450 guests at Tarkastamo – Oulu Chamber of Commerce Oktoberfest 2026
I shot the photos and video for the Oulu Chamber of Commerce Oktoberfest at Tarkastamo, an event venue in Oulu. The job came straight from the chamber, and it was the fourth Oktoberfest I have photographed for them. The first was in 2023. This year the main partner was Oulu2026, the European Capital of Culture, and the event was called Oulu2026 Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest sold out for the second year running, and 450 guests from more than 200 organisations came to Tarkastamo. The chamber shared the photos with guests under the line "Spot yourself in the Oktoberfest photos". The wish was for the partners to be visible in the pictures.
The evening started on the stage. Sanna Hirvaskari was the host, and the speakers were the chamber's CEO Juuso Rönnholm, German Ambassador Stephan Auer and Oulu2026 programme director Samu Forsblom. Alma Media and Technopolis also had their stands on the stage, and I kept going back there all evening. Behind the speakers you can see the Alma backdrop and the Oulu2026 light cubes, so the partners are in these pictures too.
I spent most of the evening in the hall. There were pretzels at the buffet, at the Kaleva newspaper stand people stepped inside a giant front-page frame, and mini basketball games were waiting on the BusinessOulu table. Many guests had dressed for the night in a dirndl, lederhosen or a Tyrolean hat. I photographed couples and small groups looking into the camera, so a guest can share the picture just as it is.
From the balcony I photographed the hall from above: tables, crowd and stage in one frame, so the size of the event shows in a single picture. Oulu2026 bunting hung from the railing. To close the night Junna performed, and I shot the set from behind the audience in blue light.
Alongside the stills I shot video. From it I edited one longer compilation and shorter versions in both landscape and portrait format. The landscape versions suit a website and the portrait ones a phone screen, so the same evening works on both.
The photos went into the chamber's press release, where guests can download them for their own use, and onto the social media of the chamber and its partners. I made the videos to market the next Oktoberfest, which takes place on 7 October 2027.
See the evening's photos in the Oulu Chamber of Commerce press release: oulunkauppakamari.fi