The city of events
Events organised in Kuopio
Every year, Kuopio plays host to events of different sizes, the largest of which attract visitors from around the world. Read more about the international events organised in Kuopio below.
Kuopiorock
Kuopiorock is an annual three-day rock festival organised for the first time in 2003. The line-up is always made up of both national and international top artists. Kuopio passenger harbour served as the venue in the early years of the event, but today, the festival area is located in Väinölänniemi. There are also several club gigs around the city during the festival weekend. The festival has grown over the years, and today, there are several stages and many attractions and activities in the festival area. In recent years, the festival has attracted around 29,000 annual visitors.
Kuopio Dance Festival (Kuopio Tanssii ja Soi)
Kuopio Tanssii ja Soi, internationally known as the Kuopio Dance Festival, is the oldest international dance festival in the Nordic countries. It showcases local culture, increases awareness of art, raises awareness of dancing as a form of art, and promotes well-being by bringing dancing into the lives of the people. Starters, enthusiasts, and professional dancers from Finland and around the world participate in the week-long festival, which has been organised since 1970.
Finland Ice Marathon
Finland Ice Marathon is an outdoor skating event organised annually on the naturally frozen surface of Lake Kallavesi. Participants compete in ice skating, skating with poles, winter cycling, winter running and kick-sledding. Both skating beginners and professionals are welcome to attend, as the lengths of the individual races vary between two and two hundred kilometres. The event has been held in Kuopio since 1984, and the competition currently attracts around 700 participants annually. The ice tracks are actively used by the city residents before and after the competition.
ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival
First held in 2002, the ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival takes the works of Finnish and international artists from their traditional venues to the public spaces around the City of Kuopio for the public to enjoy. Various workshops, seminars, and clubs are also held during the festival week. There is no entrance fee, and every year the works of art reach more than 50,000 people, of whom about 13,000 are active attendees.
International orienteering competitions
In the coming years, Kuopio and Tahko will host several international orienteering events, such as the Orienteering World Cup 2024 and the World Orienteering Championships 2025.
Interested in organising an event in Kuopio?
For advice and instructions for planning and organising an event in Kuopio, see Organise an event.