Event Calendar

The Museum of Torne Valley showcases Torne Valley culture and history on both sides of the Finnish-Swedish border. We specialize in the local way of life and border region phenomena. Our permanent exhibition highlights the traditional means of living, the history of Tornio and Haparanda, border trade, smuggling and marriages across the border.

Visitors can also listen to local languages and dialects. The past comes alive through original artifacts and abundant picture and film material on display.

14.11.2025-2.8.2026

The exhibition introduces visitors to the stages of beer production and the factors that influence it. The exhibition also explores the role of beer in people’s daily lives, celebrations and beliefs, and looks at society as a regulator and structurer of beer-drinkers. Photographs, objects and advertisements from different eras will provide an introduction to beer memories of the past.

Exhibition loan from the Finnish Hotel and Restaurant Museum. The exhibition is complemented by a section on the history of brewing in Tornio.

The exhibition and its accompanying programmes are organised in cooperation with Tornio Brewery. During the exhibition, group guided tours will be organised, starting with a visit to the museum to learn about the history of beer, followed by a visit to the Tornion Brewery to taste the beers.

14/11 2025-2/8 2026

The exhibition provides a perspective on the mythology of beer, from its creation to the death of folk beer. Visitors will learn about the processes of beer brewing and the factors that influence it. The exhibition also highlights the role of beer in people’s everyday lives, celebrations and beliefs, and explores how society has been both a regulator and a structure creator for people who drink beer. Photographs, objects and advertisements from different eras lead visitors into the beer history of the past.

Exhibition loan from the Finnish Hotel and Restaurant Museum. The exhibition is supplemented with sections on the history of the Tornio brewery. The exhibition and its accompanying program are organized in cooperation with Tornion Panimo. During the exhibition period, group tours will be offered, where participants will first learn about the history of beer at the museum and then go on a brewery tour and beer tasting at Tornion Panimo.

In 2026, the Aine Art Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary.

The museum was opened to the public on 8 March 1986. The Rajakartano building was designed by architect Matti Porkka. Mrs Tellervo Koivisto opened the museum to the public with ceremonial words: May Rajakartano grow into a sanctuary of knowledge, skill and creativity.

The story of the art museum began with the love of art shared by Tornio residents Eila and Veli Aine. Their shared passion eventually grew into one of the most significant art collections in Northern Finland, the collection of the Aine Pictorial Arts Foundation.

The agreement between the Aine Pictorial Art Foundation and the City of Tornio was signed on 23 October 1979. Under the agreement, the City committed to constructing exhibition and storage facilities meeting museum standards for the art collection and to being responsible for the care of the collection as well as for the operation of the art museum. The Aine Pictorial Art Foundation committed to permanently placing the art collection it owns in the museum’s premises.

The collections of the Aine Pictorial Art Foundation and the Aine Art Museum contain genuine pearls of art, works that are particularly cherished. Among the more than four thousand works of art are national treasures shared by all Finns as well as history unique to the people of Tornio. The exhibition features artists such as Fanny Churberg, Ellen Thesleff, H. Ahtela, Helene Schjerfbeck, Vilho Lampi, Kalervo Palsa, Marika Mäkelä, Tove Jansson, Tuulikki Pietilä, Rafael Wardi, Ina Colliander

How many pearls that are important to you will you find among the works in the exhibition?

Photo: Ahtela H., The Last of the Ice, 1906, oil on canvas, Aine Art Museum’s collection.

Aine Art Museum in Tornio is set to turn 40 years old in March 2026.As part of the anniversary year celebrations, the museum will be hosting a retrospective exhibition entitled And I Became Human, showcasing the work of much-loved Photographer Jaakko Heikkilä. The exhibition will present a broad spectrum of Heikkilä’s work, spanning the early 1990s to the 2020s, and will be on display at Aine Art Museum from 8 March to 30 August 2026.

Jaakko Heikkilä is one of northern Finland’s most significant and internationally renowned contemporary artists. Born in Kemi in 1956, he works in the Kukkolankoski rapids area of the Tornio River Valley.

