What is OAF?
Outsider Art Festival invites everyone to celebrate equality! OAF gives voice to the outsider artists by presenting a vibrant collection of music, visual arts, performing arts, films, literature and life stories. OAF Opening is held yearly on the Night of the Arts and festival events are held in Helsinki and Espoo.
OAF showcases art that is made in the marginals of the society. At OAF, the artists get to define by themselves what outsider art is – or they may leave it undefined.
OAF creates a space, which brings people together and enables new encounters. Equally and together. OAF offers an interesting workplace and working experience for people with disabilities and new generations in event production.
Follow us on social media: @outsiderartfestival #outsiderart #outsiderartfestival #outsiderartfinland
Get familiar with the events and artists of OAF 2021-2025 from the buttons below:
OAF Production Team
Outsider Art Festival is a partner festival of the Helsinki Festival.
Festival production is managed by Pertti’s Choice. Pertti’s Choice is an outsider art agency and production house founded by Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät punk band. Pertti’s Choice is the first social enterprise in Finland founded by people with learning disabilities.
OAF develops a model of inclusive curation and festival production that enables outsider art creators equal participation and influence in the art field. Artist selections are made by an artistic working group that includes outsider art creators from different fields and artist mentors. In addition to the open call, the festival program is also curated by invitation. Read more about OAF’s curation model.
OAF is committed to promoting sustainable development goals, diversity and cultural equality. All of the festival teams include people with disabilities. More info about festival principles and terms and privacy policy. Production contact information can be found here.
open call for artists, curators and partners
OAF organizes an Open Call for artists, curators and partners yearly in November.
Festival artists are selected through an open application process. The call for artists is open for artists working the fields of visual arts, music, film, performing arts and literature. The call is open to all outsider artists living in Finland. You can apply for one or more art field categories.
Outsider Art Festival welcomes applications from artists and curators from different art fields to collaborate and join OAF international residency program. The residency is open for artists and curators living outside of Finland.
Outsider Art Festival OAF is also seeking new partners and collaboration proposals for upcoming years!
Outside the official Open Call in November, you can contact us via email: outsiderartfestival@gmail.com
For festival visitors
Program
See OAF 2025 program here.
Tickets and registration instructions
The Outsider Art Festival includes events both free of charge and with paid tickets. The program takes place in live events as well as online.
You can the OAF ticket shop from Tiketti here. Tiketti sells tickets for events in Helsinki.
Lippu.fi sells tickets for events in Espoo. Tickets for the Louhisali event sold here.
Tickets for the film screenings can be bought through Espoo Ciné here.
Festival venues
Outsider Art Festival is held in Helsinki and Espoo.
The main event venue in 2025 is the old Elanto’s Leipätehdas block (bread factory), where the events of the festival will be built together with the Cultural Centre Caisa and the House of Text. This year OAF spread out to Espoo for the first time as events are also held in venues such as Louhisali at Espoon kulttuurikeskus. Event’s will also be held at Pertti’s Choice shop and gallery.
Accommodation
Home Hotel Katajanokka is OAF’s official accommodation partner. Home Hotel Katajanokka promotes True Equality by offering beautiful setting for OAF artists, audience and cultural travellers to meet and connect.
Home Hotel Katajanokka is a charming and stylish hotel, which itself is a real attraction. Dating back to 1837 the thick red brick walls, once housed the home to the Helsinki County Prison. Home Hotel Katajanokka is beautifully situated on the island of Katajanokka in central Helsinki..
As an OAF guest you can get a reduced price for rooms using the code PARTY at the reservation page. The discount with the code is -15 % from the best price of the day.
The hotel has accessible rooms, but it’s recommended to ask in advance.
The hotel address is Merikasarminkatu 1 A, 00160 Helsinki.
Accessibility
Outsider Art Festival is committed to promoting equal access and creating a safe experience for all visitors. Everyone is welcome to celebrate cultural equality!
Inclusion and equality have been key elements in designing the festival concept, production and program. OAF aims at creating inclusive festival production and curating models, that enable the engagement of people with disabilities in planning, designing and executing the festival experience.
Accessibility has been considered in every phase of the festival production from planning to execution and implemented together with people with disabilities and from different backgrounds.
You can find Pertti’s Choice space accessibility info and the safer place principles of OAF and Pertti’s Choice here.
You can ask more about OAF accessibility: info@outsiderartdestival.fi
Map
OAF 2025 map will be added here.
Safety
All festival events are planned taking into account current security arrangements.
Arrive at the event only if you are healthy. Take care of good hand hygiene.
OAF is committed to the safer space policy.
Media
Pictures and logos
Here you can find OAF’s official press photos. Please remember to credit the photographer, visual designer and OAF festival.
Photos and visuals by Klaus Welp.
Media Accreditation
For more information, email
info@outsiderartfestival.fi
heini@pertinvalinta.fi
Contact information
Pertti’s Choice
Hakaniemenkuja 2
00530 Helsinki
Heini Merkkiniemi
Festival director
+358 50552 8821
Tuomas Vaahtoluoto
producer
+358 50 350 7993
Volunteering
The Outsider Art Festival is seeking volunteers for the OAF 2026 festival.
OAF offers volunteers the chance to participate in organizing festival events, gain experience in inclusive event production, and engage in meaningful encounters with the festival’s artists and working groups. Volunteers will also receive free tickets to festival events.
More about volunteering and application form can be found here.