Kulturhuvudstaden Kiruna

The European Capital of Culture is an initiative of the European Commission, a title awarded to two cities in different countries each year. The selected cities use the year, and the time leading up to it, to organise a series of cultural events that develop the local culture activities and promote European cooperation. The aim of the European Capital of Culture year is to contribute to the well-being of citizens and the development of the city. By highlighting cultural diversity and similarities, one aim is to contribute to mutual understanding between Europeans.

We want to use our year as European Capital of Culture, and the time leading up to it, to organize interesting cultural activities that can help create new memories for everyone throughout Kiruna Municipality. We want to enrich the cultural landscape in the region through culture-driven community development and increase Kiruna's international collaborations. We have a lot to share with the world, and to learn from Europe. We want to build pride in who we are and what we offer: our stories, our traditions and our Arctic way of dealing with contemporary challenges.

Every night at 1:30 a.m. you hear a muted explosion underneath the city in Kiruna. The walls slightly vibrate and the water at your bedside vaguely ripples. It is the big underground mine, detonating a blast. The city of Kiruna is built on the biggest underground iron-ore mine in the world. But now the city is literally cracking up. Roads are breaking, the infrastructure of pipes in the ground is deforming and buildings can’t withstand the stress of the constant explosions anymore.

So, the city must move. And it’s happening right now. Some buildings are picked up on huge trailers and relocated, but most of them are demolished. Roads and traditional reindeer herding trails are cut off. The claws of the machines are eating away at the memories and years of life of the people day by day. Traditional ways of life are facing extinction. The movement causes conflicts about the rights of land, about our sense of self as two thirds of our population are being uprooted and have to move. It is clear that Kiruna is facing a time of significant challenges and opportunities. The new cityscape with impressive buildings, hotels, cafés and cultural venues are taking shape and gives us possibilities to start anew. A chance to rebuild our city and shape our surroundings. Maybe even ourselves. Not as we were, but into the future. To something more inclusive where more stories, cultural expressions and voices are given room to grow.

Our home has through history been described by others as an uninhabited wilderness and is often still talked about as a widespread wasteland with endless resources up for grabs. Through ignorant rethorics we are reduced to a mining city far out in nowhere. Nothing could be more wrong. Our land is highly rich in culture and has been the home for indigenous people and cultural groups for centuries. Geographically we are located in the heart of the Arctic. Kiruna is situated in Sápmi, the traditional homeland of the Sámi people and we are also part of Tornedalen, home for several minorities; Tornedalian, Kven and Lantalaiset, speaking different languages. For us living here, regardless of cultural heritage, the bond to nature is strong, the connection to all living things and ancestors is vital, precious and rooted in our ground. But now the ground is moving beneath our feet.

How do we find our soul, our character, our culture amidst all this movement? Where do we find ourselves when the dust from the big trucks rebuilding our city has settled? We want to make sure we build a vibrant and culturally rich community. A city and municipality where culture leads the societal transformation. Like many places in Europe’s countryside, we are facing a decreasing population trend that we need to change. This requires a cultural shift. We now have an opportunity to build something bright and colourful through culture that will reverberate with the history and heritage of the people who came before us, resonate with the people living here now, and attract the people who don’t live here — yet.

This is our story, our movement.

Welcome - Välkommen - Bures boahtin - Tervetuloa – Tervetulu!

Movement - Below ground, On earth, In space is our concept and is something that defines us, that runs through the veins of everyone living here, both historically and currently, regardless of culture or traditions. Our artistic vision is to share our strong and captivating stories, indigenous traditions and our Arctic take on contemporary challenges that affect all of Europe.

Kiruna/Giron/Kieruna/Kiiruna is a city of contrast and layers, where movement is part of everyday life. We invite you to share our stories, our traditions and our arctic way of meeting contemporary challenges with art and culture at its core.

The core of our artistic vision is to always apply a female gaze, keeping our young community involved and integrating perspectives from the indigenous Sámi people and Tornedalian cultures on their own terms. Making sure the artistic vision becomes reality, our strategy is that whenever you visit Kiruna, there will be an event going on, a cultural site to enjoy or a sensorial experience to be had, regardless of the time of year.

By working with local, national and international professionals, organisations and associations, we’ll be able to highlight the specific contrasts of Kiruna. With our vision and programme, we will raise sensitive topics around the city transformation, the right of land and rural exclusion. Through creative methods and artistic outlets we want to touch upon issues that create cracks and conflicts within ourselves and in our society, alongside with the joy and compassion that we have for one another and care for future generations, history and nature. We see the cracks appearing everywhere and we will use the movement as an opportunity for something new, vibrant and colourful to take place.

In the work of European Capital of Culture, we will enable different ways to participate in the official programme for Kiruna 2029 – which we present continuously on our social media channels.

Further down you find two links to online forms for submitting project proposals. If you have the seed of a project you would like to explore, choose the form Test an Idea. If you already have a project proposal ready, choose the form Artistic Project. The questions within the differens forms serve as support for you to reflect on how your project connects to Kiruna 2029, and for us to understand what kind of support you may need in a potential collaboration.

The European Capital of Culture is an initiative intended to invite everyone who wishes to engage, broaden perspectives, discover new ways to develop, and allow creativity and curiosity to bring us closer together. It is an opportunity to present something out of the ordinary – something that challenges and inspires. In selecting projects to be included in the official artistic programme for Kiruna 2029, we use five criteria, which you can find below. These criteria interweave the artistic concept with the goals outlined in our bidbook, the bidbook is also available on this website.

