Joen Yö in english

This year, Joen Yö celebrates the theme LOVE. It is a beautiful word and a powerful one. Love is not the opposite of hate. It is the opposite of indifference. Love is needed to solve problems, both big and small. And we have no shortage of those in the world. Love is universal. It is like a language we all speak. However, Joen Yö 2026 is not just all pink, fluffy sentimentality. It is not a picture-perfect ideal. But it seeks to convey what matters most. It is the feeling of knowing you love something and are loved in return. It is being able to say to yourself: I love myself.

Culture doesn’t emerge in isolation. It is shaped by everything around us. That’s why Joen Yö exists – to bring people together in the spirit of culture. It is the largest stage for Joensuu’s cultural life, featuring local talent and highlights from beyond the city.

Joen Yö takes place on Friday, August 14, 2026, from 3 PM to 10.30 PM.

Highlights from the Program:

TORILAVA (Market Square Stage)

15.00–17.00: Parafest goes Joen Yö, event opening
Parafest brings four amazing performances to Joen Yö to kick things up.

17.10–17.30: Balettistudio Relevé
The theme of the performance is "For the Love of Dance." The program features groups such as the 3–4-year-olds, performing steps familiar from the ballet Giselle.

18.15–19.00: MajBird
MajBird is a band founded in Joensuu in 2015; their English-language music reflects influences from the rock, blues, and funk of past decades, along with a touch of prog.

19.45–20.45 The Moontwins
There haven't been very many electric guitar, bass drum, and accordion duos in the world before—but now there is: The Moontwins.

21.30–22.30 Rebekka Holi
The music of Helsinki-based singer-songwriter Rebekka Holi blends delicate folk, playful storytelling, and raw, energetic sound—a combination that creates an irresistible mix.

TORI - KESKUSTA

17.45–18.15: Carnaval do Amor samba parade
Color, dance, rhythm, and atmosphere! The Carnaval do Amor samba parade makes its way along Keskuskuja to the market square.

18.00–18.15: RajaSpeksi ry: The Lock of Love
The dance piece The Lock of Love is a fun and engaging feel-good performance in which love knows no bounds.

19.30–20.00: Gravitaatio
Gravitaatio is a duet by dance artists Mathilda Kauppila and Rebecca Laube-Pohdo, inspired by a landscape shaped by waves. The work explores the connection between two bodies through various forms of love: attraction, distance, and trust.

21.00–21.20 Extracts of Hope
Extracts of Hope is a circus piece by vertical dancer Heidi Miikki that seeks freedom, explores courage, flies like a ninja and climbs even higher. The work speaks of radical and active hope, the courage to dream and a spirit of rebellion. This site-specific piece engages in a dialogue with the local architecture and environment; movement brings the buildings to life from a completely new perspective, revealing their unique character through gravity-defying wall dance.

Catch Extracts of Hope in town hall tower!

CARELICUM INNER COURTYARD

18.00–20.00 Pöhinäpaku - the moving stage of love
The "Pöhinäpaku" is a mobile live music performance that transforms a van into a dynamic stage, spreading sound, energy, and a sense of togetherness throughout the urban spaces of Joensuu. The music unfolds simultaneously inside, on top of and around the vehicle. In keeping with the festival’s theme of love, the work approaches love as a phenomenon experienced bodily and shared collectively.

KESKUSPUISTO

15.00–19.00: Sugar rainbow experiment
At the University of Eastern Finland LUMA Centre’s workshop, people of all ages can try their hand at a classic science activity: the sugar rainbow! Sugar rainbows are created using sugar solutions of various colors and remain on display to delight event-goers throughout the evening.

15.00–17.00: Workshop on collaborative poetry about a love for nature
In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to explore your emotions regarding nature and the environment and to create love letters to nature and our home planet in a relaxed atmosphere. The workshop offers psychological tools for engaging with environmental emotions and introduces an accessible, creative way to process them: the method of communal nature poetry.

TAIDEKESKUS AHJO

16.00–16.45: Ujo Kiinnostus / A Fish Tale
Fish tale is a narrative, multidisciplinary children’s concert based on Sanna Vainikainen’s poetry book Karppi kaupassa (Nemo). This musical tale combines new children’s music, theatre, and dance. Its aim is to increase children’s knowledge of nature, strengthen the sense of equality, and provide cultural experiences for children.

18.00–18.45 Hoppus Loppus
Hoppus Loppus is a story about friends whose summer holiday plans are challenged by a hectic schedule. Vartti the Crow flits and flutters through a summer of high-speed efficiency, while Oppe the Squirrel is frustrated that Vartti doesn't even have time to go swimming with his best friend. Could Kulku-Kissa—a well-traveled cat who has seen and experienced it all—save the day?

This production is a new touring show for children by POKA (the North Karelia People's Theatre).

CARELIA-SALI

18.00–19.30 Joensuu City Orchestra
The free concert at the Joen Yö event will feature excerpts from the orchestra’s upcoming autumn repertoire. The concert will be conducted by students from the Sibelius Academy’s conducting class, under the guidance of British conductor Sian Edwards.

During the intermissions, the lobby features performances by RytmiHäiriköt.

RANTAPUISTO - RIVERSIDE PARK

18.00–22.00: Fiktion Yö, Under the Suvantosilta
Dancing returns to the tried-and-tested spot under Suvantosilta Bridge—come enjoy the thumping beats! The event is open to everyone and free of charge and thanks to the bridge overhead, even the rain won't spoil the fun.

KONSERVATORION KONSERTTISALI – Conservatory Concert Hall

15.30–16.15 Beethoven Cello Fest
Beethoven visits the Joen Yö. The concert will feature a preview of the program for the Beethoven Cello Fest, to be held at the Joensuu Conservatory in January 2027.

17.00–17.40 Barokki soi idässä -concert
The Itäbarokki collective brings a diverse selection of Baroque music to Joen yö, featuring works by key composers of the era such as Händel, Monteverdi and Marais.

18.30–19.30 A Scene – Kuin elokuvaa
Every love story deserves its own movie, doesn't it? The concert "A Scene – Like a Movie," which focuses on instrumental music, tells the story of all this.

JOENSUU MAIN LIBRARY

15.00–18.00: Kirjastoautotoiminta 60 vuotta!
Come and celebrate the 60th anniversary of our library bus service and the 10th anniversary of the library bus Mysteeri with us! Enjoy pleasant company, reminiscing and a program for all ages.

NÄYTTÄMÖ

18.00–18.40 and 20.00–20.40 Oodit olemassaololle
Together and on our own – but fortunately, not alone. That’s how we create circus performances! Odes to Existence invite the viewer to pause, breathe and notice everything that makes the world interesting, inspires hope and compels us to radiate our zest for life into the world around us.

PAKKAHUONE

16.00 Hanhiemon iloinen lipas

18.00 Oliko tässä kaikki?

Schedule changes are possible.