Open Arms Fest Helsinki

What Ukraine is defending: OPEN ARMS FEST brings Ukrainian art, music and wartime experience to Helsinki

13–14 November 2026 | Helsinki

A defence festival might seem like an unexpected place to encounter contemporary art, live music and conversations about language, memory and history. At OPEN ARMS FEST in Helsinki, that is exactly the point.

Ukraine has spent years developing new ways to defend itself. But defence is not an end in itself. It exists to protect the possibility of living freely — to make music, create art, debate ideas, preserve memory and imagine what comes next.

On 13–14 November, OPEN ARMS FEST brings together Ukrainian musicians, cultural voices and people serving in the Armed Forces for two days of performances, art and public conversations in Helsinki.

The cultural programme presents a Ukraine that is rarely visible through the daily headlines of war: contemporary, restless, creative and very much alive.

From theatrical cabaret to the electric bandura
On Friday, 13 November, the programme features Ivan Tkalenko, a musician, composer and Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemember whose work explores the possibilities of the bandura, including an electric instrument he developed himself. He is joined by Dakh Daughters bringing their theatrical musical world to the festival, moving between cabaret, music and performance, as well as Orchestra 59, a musical band that originated as the orchestra of the 59th Brigade and gradually developed into an independent creative unit within Cultural Forces.

On Saturday, 14  November, NAZVA and  Ziferblat will perform their music. NAZVA self-identify their style as “alternative ethno-art chaos”, while Ziferblat is an alternative band formed by the Leshchynskyi brothers, blending indie, art rock, and progressive pop. In 2025, the band represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vasyl Slipak Ensemble, professional musicians, soloists, and conductors from Ukrainian theatres and philharmonic societies who joined the Defence Forces of Ukraine following the full-scale invasion, also takes stage this evening,

The programme reflects a cultural scene that has continued to change and create throughout the war, rather than being frozen by it.

Art, literature and lived experience
Alongside the live programme, the festival will feature an exhibition of contemporary Ukrainian art, including works by Serhii Grekh, Ihor Gusev, Denys Metelin, Ivan Mykhailov, Valerii Puzik, Mykhailo Skop (#NEIVANMADE), Ruslan Tremba, Alex Zakletsky and Stas Zhalobniuk. All artists are currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Also, an installation dedicated to literature will offer another way to engage with Ukrainian culture.

These elements extend the programme beyond the stage, creating further encounters with Ukrainian culture and the experiences behind it.

Discussions on what war can change
On Friday, 13 November, Ukrainian speakers will meet with local voices in discussions about history, identity, the information environment and the relationship between Ukraine and the Nordic countries.

 The Words of War panel discussion brings together writer and serviceman Ihor Mitrov, philosopher and publicist Vakhtang Kebuladze, veteran and cultural figure Alina Sarnatska highlighting how the war renames reality, what happens to universal ideas and values in wartime.

On Saturday, 14 November, the programme also turns towards the host country: Ukraine and the Nordic Countries: A Forgotten Connection and followed by After captivity: What happens to individuals and society after release from captivity? brings together Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, prisoner of war, National Guard of Ukraine servicewoman, paramedic, volunteer, and psychologist officer, and Juan Alberto Leiva García, prisoner of war, active-duty Navy service member. An additional local speaker will be announced.

Why put culture next to defence?
OPEN ARMS FEST deliberately places these worlds in the same space.

The festival connects Ukraine’s cultural life with the experiences of those defending it. The idea is not that culture should become militarised. It is the opposite: the ability to defend a society matters because there is a society worth defending.

Its music. Its art. Its memories. Its freedom to create. This is the main idea of Open Arms Fest: OPEN TO LIFE. READY TO DEFEND IT.

Helsinki follows Oslo and Stockholm as part of a travelling programme that will continue to Tallinn, creating encounters between contemporary Ukraine and Nordic audiences through culture, public dialogue and Ukraine’s wartime experience.

Open public programme: 13–14 November 2026
https://openarmsfest.com/

Admission is free. Advance registration is required: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfislKo5_N9T37LWX7PFxOiKDi3rT5YBdNlUOFH6O6Nfw7T4A/viewform