My Oulu: Why the World’s Happiest Country starts making sense in Oulu to international media delegation

When a delegation’s first contact with Finland is in Oulu, one must carefully consider how to start. A group of journalists and media influencers arrives in Oulu from Luxembourg, Peru, Hungary, Colombia, China, the United States, Romania, and Bulgaria – all at slightly different times due to unavoidable travel logistics. To shake off the fatigue from travel, the visit begins with a trip to the city’s official sauna in Pehkolanlampi.

“Traveling to Oulu from Shanghai or Los Angeles is no easy feat – I know from experience. And I haven’t yet found a better cure for jet lag than sitting in a sauna. Sauna is also at the heart of Finnish identity, so it was an easy choice. All our guests went in the sauna and took a dip in the river – there were still chunks of ice floating in it, so I think it was a real experience”, laughs Anne Laurila, international marketing and communications specialist in the Mayor’s Office of the City of Oulu.

Laurila coordinated the Oulu leg of the media visit, planned in cooperation with Foreign Ministry experts Helena Kiiskinen and Lilian Bitar, as well as Finnish embassies abroad. The program required a fresh approach: the aim wasn’t to highlight Oulu’s sights or business innovations – at least not in the same way as on tourism or business-themed media tours.

“The World Happiness Report looks at factors influencing happiness, such as health, trust, income, and freedom – all of which are rooted in functioning societal structures like education, healthcare, and good governance. That’s the lens we used when choosing places to visit in Oulu”, Laurila explains.

While planning the program, Laurila also reflected on the core of her own happiness as a resident of Oulu – something she ultimately found easy to define, but more on that later.

From spring cleaning to Self-Service Library

Plans for a morning bike ride to Kastelli School were changed due to the chilly spring weather. It also seemed the guests had already started exploring the city’s bike paths on their own, so the trip to school was made by bus. Principal Timo Salmi welcomes the group and confidently presents the Kastelli community centre – a facility he helped plan and knows inside out. One point of fascination is the library, which can be accessed with a personal library card even when no staff are present.

“The self-service library shows that trust works in Oulu – and in Finland in general. The system works well – although sometimes we pay a small price for this trust, overall, it functions well”, says Salmi.

Although there’s no time for a school lunch this time, the visitors still examine and photograph the school lunch menu with a great interest. Classrooms for crafts, hobbies, and home economics capture their attention – especially the spring-cleaning activities and pancake baking. Finnish education at Kastelli lives up to its reputation in the eyes of the guests, even without a taste test of freshly baked pancake.

A Hospital for half of Finland

Just like at Kastelli, staff played a key role in the design of the new Oulu University Hospital, the next stop on the visit.

“When planning the hospital of the future, we involved everyone from nurses and surgeons to the chief medical officer and cleaning staff to ensure the facilities would truly work. We imagined different types of patients and care pathways to make treatment flow smoothly for everyone”, says service designer Teemu Kemilä from Oulu University Hospital.

In the 1960s, when the old hospital and its 42 kilometers of corridors were designed, user-centered design was not the norm – but today it’s a priority.

There are many “wow” moments as Kemilä guides the group from the surgical theatre to the recovery area. On the hospital roof, at the helipad, he describes future developments – including a patient hotel and an Oulu Health innovation hub for Oulu’s numerous health tech companies. In the north, healthcare services are designed to also meet the needs of sparsely populated areas.

The building blocks of Finnish happiness

At Oulu City Hall, the visitors are welcomed by Jarmo Husso, Chair of the City Council (National Coalition Party), Mirja Vehkaperä, Chair of the City Board (Centre Party), and Mayor Ari Alatossava. The informal atmosphere at the lunch meeting reflects the low hierarchy in Finnish society and offers insight into local governance and democratic culture.

At Valve Cultural Centre, art and technology meets before the guests’ eyes – not just in Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture marketing materials, but in reality. In the ”Enchanted Words” literary art festival’s Kollektivet exhibition, books come alive through technology and the passionate guidance of literary art teacher Anna Anttonen.

“Libraries are among the most used municipal services in Finland. Last year, there were nearly 4 million loans from Oulu’s libraries. Literacy work is active, diverse and lively in Oulu. The Enchanted Words festival, run by Valve’s Literary Art School, is one concrete example – and the exhibition is once again fantastic. Even my own children have been inspired to read by previous exhibitions”, says Laurila.

The City of Oulu aims to become Europe’s Reading Capital of Culture in 2026. At Valve Hall, the guests get a broader glimpse into the European Capital of Culture program during a session of the Dance Hack event, led by TaikaBox.

“This is our tenth Dance Hack. We invite dance artists from around the world to Oulu to work with us and explore what technology makes possible in the realm of art”, explains dancer Tanja Råman.

Suddenly, Hungarian journalist András Király, Colombian actor Juan Pablo Raba, Peruvian Wendy Ramos Ray, and Chinese influencer Fu Yu find themselves on the dance floor – and projected on a screen, part of the installation. Ending the day with an immersive arts and culture experience feels like the perfect conclusion before the group continues their journey by train to Helsinki.

But what outcomes can be expected from all this?

“Finland’s embassies will compile the articles and content generated during the trip, giving us tangible results in terms of visibility for Finland and Oulu. Still, I’d say that the relationships we build during the visit are even more important. Our guests are influential figures in their home countries or write about themes where we want Finland and Oulu to be visible,” Laurila explains.

So, what does Laurila consider the essence of happiness in Oulu – the takeaway she hopes the media delegation will remember?

“Well, it’s the same thing that makes me happy to live here: I have helpful colleagues, friends, and family who support me in showing Oulu at its best – even when things don’t go according to plan. When a guest falls ill, the medicine is delivered to their room in 15 minutes. When a Finnair strike causes a delay, we arrange an interview on their topic of interest within a few phone calls. In Oulu, happiness comes from the people themselves: we are hospitable, helpful, and genuinely proud of our skills – and things just work”, Laurila concludes.