Culture and events

The City of Varkaus’s general cultural services promote the availability and accessibility of culture, so that all residents have the opportunity to engage with the arts and culture. We provide a variety of cultural programmes tailored to specific groups, such as residents of care homes, people recovering from substance abuse or mental health issues, young people at risk of social exclusion, and immigrants. We strengthen cultural participation through a variety of means.

We promote collaboration between associations, businesses and independent arts and culture organisations to ensure that Varkaus remains a vibrant, colourful cultural town. We engage in regional cooperation with, amongst others, municipal cultural organisations in Northern Savo. Between 2025 and 2027, we will be collaborating with, amongst others, the ‘Well-being through Culture for Older People in Northern Savo’ project.

Among the city’s cultural events, we organise, amongst other things, National Veterans’ Day on 27 April, Independence Day on 6 December, and the pre-schoolers’ Independence Day celebration in the run-up to Independence Day.

Varkaus Days are held every year during the second week of September, and we coordinate the event.

Armas – a cultural week for older people – is held throughout Finland in March. We coordinate the local event week. 

The Verso Children’s Cultural Centre and Vekara-Varkaus form part of the cultural and events services.

The Verso Children’s Cultural Centre is a network formed by municipalities in Eastern Finland and administered by the City of Varkaus. We nurture children and young people’s appreciation of culture by giving them the opportunity to take part in cultural experiences and to create their own culture. Verso operates in places such as nurseries, schools, libraries, museums and other cultural venues, and acts as a partner in various events.

The Vekara-Varkaus festivals bring colour to the cityscape of Varkaus three times a year, offering a varied programme for children, young people and families. The festival week takes place in week 24 of June, Syys-Vekara during autumn half-term week 42, and Talvi-Vekara during winter half-term week 10. Dozens of local businesses, associations and other partners are involved in producing the content for these events.

The ‘Mun juttu – Harrastamisen Suomen malli’ project provides free leisure activities for schoolchildren to take part in during the school day at every school in Varkaus.

The ‘Kulttuuriketju’ cultural education plan forms part of the Central Savo regional curriculum. Through the ‘Kulttuuriketju’ plan, every child and young person regularly enjoys a variety of cultural experiences as part of their everyday school life.

Varkaus-päivät City Event is a diverse city-wide event for all residents of Varkaus, held annually during the second week of September. Varkaus-päivät City Event is part of the European Heritage Days.

The programme is organised by local organisations, and there is plenty to do for children, young people and adults alike.

The event is coordinated by the City of Varkaus’s Culture and Events Services. Dozens of different organisations are involved in organising the event, including various city departments, associations, businesses, volunteers and independent arts organisations.

The programme will be updated on the event page in August.

The Culture Varkaus 2031 programme is a roadmap for Varkaus’s various cultural organisations, setting out common objectives, guidelines, working methods and measures. The programme also aims to highlight the importance of culture in our town.

The programme can be found at: varkaus.fi/kulttuuriohjelma

Research shows that participation in cultural activities improves people’s quality of life, fosters a sense of community and togetherness, and promotes a positive atmosphere. Cultural activities also help to strengthen personal and local identity. As a component of wellbeing, culture involves, for example, building connections, learning new things and discovering one’s own strengths. Cultural activities help to build a meaningful everyday life, ensure that people are seen and heard, and enable them to be treated as human beings.

Examples of the researched health and wellbeing effects of art and culture:

• Dancing improves balance, functional mobility, motor skills and quality of life.
• Art and artistic activities have numerous proven benefits for mental wellbeing and recovery from mental health conditions.
• Stimulating and inspiring leisure activities, such as reading, painting and attending cultural events, can help protect against dementia.
• Participation in artistic and cultural activities reduces stress and may protect against mental exhaustion.
• Regular singing can improve the quality of life for people suffering from chronic respiratory conditions.
• Art and artistic activities reduce the need for sedatives, painkillers and sleeping pills.
• Listening to music can aid recovery from a stroke. For example, music improves brain plasticity during the rehabilitation phase.

 (Source: Sitra’s fact sheet ‘The Effects of Art and Culture on Health’, among others.)

Cultural wellbeing in Varkaus

In Varkaus, you can take part in cultural activities and engage with art and culture in a wide variety of ways.

Varkaus Library offers reading material and experiences in the form of traditional books and magazines, as well as various recordings; the e-library contains audiobooks, e-books and e-magazines to read or listen to. The library is a versatile meeting place for Varkaus residents of all ages.

