Schedule Overview

The 2026 Arctic Arts Summit will bring together 600 leaders, artists, cultural workers, academics and political decision makers of Arctic countries and Indigenous Nations across the Circumpolar North to strengthen arts and culture, stimulate international collaboration and facilitate timely dialogue from a northern perspective. 

Viermie K, Umeå kommun, Region Västerbotten, Swedish Arts Council, Umeå University and Arctic Arts Summit Secretariat will co-host the Summit, themed “Land, Power, Art,”  in Ubmeje/Umeå, Sweden from 16-18 June 2026. 

The 2026 Summit program will unfold across multiple venues and platforms, combining high-level dialogue with broad public engagement and impactful artistic programming. Central to the Summit are daily plenary sessions, where key voices from arts, Indigenous communities, academia, and politics come together each morning to discuss critical issues facing arts and culture communities in the North. The Summit will also host a wide range of over 60 parallel sessions hosted by partners across the Arctic, which will open space for diverse perspectives and discussions on topics ranging from the role of culture in preparedness and international collaboration, infrastructure, funding structures, decolonization initiatives, sustainability and artistic practices. The Summit also features workshops, live broadcasts and podcasts, ensuring broad accessibility and documentation.

These discursive sessions will be complemented by a full schedule of artistic programming, including newly commissioned works, exhibitions, public artwork, performances, film screenings and more, will activate the Summit’s themes through artists’ voices. In addition, the Off-Summit and Co-organizers programs will activate venues across Ubmeje/Umeå, giving delegates and local audiences an opportunity to experience the richness of local artistic programming.