The last day to submit an application for an Artistic Project is September 30, 2026. The selection of project proposals will take place in November 2026. Dialogues will be conducted both individually and in groups with project owners whose projects are selected for inclusion in the official programme for Kiruna 2029. These dialogues aim to integrate the projects into a broader context and facilitate knowledge-sharing and information about ongoing and future work.

The form Test an Idea will be available until December 31, 2026, and feedback will be provided on an ongoing basis.

If you have questions about how we work with shaping the artistic content, the selection process, or anything else related to European Capital of Culture Kiruna 2029, you are welcome to contact us. We recommend first browing our website, here you can find usefull information in the published texts.

We look forward to receiving your ideas and project proposals, thank you!

As part of the development of the artistic programme for Kiruna 2029, five criteria have been established – Homemaking, European Adventure, Perspectives, Finding New Ways, and Power of Culture. These criteria serve as guiding principles in shaping the official programme and interweave the artistic concept with the goals formulated for the European Capital of Culture initiative in Kiruna 2029. They act as a support for those who wish to collaborate through artistic projects, as well as in the selection process for the official artistic programme 2029.

Homemaking
Homemaking is about exploring how relationships and contexts can contribute to a sense of safety, belonging, and a sense of home.

In times of major transitions and uncertainty it becomes essential to create campfires where we can gather and share our worries and our hopes. Through art and culture, safe spaces can emerge, enabling us to process the often intangible aspects of change - a movement that begins within and, in encounter with others, makes us stronger together. By celebrating what is unique, highlighting what we share, and addressing both challenges and collective joys, our cultural roots intertwine to guide the way forward.

European Adventure
European Adventure is about sharing knowledge, collaborating across borders, and building new relationships with partners in Europe and beyond.

By learning from and with each another, artistic perspectives broaden, contributing to exchanges between artistic practitioners and fostering new audience encounters. Achieving a European dimension requires collaboration between artists, producers, creators, or entrepreneurs across different countries. At the same time, we place particular focus on strengthening cooperation with our neighbours in the Arctic, exploring questions that shape how we live and work in this region.

Perspectives
Perspectives is about enabling a diversity of stories and viewpoints to be expressed and take their place.

We see accessibility and representation as strengths, where grassroots movements to professional practitioners can be involved and contribute to a wide range of specific experiences, cultural knowledge, and artistic creativity. Our artistic vision is grounded in engaging young people, acknowledging female perspectives, and including the Indigenous Sámi people and the national minorities Tornedalians, Lantalaiset, Kvens, and Swedish Finns, on their own terms.

Finding new ways
Finding New Ways is about artistic excellence, creative exploration, and incorporating the traditional in unexpected ways.

Being part of the official programme for the European Capital of Culture year in Kiruna 2029 should offer artists and organisers the opportunity to grow by being bold and exploring previously untested paths - whether within their own artistic practice or in how and where artistic and cultural activities take place and are shared. Curiosity and creativity can spark surprising encounters - through collaborations with new partners, the development of artistic expressions, or exchanges with audiences.

Power of culture
Power of Culture is about how the project is rooted in Kiruna and makes a local impact here and now, while also building capacity for the future.

Connected to Kiruna and the conditions of the place, clearly defined or imaginatively designed artistic activities can give back to the local community. The possibilities are many, but local inclusion is essential, whether by engaging residents in new experiences created by practitioners from around the world, influencing decision-makers, or improving conditions for artistic practitioners in the region by enabling them to make their voices heard in various places within and beyond Europe. Using art and culture as both a working method and a tool, new meeting places arise in unexpected contexts for audiences to experience and activate. We want to see culture take its place, become part of the process, and shape the world around us.

• Submit a project proposal for the official artistic programme Länk till annan webbplats.
• Send us an early idea Länk till annan webbplats.

What types of projects are we looking for in this open call?
In this open call, we are primarily looking for large and medium-sized projects that can be led by an external organization as part of the official artistic programme of Kiruna2029.

How do we define the size of a project?
A project’s size can be defined based on several factors. These may include the project’s duration, financial scope, audience reach, or its strategic importance in delivering projects and achieving the objectives outlined in the Kiruna2029 Bid book.

What proportion of a project can be financed by Kiruna2029?
Under this open call, Kiruna2029 can contribute up to 50% of the total project budget. Any adjustments to budgets and project content will be made in dialogue with the projects selected to proceed to further collaboration.

If the project’s remaining funding does not reach 50% of the total project budget, how will this affect project delivery and the funding granted by Kiruna2029?
Specific conditions regarding financing and any significant changes to a project’s content will be clarified in the collaboration agreement. Any deviations from the initial agreement will be discussed on a project-by-project basis between the parties involved.

What project costs can Kiruna2029 funding be used for?
There are no specific requirements regarding which project costs may be covered by funding granted by kiruna2029. However, it is important to note that Kiruna2029 cannot be the sole funder of a project.

Are there any forms of support that Kiruna2029 provides in addition to financial funding?

Different projects may require different types of support. Applicants can specify their support needs in the application form and will then be discussed further between Kiruna2029 and the project owner after the selection process.

Projects selected to be part of Kiruna2029’s official artistic programme will also be included in the organisation’s ongoing communications and collective programme activities. These efforts are designed to support the successful development and implementation of the projects as effectively as possible.

The European Capital of Culture is lead by the organisation; Kiruna 2029. A formed team is led by a project manager and the operations are carried out by a growing group of employees together with external partners. Kiruna 2029 is a part of the political body of Kiruna Municipality and in 2026 a European Capital of Culture Committee was established, with one representative from each party with a mandate in the Kiruna City Council.

Get in touch!

Kiruna2029@kiruna.se

See contacts to individual team members at the end of the page.