Admission to the Varkaus Museum Centre Konsti is free (except during the summer season). You can pop in to see the exhibitions on most days of the week, and even when the museums are closed, you can access cultural heritage, information and photographs via online services such as piipunjuurella.finna.fi/. You can also, for example, cycle to discover public art or architecture using the maps and mobile routes published by the museums. 

Soisalo College and other leisure organisations offer a range of opportunities to engage with culture. Did you know that adults can also enrol in basic arts education in music, dance or the visual arts? Or why not try out different courses at an adult education centre? Nowadays, there are also various short courses and one-off events available if you find it difficult to commit to a weekly hobby. The study programme, lectures and events can be found on the college’s website at www.soisalo-opisto.fi.

You can find information about events organised by Varkaus City and various cultural organisations in the city’s events calendar. Varkaus Theatre’s varied programme can be found on the theatre’s website, which also features practical tips for theatre-goers. You don’t have to go to the theatre on your own if you don’t want to. With the ‘Theatre Buddy’ scheme, you can head to the auditorium as a group!

• Taikusydän: What is cultural wellbeing? – video (in finnish only)
• WHO report on the health effects of art and culture
• Research Review: Perspectives on the Impacts of Art and Culture

The Kaikukortti is a card aimed at those in difficult financial circumstances, which can be used to obtain free admission tickets to, for example, museums, festivals, sporting events, sports facilities and places on courses at adult education centres. The card is personal and free of charge. 

You can get a Kaikukortti if

• you are a customer of an organisation participating in the Kaikukortti network 

• you are also on a tight budget and, for that reason, are unable to purchase admission tickets or book places on courses, and

• you are aged 16 or over.

Card distributors in Varkaus

The organisations issuing the Kaikukortti in Varkaus in 2026 are

• Mielitupa / Varkaus Region Mental Health Association
• Outreach youth work / Varkaus City Youth Services
• Immigration Services / City of Varkaus
• Diaconal work of the Varkaus Evangelical Lutheran Parish

In addition, within the Northern Savo welfare region, the card is distributed by 

• Client guidance for older people and gerontological social work
• Social services for people of working age
• Child protection social work and guidance
• Social work and guidance for families with children
• Varkaus Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic
• Varkaus Substance Abuse Outpatient Clinic
• Services for people with disabilities

Kaikukortti venues

Each venue participating in the Kaikukortti scheme lists on its own website the events or performances for which the Kaikukortti is valid. You can also ring a cultural or sports venue to enquire about what’s on offer with the Kaikukortti.

With the Kaikukortti, in addition to the Kaikukortti offers in the Northern Savo region, you can also obtain free admission tickets and course places for Kaikukortti offers in other Kaikukortti regions. 

Venues in Varkaus in 2026

Kangaslammi Sports Centre

Rauhantie 4 A, 79480 Kangaslampi
Tel. 044 743 6206, marita.rundelin@varkaus.fi

Soisalo College

Taipaleentie 24, 78200 Varkaus
Tel. 040 713 8630, soisalo-opisto@soisalo-opisto.fi

Väinölä Arts Centre

Ahlströminkatu 8–10, 78250 Varkaus
Tel. 040 048 7401, info@taidekeskusvainola.fi

Varkaus Museum Centre Konsti
Satakunnankatu 1, 78300 Varkaus
Tel: 040 769 1010, konsti@varkaus.fi 

Varkaus Sports Centre

Järvelänkatu 12, 78200 Varkaus
Tel. 040 771 8700, liikuntatalo@varkaus.fi

Varkaus Theatre

Laivalinnankatu 29, 78200 Varkaus
Tel. 044 364 8830, myynti@varkaudenteatteri.fi

Vekara-Varkaus

Osmajoentie 1, 78200 Varkaus
Tel. 041 731 3088, vekara@varkaus.fi

Ilopisara
Swimming Pool Ahlströminkatu 11, 78250 Varkaus
Tel: 044 444 2270

Also...

Don’t forget the free cultural attractions, such as the Taipale Canal Museum, Taideniitty, Varkaus Library and free events!

Further information

You can find more information about the Kaikukortti, its distributors and attractions in Northern Savo at: www.kuopio.fi/kaikukortti

Further information and links to the Kaikukortti pages for different regions: www.kaikukortti.fi/alueet 

Feedback email: kaikukortti@kuopio.fi 

Kaikukortti contact person in Varkaus: Terhi Siippainen, terhi.siippainen@varkaus.fi

Culture belongs to everyone. The North Savo Cultural Strategy sets out the shared vision of cultural and arts organisations and outlines ways in which the cultural sector is to be promoted in the region.