Heikkilä first became known to a wider audience in the 1990s with his works Our Land (1992) and Bright Humility (1996), which explored the people and culture of the Tornio River Valley. Since then, Heikkilä’s photography has taken him to Armenia, Russia, Serbia, Italy, the USA, Norway, the UK, Brazil, Mexico and Cuba.

Heikkilä’s photographs often provide an insight into various communities, minority cultures, and the related phenomena. His images are deeply human, touching, and often with a soft hint of humour. The subjects of his photographs include Venetian aristocrats, Armenians, Wallachians, and Pomors, as well as some of Finland’s wealthiest people.

Heikkilä has held numerous major solo exhibitions at venues such as the National Museum of Finland in 2016 and 2022, the Finnish Museum of Photography 2011, and the Venice Biennale 2005. His solo exhibition Mykempi ko kala (‘Quieter than fish’) took place at Aine Art Museum in 1994, followed by Armenian vaietut tarinat (‘Armenia’s silenced stories’) in 2007.

Heikkilä won the Lapland Art prize in 1993, the State Prize for Photographic Art in 2007, and the Barents Scholarship for Cultural Cooperation in 2017.

Heikkilä explains the significance Aine Art Museum holds for him:

“We moved to Kukkola in autumn 1989. Aine Art Museum quickly became very close to my heart, a kind of living room that could transport me into the arts, a restaurant of thoughts, a source of inspiration.”

With support from the Finnish Heritage Agency

Photo: Jaakko Heikkilä, 27. In Ebbas Vardagsrum, Kukkola, Finland, 2003.

On Saturday, May 9, the Tornedal Museum will organize the opening of the temporary exhibition “50 years of precious steel from Tornio”, and at 1 pm a lecture where Pekka Erkkilä lectures under the title “Tornio steelworks and Outokumpu history”.

On Saturday 9 May, we will celebrate 405 years of Tornio in the Hallituskatu promenade from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be Tornio by Tornio, just like its inhabitants and proudly its own.

The event will include the presentation of the city’s annual scholarships and awards, and enjoy displays of art by local performers. Performers include Tornio’s own Tango Queen Mira Sunnari and her band, and children’s music duo Hulabaloo!

Outokumpu Stainless will also be celebrating its 50th anniversary!

The Tornedalens Museum organizes on Wednesday 13 May at 18.00 a lecture with FD Janne Ikäheimo (University of Oulu) with the title

2026 is 60th anniversary year for Alatornion Pirkat , and we will celebrate this by moving together – welcome to the event at Pohjan Stadium!

National Running Day is a nationwide wellbeing campaign run by the Finnish Sports Confederation and athletics clubs. The aim is to get Finns to take the first step towards their own wellbeing by walking or running.

In connection with the event, Alatornion Pirkat is organizing a 60th anniversary celebration at 10.30-11.30, where you can move at your own pace and support the club’s activities.

Whether you are an experienced runner or a beginner, this day is for you. Come alone, with friends or with the whole family – every lap is a step towards a shared celebration of the joy of exercise!

Put on your sneakers and join us!

#National Running Day #AlatornionPirkat60v #Honorary Tour #The Joy of Exercise

Welcome to bid farewell to the over 40-year-old Kalottjazz & Blues Festival in a lively and festive atmosphere!

On stage, among others, Irina Björklund – a versatile artist known as both an actress and a singer – as well as blues rock icon Saverio Maccne with his band. Ridig High Duo will also perform.

Folkets Hus, May 16, 2026, 20:00–24:00 (Swedish time)

Secure your spot (limited number of seats) and book your ticket! Tickets cost 350 SEK.
More information coming soon: https://www.kalottjazzblues.net/

Bands from the Kemi and Tornio branches of the Meri-Lapi Music College will perform.
The concert is open to all. Free entry.

Music School students perform at the end of the year ceremony. The event is open to all

Stripped-down and intimate. Filled with tension and emotion. This is what the audience can expect when Norrbotten Big Band meets the acclaimed pop duo Sand & Hallander. With trombonist Tilde Schweizer as arranger, it can only be a success.

