northern Finland.

Oulu is often called “the White City of the North” – a name that carries multiple layers of meaning: the city’s pale-toned architecture and urban landscape, the ever-present light during the nightless summer nights, and Oulu’s ambitious strategic approach in intelligent urban lighting. Or perhaps it reflects our local sense of sarcasm – after all, we spend several months each year in near-total darkness.

Oulu is a city of contrasts: light and darkness, art and technology, urban life and wild northern nature. We strive to reflect these extremes in our urban planning. In an Arctic environment, planning must carefully balance light pollution with the need for illumination as a source of safety and wellbeing. As part of the ongoing update of the city centre vision, residents are actively involved in shaping the future of the city – including how light and darkness are experienced in public space. We want to protect the visibility of the northern lights – one of our region’s most magical sources of light – while ensuring people can safely bike to work and school all year round.

Since 2016, we have been organising the LUMO Light Festival during the darkest time of the year. As part of the European Capital of Culture programme, LUMO is evolving into a broader platform that merges art, technology, and public space.

LUMO also supports the goals of Oulu2026 by contributing to a cultural climate change – a shift that brings people together, brings joy into everyday life, and broadens how we think, understand, and relate to one another.

We look forward to sharing our experiences and learning from yours – and to continuing our common journey toward more intelligent and responsible urban lighting.

Welcome to the light of Oulu!