The ‘Culture for Good in North Savo – Strategy 2030’ charts a course towards an even better future through both its vision and practical proposals for action. In drawing up the strategy, efforts have been made to take into account the needs expressed by stakeholders and residents.

The key guiding principle for the cultural strategy is the Act on Municipal Cultural Activities (166/2019), which sets out the municipalities’ responsibilities regarding cultural activities. Another key source of background material for the strategy’s themes is the North Savo Regional Programme 2022–2025. Furthermore, cultural wellbeing is a central starting point for the strategy work.

Residents of Varkaus have been involved in the strategy work by responding to surveys online and at events. The city’s cultural and events services have worked closely with stakeholders in Northern Savo throughout the strategy process. The strategy process has been led by ‘Kulttuuri kuulolla’, a regional project for the development of cultural activities.

North Savo Cultural Strategy

Themes of the ‘Culture that Brings Goodness: Northern Savo 2030’ strategy

* Culture belongs to everyone
◊ Work and vitality
through art and culture ≈ Well-being, joy of life and the magic of art and culture

The City of Varkaus’s Wellbeing and Education Department awards the city’s annual culture prize, as well as other honours and grants.

Residents of Varkaus can nominate candidates for the awards each year via an online form. The Committee for the Promotion of Wellbeing reviews the nominations and decides on the award winners.

The awards are presented at the Independence Day celebrations on 6 December.

Recipients of the City of Varkaus’s Culture Prize, Special Prize and Recognition Prize:

Culture Awards

1981 Kaarlo Hilander

1982 Armas Männikkö

1983 Väinö Heiskanen

1984 Esa Pakarinen

1985 Eero Autio

1986 Tapio Kautovaara

1987 Väinö Rouvinen

1988 Pertti Tyrväinen

1989 Taru Mäntynen

1990 Jukka Itkonen

1991 Meeri Torvinen

1992 Varkaus Camera Society

1993 Kurt-Henrik Putkonen

1994 Varkaus Society, with a special mention for Kyösti Koponen

1995 Eino Puumalainen

1996 Leena Anttila

1997 Varkaus Music Society

1998 Matti Kanervala

1999 Timo Hämäläinen

2000 Helka Haukka

2001 Harri Eronen

2002 Moonfreeze breakdance group

2003 Jürgen and Liisa Kempf

2004 Hannu Itkonen

2005 Warkauden Kassiopeia ry

2006 Sirpa Ollikainen

2007 Leena Mäki-Patola

2008 The Nimettömät Theatre Group

2009 Tommi Laine

2010 Varkaus Theatre Support Association / Varkaus Theatre

2011 Riitta Pasanen

2012 Varkaus Male Choir

2013 Sinikka Tirkkonen

2014 Pekka Kinnunen

2015 Jukka Tyrväinen

2016 Timo Hämäläinen

2017 Kari Suhonen

2018 Marika Walldén

2019 The Song of Varkaus

2020 Tuomas Sopanen

2021 Nino Tolvanen

2022 Taideniitty

2023 Anssi Huotari

2024 Petri Hervanto

2025 Petteri Vaalimaa

Special Awards

1999 Varkaus 70th Anniversary – Special Award for Cultural Work: Nelly Himanka, Erkki Vepsäläinen, Klaudia Vonkkanen

2004 Varkaus 75th Anniversary Special Award for Cultural Work: Katariina Behm, Paavo Jänis, Ulla Lehtonen, Jorma Tuunanen

2009 Varkaus 80th Anniversary Special Award for Cultural Work: Esko Ropponen

2014 Varkaus 85th Anniversary Special Award: Tapio and Terho Lankinen

2017 Jere Koistinen

2019 Tommi Sirviö and Jussi Vänttinen

2020 Katja Torvikoski and Luca Calzavara

Recognition Awards

2003 Noora-Helena Korpelainen, Heli Vepsäläinen

2004 Hanna Pohjola, Vesa Vitikainen, the Phenomenon dance group, the Pure Tactiks breakdance group, Lumihukat ry

2007 Lights Out band, Ville Kantanen, Päivi Honkanen

2008 Antti Aho

2011 Timo Heinonen

2013 Lauri Andersin, Merja Männikkö

2015 Rimpsaus band

2016 Savon Kinot Ltd

2017 Illan Varjo Orchestra

2018 Vilja Itkonen

2019 Taru Mäntynen

2020 Arto Julkunen

2021 Pekka Koponen

2022 Varkaus Summer Classics

2023 Kirja-Varkaus ry

2024 Ville ‘Pehmee’ Pehkonen

2025 Marja-Muusa Hämäläinen

We are constantly working to make our operations more sustainable in terms of environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability. Our aim is to reduce the negative environmental impact of our operations whilst increasing positive actions towards sustainable development within our own operating environment.

