About ODDfest
breaking down walls
We get it — new stuff can be confusing. You’re not sure what ODDfest really is or if it’s your scence. Should you buy the ticket or not?
Let’s make it easy.
We’ll break it down, piece by piece, so you can feel what we’re about.
So you can see the vision. The response to Finland’s creative industries feeling stuck. The love. The chaos.
So you know why being part of ODDfest isn’t just fun — it matters.
Stick with us. Let’s get ODD.
An ODD Festival for a New Era
ODDfest, taking over Lasipalatsikortteli, Helsinki on June 6-7, 2025, tackles an urgent crisis: Finland’s creative sector contributes just 4% of GDP, lagging far behind neighboring countries like the UK and Denmark, and resulting in billions of euros in missed economic potential. Recent €17M state funding cuts worsen the situation, pushing our cultural vibrancy toward collapse.
Our solution is clear: ODDfest aims to ignite creativity as Finland’s next growth engine, becoming Europe’s leading festival with 100,000+ attendees by 2030—placing artists and creatives at its core.
Expect two days of impactful talks, hands-on workshops, and collaborative co-creation by day, followed by electrifying music, theater, dance, and immersive installations at night across four stages: Chaos (main stage), Focus (Bio Rex), Love (terrace), and Me, Trasmedia & AI (Kulttuurikasarmi).
Curated by Meeri Koutaniemi, Jonas Verwijnen, Liwlig Group, and visionary creative collectives, our 2025 Theme, Chaos & Acceleration,” celebrating the idea that real progress starts with a little disorder.
Join us—reshape Finland’s creative future. Next, discover what our venue and stages have to offer.
Lasipalatsi- kortteli
The Perfect Playground for Creativity
Lasipalatsikortteli sits right in the middle of Helsinki’s city center—smack in the middle of what locals call the “cultural mile.” It’s a place people pass through every day, but not everyone knows its full story.
Originally built in the 1930s, Lasipalatsi has gone through wave after wave of reinvention. In the ’90s, it turned into a digital media hub with Yle and MTV3 Suomi studios calling it home. More recently, it underwent a major renovation and reopened as a cultural landmark that blends history with modern energy.
That’s what makes it the perfect setting for ODDfest.
It’s not just the central location or the architecture (though those help). It’s the vibe. The way it holds space for contrast—heritage and progress, structure and experimentation. Just like the festival.
There’s a massive outdoor plaza for performances and hangouts. Intimate cinemas for deep-dives and screenings. Restaurants, galleries, and side-venues tucked into every corner. Day or night, there’s always something happening, and it all feels connected.
Lasipalatsikortteli isn’t just where ODDfest happens—it’s part of the experience.
five stages
and other ODD experiences
ODDfest unfolds across five unique stages, each designed to bring the worlds of art, business, and society together. Pick your stage. Or don’t. The best moments happen when you let the chaos choose for you.
In addition to stages, we have other creative spaces, where we reimagine the festival experience. Learn more below.
Chaos 01 stage
01 CHAOS STAGE – Where anything can happen.
Short, unannounced artistic acts — dance, spoken word, visual art, satire — that pop up between sessions (Surprise Piece)
Business and creative minds meet. One presents a real challenge. The other responds — not with a slide deck, but with a radical idea (Creative Matchmaker).
Two diverse teams craft and pitch their vision for a better society. A live audience and panel of judges respond. Boldness is rewarded (Societal Talent Show).
Focus 02 stage
02 FOCUS STAGE – Where you watch ideas break apart and reassemble.
People debate from behind anonymity — you only hear their thinking, not their title (Debate in the Dark).
Actors take audience prompts and instantly turn them into raw scenes that reflect our values and contradictions (Culture Freefall).
Two people battle through fast, visual storytelling — flipping between corporate slides, protest posters, and personal art (Pecha Kucha Battle).
Then solo voices take the stage and share 10-minute manifestos — not to perform, but to be real (Statement Stage).
Love 03 stage
03 LOVE STAGE – Where you slow down — and become part of the moment.
This isn’t yoga. It’s an invitation to move, connect, and explore what your body has to say. A reset through rhythm, presence, and play (Body Talk).
At night, the LOVE STAGE turns into a lush, genre-crossing music space. Expect sounds ranging from club culture DJing to dreamy alt-pop and afrotrap.
Performers include: Balkan Fever Helsinki // Salad Factory (DJ sets) // Rony Rex // Aves // MUSH
Me, Transmedia & AI 04 stage
04 ME, TRANSMEDIA, & AI – Where stories evolve beyond the screen.
Helsinki Film Lab brings together pioneers of storytelling, world-building, and artificial intelligence for a future-facing experience at the heart of Kulttuurikasarmi.
This space merges film, gaming, literature, and tech into a living laboratory of narrative experimentation. Through talks, workshops, and showcases led by top international experts like Kurt McClang, you’ll explore how transmedia strategy, narrative game design, and generative AI are reshaping the creative process — from ideation to production and beyond.
This isn’t just a stage. It’s a portal into the next chapter of storytelling.
Genelec Immersive Sound Stage 05 stage
05 GENELEC IMMERSIVE SOUND STAGE —Where sound surrounds, stories unfold, and the creative process comes alive—built for deep listening and next-level audio.
We’re inviting 2–4 visionary artists to step into the spotlight—not just to perform, but to talk about their craft, ideas, and how sound shapes their world. You’ll hear the why behind the work, then experience it in full immersive quality—powered by Genelec’s world-class audio setup.
This isn’t a concert. It’s a behind-the-scenes meet the mind meets full-body listening journey.
Step in. Sit back. Get pulled into the sound.