MUST Festival 2025: Tampere, 21-22 May
A Shared City for All Living Beings
Join us in imagining the multispecies cities of the future!
The MUST Festival brings together city residents, researchers, nature lovers, civil servants, and decision-makers to explore how we can build cities where all species — from butterflies to trees — can thrive together.
All events are free of charge and venues are accessible. Please note that some events require advance registration. Events will take place across various locations in Tampere.
Warmly welcome!
Open Programme
Wednesday 21 May
12:00 pm –1 pm Festival Opening: Explore the Rewilding Pilot at Hervanta Campus. Join us for a guided introduction to the pilot project transforming Hervanta campus into a biodiverse, multispecies space. Language: Finnish & English.
4 pm – 5:45 pm Puppet-making Workshops: Whose Voices Are Heard in the Future Multispecies City? Family-friendly puppet-making workshops at Finlayson. Two sessions starting at 16:00, and 17:00. Language: Finnish. Reserve your free ticket here.
Thursday 22 May
10:00 am -12:00 pm Meeting Spot – Me and the Other Multispecies Residents of the City. Join researchers to discuss Tampere locations that are important to different species that live in the city. MUST Dome theatre, Viimeistämö, Finlayson (Finlaysoninkatu 4A). Language: Finnish & English. Drop by at your leisure – the meeting spot is open 10-12!
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Butterfly Walk: Follow butterfly trails through the heart of Tampere with nature doctor Tomi Kumpulainen and researchers from SYKE. Starting point: Myllysaari Meadow (Otto Gustafsson Park, 61°30’19.3″N 23°45’25.5″E). Language: Finnish.
5:30 – 6:30 pm Showcase – Video and Sound Artworks by Tampere based High-school Students and HMTM Munich Presented at the MUST Dome Theater Welcome to experience a multispecies Tampere through the lens of young art. Languages: Finnish and English
6:30 pm –8:30 pm Literary Evening: A discussion on respectful imagination and nature connection with Finlandia Prize-winning author Anni Kytömäki and science author Juha Kauppinen. Venue: Frenckell Stage, Tampere Theatre. Language: Finnish. Reserve your free ticket here.
Programme info
Guided Tour: Secrets of Rewilding at Hervanta Campus and a Sound-Walk
Wed 21 May, 12:00–13:00
Location: Hervanta Campus, Korkeakoulunkatu 10, front lawn ‘etunurtsi’ (Tietotalo). Link to Google map.
Guided by researchers, explore the MUST pilot project promoting biodiversity and greenery at Tampere University’s Hervanta campus. See how a lawn is transformed into a meeting place for various species and join the Sound-Walk.
Languages: Finnish and English
Puppet-Making Workshop: Whose Voice is Heard in a Multispecies City?
Wed 21 May, 16:00–18:00 (Sessions at 16:00 and 17:00)
Location: MUST Space, Media 54, Finlayson, Satakunnakatu 18 A (Directions and accessibility info provided here)
Create your own being in this puppet-making workshop and give it a voice!
Guided by puppetry artist Erika Aalto, participants will craft puppets using dried natural materials. Sound artist and researcher Tuure Tammi will help bring them to life through voice and movement. The workshop has been designed by University of Oulu researchers of multispecies education, Pauliina Rautio and Tuure Tammi, together with puppet theatre artist Erika Aalto.
Suitable for all ages. Language: Finnish
Each session lasts 45 minutes. Reserve your free ticket here!
Meeting Spot – Me and the Other Multispecies Inhabitants of the City
Thu 22 May 10:00 am – 12 pm Drop-in and come when you can
Location: MUST Space, Media 54, Finlayson, Satakunnakatu 18 A (Directions and accessibility info provided here)
What places in Tampere are important to both humans and other species?
Nature is deeply woven into everyday life in Tampere, shaping experiences, values, and human connections. At the same time, the city is home to many birds, plants, insects, and other species that support biodiversity and ecological networks. What are these locations in Tampere that are important for both its human and non-human residents? How do everyday interactions between humans and nature shape their perception and values of these green areas around them?
This event invites you to discuss important places across Tampere with researchers and learn how they matter for the city’s future.
Languages: Finnish and English
Butterfly Walk – Join Researchers to Follow Butterfly Trails Through the City
Thu 22 May, 16:30–17:30
Starting point: Myllysaari Meadow (Otto Gustafssonin puisto, 61°30’19.3″N 23°45’25.5″E).
See the urban environment through the eyes of butterflies.
Join Dr. Tomi Kumpulainen, curator at the Tampere Natural History Museum, on a guided walk following butterfly routes through the city. The tour explores three green spaces in Tampere city centre and the connections between them from the perspective of butterflies.
Route: Myllysaari Meadow → Näsinpuisto Park → Hämeenpuisto Park → ending at Frenckell Stage.
Language: Finnish
Showcase – Video and Sound Artworks by Tampere based High-school Students and HMTM Munich Presented at the MUST Dome Theater
Thu 22 May 5:30 – 6:30 pm Drop-in and come when you can
Location: MUST Space, Media 54, Finlayson, Satakunnakatu 18 A (Directions and accessibility info provided here)
Welcome to experience a multispecies Tampere through the lens of young art. In this event, local upper secondary school students from Tampere will present videos and soundscapes created in collaboration with researchers. These works explore the coexistence of humans and other forms of nature in the city through sound. The event will also feature sound artworks by master’s students in sound art from HMTM Munich, based on recordings made in Kauppi, Tampere and along the Isar River in Munich.
Languages: Finnish and English
Literary Evening – On Respectful Imagination and Nature Connection
Thu 22 May, 18:30–20:30
Venue: Frenckell Stage, Tampere Theatre (Frenckellinaukio 2, 33100 Tampere)
How can literature help us empathize with and better understand the mental landscapes and needs of other species?
Welcome to a discussion on the UN’s International Day for Biological Diversity with author Anni Kytömäki and non-fiction writer Juha Kauppinen. During the evening, we will dive into questions about our connection with nature, respectful imagination, and ecological debt – what would happen if nature were to prevail? Guiding us from one topic to another throughout the evening are MUST researchers Valtteri Aaltonen and Kari Jalonen.
The event is organized by the MUST research project and is part of the MUST Festival, held in Tampere on May 21–22, 2025, and the Spring 2025 National Dialogues discussion days.
Event language: Finnish. Reserve your free ticket here.
In addition, throughout May you can join a time travel experience: “Multispecies Tampere 2050”!
Surrounding the festival, four one-hour-long audiovisual journeys to the future titled Multispecies Tampere 2050 will be organized during May. The travel dates to the future are: 12 May, 14 May, 19 May, 20 May, and 27 May 2025, with the departure point located in Finlayson, Tampere.
The Multispecies Tampere 2050 time travel invites participants to imagine Tampere in the year 2050, where nature has been successfully restored in accordance with the EU Nature Restoration Law. The experience is curated by MUST researcher Satu Aavanranta 🌿 from the University of Helsinki.
For more information and to register for the journey: satu.aavanranta@helsinki.fi
Info about the event
The Event is organised by MUST Research Project together with its collaborators.
More info on the event and media inquires:
producer, Sofia Suomalainen, sofia.suomalainen@demoshelsinki.fi, +358 504300061.