• We focus on responsibility, environmental friendliness and energy consumption, and we encourage our partners to do the same.

  • All set and decoration materials, props, costumes and other materials are reused, upcycled, repaired and recycled.
  • We prioritise borrowing or renting, and when making new purchases, we always choose eco-friendly and ethically produced options wherever possible.
  • We favour locally produced options for both materials and food, and our catering focuses on domestic, organically produced and plant-based food.
  • We take into account the environmental impact of transport and make choices that reduce the environmental burden caused by travel in our operations.
  • We prevent waste generation in various ways and pay close attention to the proper sorting of waste.

   

• In our activities, we highlight perspectives relating to energy use and other sustainable choices.

  • In our workshops, we use materials selected according to ecological principles and minimise material waste.
  • We select performances whose themes and subjects address a sustainable future from a variety of perspectives, ranging from environmental issues to the acceptance of diversity and from cultural heritage to friendship.
  • Through our activities, we foster a positive relationship with nature.
  • We cherish our local cultural heritage in various ways.

   

• We look after the physical and mental health and safety of both our staff and participants.

  • Comprehensive safety and emergency plans are drawn up for all events.
  • We report all accidents and near-misses and make adjustments to our operations accordingly.
  • We look after our staff’s wellbeing at work.
  • We provide participants with a safe space where discrimination and harassment are not tolerated.

   

• In our activities, we provide equal opportunities for participation in the most accessible way possible. We break down barriers to participation through various means, such as

  • offering free cultural activities across our operating area
  • distributing free tickets to paid events through our family outreach work
  • actively seeking feedback and suggestions, and
  • paying attention to different levels of participation right from the planning stage of our activities.

   

• Our work on social responsibility is guided by, amongst other things,

  • the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
  • The Guide to Sustainable Development in Children’s Culture
  • The OKKA Foundation’s indicators for a sustainable future for children’s culture

   

Statistical data on the City of Varkaus’s cultural and events services is compiled on this page. 

Culture TEA

The municipality’s health promotion activities are monitored using the TEA indicator. As regards culture, the previous data collection took place in 2025, and you can view the data for Varkaus via the link.

•The investments made in culture in Varkaus in 2021 are beginning to be reflected in the TEA indicator. In the 2025 data collection, the total score was 68/100 (compared to 45/100 in 2021).

Participation figures for 2023

•The Vekara-Varkaus Festival, Talvi-Vekara, Syys-Vekara and Lumottu Puisto events attracted a total of approximately 30,700 visits

•Approx. 5,000 visits during the Varkaus Days

•1,777 visits at other general cultural events

•201 participants in arts activities for special groups

•14,624 client contacts in the activities of the Verson Children’s Cultural Centre across 9 municipalities (Varkaus: 6,401)

•The Finnish Model for Leisure Activities: Varkaus, Rantasalmi, Joroinen – spring 2023 and autumn 2023 combined 87 hobby groups (56 in Varkaus), total number of participations 9,705 (6,342 in Varkaus). Approximately 200 participants in Varkaus

•99 children at LomaVarkaus day camps, 495 participation sessions

Accessibility and inclusion in activity statistics

We compile statistics and assess the accessibility of our activities, for example, in terms of content and physical accessibility. 

• In 2023, 76 per cent of the activities organised by the Verson Children’s Cultural Centre were suitable for absolutely all participants, 12 per cent were suitable for certain specific groups, and 11 per cent were directly aimed at specific groups. In 2023, 8 per cent of Verson’s activities were bilingual or multilingual.
• In 2023, 43 per cent of the general cultural services’ own productions were suitable for all participants, 2 per cent were suitable for certain specific groups, and 55 per cent were directly aimed at specific groups.

Participation and interactivity are also measured using various definitions.

• In 2023, 19 per cent of Verson’s activities were designed and implemented to be participatory. 78 per cent of activities were interactive (e.g. workshops) and 2 per cent were passive (e.g. watching a performance).
• In 2023, 21 per cent of general cultural services’ own productions were participatory in design. 62% of activities were interactive (e.g. workshops) and 17% were passive (e.g. watching a performance).

Finance

You can find the city’s budget and financial statement data via this link. Culture and events services fall under the ‘Promoting Wellbeing’ services.

You can explore more detailed visualisations and, for example, comparisons between municipalities on the ‘Explore the Administration’ website.

Image

Is there any information you’d like to see added here? Please contact us by email: terhi.siippainen@varkaus.fi