Creative Arts

The Night of the Arts brings music, poetry, art, and a sense of community to Pyhäjoki. Throughout the evening, events will take place across the municipality, offering experiences for culture enthusiasts and the whole family alike. Come and enjoy a summer evening with concerts, exhibitions, a shared festive table, and a wide range of accompanying activities.

PROGRAMME

TUESDAY MARKET SQUARE
18:00-22:00 Shared Festive Table
18:15 Marita Silvasti and Saana Kastelli
19:20 Duo Lilja Bäckman and Anni Lajunen
20:30 Huong Rahlan 21:30 Marita Kaakinen

PYHÄJOKI CHURCH
19:00 Buy Sausages! - Folk and Baroque Music on the Recorder
19:45 Beautiful from the Rooftop - Heavenly Music for Two Flutes and Cello

PYHÄJOKI LIBRARY
18:45 Open Mic Poetry Reading

PYHÄJOKI UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL
19:00-21:00 Saila Kleine Staarman's exhibition And Everything In Between, magazine-making, and café open

PERKIÖNMÄKI COSTUME HOUSE
Open until 22:00. Perkiönmäki decorates the village street.

WILD GOOSE CULTURAL CENTRE
The summer exhibition Heavy Lace and the barn flea market are open.

VILHO'S COTTAGE
Nature Spa Days, Fri-Sun.

In Pyhäjoki, every season is magical! Let’s journey together in each season to a remote natural spot, where travelers are greeted by a cultural experience — in the middle of nowhere.

Sun, March 15
A joint hike to a remote natural site: cross-country skiing in deep snow on a bog or in the forest, accompanied by a choir performance.

In Pyhäjoki, every season is magical! Let’s journey together in each season to a remote natural spot, where travelers are greeted by a cultural experience — in the middle of nowhere.

Sunday, 20 September 2026: Partisipants will cycle along scenic gravel roads to the Oravisjärvi lean-to shelter (Vaihojantie 219), where the beat of drums and the crackling of a campfire await! Kristiina Jaakola, Black Raven, will take participants on a journey of communal spirituality through drumming and a nature experience. If you have your own drum, feel free to bring it along. Cyclists depart from the library at 6 PM. You can also arrive at the event by car.

The event is part of the official Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme.

In Pyhäjoki, every season is magical! Let’s journey together in each season to a remote natural spot, where travelers are greeted by a cultural experience — in the middle of nowhere.

July 4 – Pyhäjoki Heritage Day.
A shared journey to another remote natural site: by paddleboard, canoe, or rowboat to Old Harbor (Pörkintie 113), where a maritime-themed theatre performance will take place at 4 PM.

The event is part of the official Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme.

The most colorful library in the OUTI library network is the heart of the community. Pyhäjoki Library warmly welcomes everyone to read, borrow, spend time, meet friends and acquaintances, attend events, organize their own activities, and enjoy exhibitions. Pyhäjoki Library was a finalist in the 2024 Library of the Year competition.

Main library opening hours:
Monday 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM (self-service 7:00–11:00 AM and 4:00–9:00 PM)
Tuesday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM (self-service 7:00–11:00 AM and 8:00–9:00 PM)
Wednesday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM (self-service 7:00–11:00 AM and 8:00–9:00 PM)
Thursday 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM (self-service 7:00–11:00 AM and 4:00–9:00 PM)
Friday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM (self-service 7:00–11:00 AM and 8:00–9:00 PM)
Saturday self-service 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday self-service 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Staff is available on weekdays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

The most colorful library in the OUTI library network is the heart of the community. Pyhäjoki Library warmly welcomes everyone to read, borrow, spend time, meet friends and acquaintances, attend events, organize their own activities, and enjoy exhibitions. Pyhäjoki Library was a finalist in the 2024 Library of the Year competition.

Main library opening hours:
Monday 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM (self-service 7:00–11:00 AM and 4:00–9:00 PM)
Tuesday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM (self-service 7:00–11:00 AM and 8:00–9:00 PM)
Wednesday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM (self-service 7:00–11:00 AM and 8:00–9:00 PM)
Thursday 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM (self-service 7:00–11:00 AM and 4:00–9:00 PM)
Friday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM (self-service 7:00–11:00 AM and 8:00–9:00 PM)
Saturday self-service 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday self-service 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Staff is available on weekdays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

The Pauhalla statue, located in Pyhäjoki, serves as a reminder of a time when fishing was an important livelihood in the Raahe region. Herring, in particular, has been fished from the waters of the area. The plump spawning herring was called pauhakala. It was caught during the pauhapyynti season using pauhapaatti boats. Pauha refers to a herring shoal where waves roar during a storm. The word has remained in use in the Raahe region to this day.

Artist, sculptor Prof. Kari Juva sculpted the bronze Pauhalla statue in 1987. The front of the statue bears the inscription: "God grants great catches to the sons of Pyhäjoki", while the back reads: "To the work of past generations."

The church of the Pyhäjoki parish was designed by Karvala & Silvennoinen and completed in 1977 after the previous one designed by Carl Ludvig Engel was destroyed in a fire in 1974. The church is the third built in Pyhäjoki: The first church was built already in the 16th century. The candle chandeliers and the baptismal font dating back to that time decorate the present church of Pyhäjoki. Built in 1736 within the first church, the bell tower designed by Simon Knup still serves the parishioners. The second church of Pyhäjoki was a large 1200-seat empirical cruciform church drawn by C.L. Engel, and it was completed in 1844. The fire that broke out of a lightning destroyed this magnificent building in the midsummer night of 1974.

The designer used the following words of a psalm as the starting point: “Lift up your hearts to the Lord.” The church combines a modern exterior appearance to an interior that exudes sanctity and harmony. The central positioning of the items salvaged from the burnt church creates a striking link between the old and the new. The wall of the church hall is adorned by sculptor Kari Juva’s brick relief ‘Ten Virgins’. The evocative piece also serves as a statement of faith and an acoustic element.

Pyhäjoki Church is included in the following From Church to Church routes: Rantareitti, Modern and Special Churches, and Steeples and Paupers’ Statues. From Church to Church is part of the official Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme.

Pyhäjoki Church will serve as a Road Church in the summer of 2026 and will be open from 22 June to 7 August from 10 AM to 7 PM, otherwise by appointment.