The pop duo Sand & Hallander consists of Emmalisa Hallander and Nina Sand, who sing and perform their own original songs in Swedish, featuring witty lyrics and expressive melodies. Their debut album Älskar, älskar inte (2023) was highly praised by critics and reviewers, and they were compared, among others, to ABBA.

Nina Sand and Emmalisa Hallander found each other in 2015 through their shared sense of humor and love for The Beatles. Since then, they have been best friends and are passionate about writing songs together—often with a twinkle in their eye. New songs will be released in the summer of 2025, and in 2026 an exciting collaboration with Norrbotten Big Band awaits.

Ticket information
Tickets: standard €15 / SEK 150, pensioners €10 / SEK 100, students free
Booking: kulturen@haparanda.se
Swish: 123 515 38 04
Organizer: City of Haparanda / Culture

Welcome to northern Sweden’s most fun race offering courses for everyone, regardless of experience or age. A race and experience for the whole family with the joy of running in focus.

Discover Seskarö’s fantastic trails and the wonderful nature of the Haparanda Archipelago. Have you just started running or never tried trailrunning before? Then the 3 km course is perfect for getting started. For those who want bigger challenge, there is a 7 km and a 12 km courses. Here at the Seskarö Trails outdoor arena you´ll run on winding paths of various kinds – forest, gravel, pebbles and sand.

But of course the whole family should join in. That´s why we offer courses even for the little ones: 500m, 1000m and 2km on asphalt and trail. Perfect for the youngest to experience the thrill of competition.

Saturday, May 30, 15-17 Swedish time, speed dating is organized at Haparanda City Library in collaboration between Haparanda and Tornio library.

The event is multilingual (Swedish, Finnish, English and Meänkieli).

Register via the QR code on the poster or via this link:

SWEDISH

https://forms.gle/Jq5tdRdqPgBaxqQ98

FINNISH

https://forms.gle/8tCk2eV3i6N45hmd6

The deadline for registration is Monday, May 25. Participation is free of charge. You must be over 18 years old to participate.

How does the event work?

1. All registered participants will be notified via a confirmation email about your participation after the deadline of May 25.
2. The event will take place at Haparanda Library, Norra Esplanaden 1, Haparanda. Please arrive on time, preferably at least 15 minutes before the event starts.
3. When you arrive, sign in with one of the officials. You will be given a name tag, a form where you can check whether there will be a match or no match with those you are sped dating and a brochure with some more information.
4. The spedating process is such that everyone is assigned their first date. The men are spread out in the library room and the women circulate.
5. Each speed date lasts 6 minutes and when the alarm sounds you move on to the next one.
6. Once you have dated everyone, hand in the completed form to the officials. Don’t forget to write your name on the form!
7. After the event has ended, during the evening, you will receive an email from the officials if there has been a match, with the contact details of the person.

Classic Musicmeet – Wheels Nationals Haparanda!

Day program – FREE ENTRY
Admission at 23.00
DOLLY STYLE takes the stage at 12.30

EVENING PROGRAM – TRIBUTE NIGHT
Admission at 16.30
Entrance 200 SEK/pp, no pre-booking required
Live music from 17.00

As the evening progresses, the volume is raised and we invite you to a maxed Tribute Night with legendary rock music:
Mighty Queen
The Dress To Kiss
Hetfieldz

An evening filled with classic hits, sing-alongs and rock energy!

The purpose of the local heritage days is to celebrate Tornio’s long history and cultural heritage, to increase understanding of local history and local history work and to make Tornio known both here and nationally.

The theme of the Heritage Day is “Heritage without Borders” and during the three days there will be a wide range of activities around Tornio and its surroundings on both sides of the border. We want to reach out to locals, residents, visitors and tourists. The event also brings together professionals and enthusiasts working on cultural heritage and heritage issues across the country.

Puuluoto Backyard is now organized for the second time.