NORDTING – The Northern Assembly at Oulu City Hall

NORDTING is an assembly for the North.

NORDTING is a separatist movement, and a party for the periphery.

NORDTING is a people’s assembly, a gala performance, and a political lecture.

After crisscrossing the Circumpolar North and moving both people and emotions from Vardø in Northern Norway, via Greenland, to Anchorage in Alaska, NORDTING is finally back in Pohjois-Suomi and visits Oulu and the amazing Oulu City Hall banquet hall 17.10.2026, 19–20.30. The event is in English.

One might think that Oulu is too big and too far south to be part of Nordting’s separatist movement. But northernness is not just a question of geography, resistance is not only for the North. The questions are as always: Who has the power? Where does the money end up? Why is Google suddenly in love with Northern Ostrobothnia?

Thousands of people across the North have already voted yes or no to oil drilling, mining, wind turbines, new street names, new national anthems, and new tax regulations.

In Oulu, the Capital of Culture is coming to an end. What has happened? Where do we go from here? And what do the people of Oulu think of Helsinki-politicians, power plants, data centers, NATO and musicals about Santa Clause?

There will be music for stockfish and oil drums, there will be powerpoint, dance, reindeer antlers, flags, sing-alongs, joik, a classic lied duo, and political analysis. And last but not least: There will be votes - all under NORDTING's motto "Make the North Great Again!"

NORDTING is led by Amund Sjølie Sveen, with Lisa Pedersen, Erik Stifjell and Vegard Krane. Special guests: Sámi rapper Jezebro from Oulu & Utsjoki and members of The Northern Opera Company. NORDTING performance is a collaboration project between NORDTING, Photo North – Northern Photographic Centre and the Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute.

The performance is part of Oulu2026 program and Photo North’s exhibition “Adaption – Time Is Not On Our Side: Towards Possible Futures” side program. The exhibition is seen at Oulu Art Museum from 16.10.2026 to 14.2.2027.

NORDTING is also funded by PAHN – Performing Arts Hub Norway. NORDTING – The Northen Assembly is a people’s parliament, a party for the periferia and a separatist movement in the Arctic Area, which brings people of Oulu together to discuss hot topics. The performance, open for everyone, brings up the topics surrounding Oulu and the whole Northern Osthobothnia region and lets the participants vote in their own favour.