Over the fifty years, Tampere Theatre Festival has risen to be one of the most significant festivals in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. This year's festival edition will take place between 7 and 13 August with 19 productions, five of which are foreign.
The festival shows most interesting and up-to-the-minute productions in Finnish theatre and attracts leading international guests from all corners of the globe. The festival consists of five programme categories:
- The Main Programme forms the artistic framework of the festival. Every year, approximately 20 theatre companies are invited to perform in Tampere.
- T Lab (formerly known as Programme Tent) includes ethereal concerts and upbeat club nights as well as poetry and small-scale theatre performances. Artists such as Samuli Putro will be part of T Lab, Putro describes in his lyrics the common reality with cutting precision and heart-stopping accuracy.
- Hotel Tammer Concerts celebrate the long-term collaboration with Tampere Theatre Festival and the 90th anniversary of the iconic riverside hotel in the heart of Tampere.
- OFF Tampere fringe festival is open to all who wish to perform in the festival at their own expense. Every year about 35 companies participate in OFF Tampere.
- The Great Nocturnal Happening and its carnevalistic atmosphere take over the city of Tampere as different co-operative parties, such as associations, companies, parishes and the City council itself, arrange happenings and events around Tampere.
Besides performances, various meetings, workshops, seminars and discussions are also organised during the festival week. Some of them are open to the public, some for professionals only, but all of them bring together theatre lovers from different corners of the world. The event organisersare also committed to minimizing the impact of festivals on the environment. Find the whole festival program here.
