Children's and youth culture
Open Cultural Centre ARX
Open Cultural Centre ARX produces and coordinates the open cultural services for children and young people organized by the City of Hämeenlinna. ARX is a multi-disciplinary cultural centre that offers joy, shared activities, experiences and creative encounters. The operations bring art and culture into the daily lives of children, young people and families, as well as schools and early childhood education centres.
HÄX – urban culture for young people
HÄX is an urban culture platform aimed at young people, where they can create, experience and experiment together. HÄX incorporates the voices and ideas of young people into the urban culture of Hämeenlinna and offers opportunities in areas such as music, street art, graffiti, dance and other art forms.
Aimokoulu
Aimokoulu School of Visual Arts is Hämeenlinna’s own arts and crafts school, where children and young people can develop their creativity through long-term engagement with visual arts and crafts outside of school hours.
Children's Culture Promise
The objective of the Hämeenlinna Children’s Culture Promise is to offer every child and young person opportunities to encounter art and culture. The promise is manifested through free Children’s Saturdays events, the Culture Path, and the annual Hippalot art festival. Workshops, performances, concerts and other events bring cultural experiences into the daily lives of children and young people throughout the year.
Children's Saturdays
Children’s Saturdays offer high-quality and free cultural experiences for children and families in Hämeenlinna. The programme, organized by Hämeenlinna’s cultural institutions and operators, is part of the Hämeenlinna’s Children’s Culture Promise. On Children’s Saturdays, workshops, performances, concerts and other inspiring cultural activities are organized in various parts of the city.
Culture Path
The Culture Path ensures that every child in Hämeenlinna receives art and culture experiences annually during their early childhood education and school years. The Culture Path implements the child’s right to art, culture and self-expression, and supports equal opportunities for children to participate in cultural life.
HIL art hobbies
The free HIL art hobbies provided by ARX offer schoolchildren the opportunity to engage in visual arts and other creative skills in connection with the school day.
Festivals for children and young people in Hämeenlinna
Hippalot Children's Art Festival
Hippalot is Finland’s oldest children’s art festival combining various art forms, held at the turn of July and August. The festival invites children aged 0–12 and their families to enjoy theatre, music, dance, literature, art and participatory workshops.
Räikee Street Art Festival (in Finnish)
Räikee Street Art Festival transforms Hämeenlinna’s urban space with colourful works of art and invites children, young people and other residents to create art together.
Valoilmiö (in Finnish)
Valoilmiö is an annual three-day urban festival focusing on light art, held in November. Valoilmiö illuminates familiar buildings and backyards in Hämeenlinna and brings light to the darkest time of the year.
