Spring is a festival season in Espoo
You don’t have to wait until summer to enjoy cultural festivals! The spring season offers events for audiences of all ages.
Bravo! Festival
14–22 March 2026, events across the Helsinki Metropolitan Area
Bravo! Festival is an international performing arts festival for children and young people. In Espoo, a diverse programme will take place around the city, from the AINOA Shopping Centre in Tapiola to the Aurora Children’s Cultural Centre in Järvenperä, as well as other cultural venues.
Read more about Bravo! Festival events in Espoo.
Children’s Museum Festival: Birthday Party!
21–22 March 2026, Exhibition Centre WeeGee & Museum Leikki
In 2026, the traditional Children’s Museum Festival will be celebrated in a festive spirit, as Exhibition Centre WeeGee and its museums turn 20, and Museum Leikki celebrates its 30th anniversary. Everyone is invited to join the party!
The festival will mark the birthdays in joyful and surprising ways. Shall we pretend everyone has a birthday during the festival weekend? Multicultural families from Espoo have been involved in planning the programme. The weekend will be full of shared joy and unforgettable experiences with music, circus tricks and creative workshops. Events will take place not only in the museums but also at the Espoo School of Art and outside in the courtyard.
Explore the programme in more detail on EMMA Museum’s website.(external link, opens in a new window)
&Fest: Learning to Disagree
5–29 March 2026, events in Tapiola (Espoo) and Ruoholahti (Helsinki)
&Fest: Learning to Disagree is a theatre festival, but its programme includes much more than performances: there is plenty of open and free content for everyone. The festival celebrates democracy, provides a safe space for disagreement, encourages debate and inspires people to understand perspectives different from their own.
See the schedule and programme on the & Espoo Theatre website.(external link, opens in a new window)
JuuriJuhla – Folk music in Espoo
6–11 April 2026, events throughout Espoo
Spring is also a celebration of folk music in Espoo! JuuriJuhla has its roots in traditional Espoo folk music, while the festival also boldly reaches toward new musical influences from around the world. The JuuriJuhla stages will welcome Espoo-based folk musicians as well as top Finnish folk artists. The main venue is Sellosali, but the festival also brings folk music to beautiful and diverse historic mansions, churches and community halls around Espoo.
Explore the programme on the JuuriJuhla website.(external link, opens in a new window)
April Jazz
15–25 April 2026, events throughout Espoo and Helsinki
April Jazz turns 40! The anniversary year will showcase international stars, leading Finnish artists, premieres, surprises and familiar performers from the festival’s history. These festivals celebrate both the four decades of April Jazz and the 100-year history of Finnish jazz in a way that can be felt and heard. During the festival days, nearly 200 musicians from 17 countries will take the April Jazz stages.
See the festival programme on the April Jazz website.(external link, opens in a new window)
Cultural experiences in Espoo don’t end with the festivals: you can explore the full event offering through the CultureEspoo event calendar.