Suialaa Arts Festival: Add a cultural spark to your Arctic autumn

By Signe Hansen

As the long summer days begin to shorten over Greenland, Nuuk is preparing to come alive with creativity. The Suialaa Arts Festival returns at the end of October, and if you have been dreaming of an Arctic getaway steeped in art, stories, and Greenlandic culture, this is the moment to go.

Held every second year, Suialaa is Greenland’s largest recurring arts festival. Over four days, the capital hosts a vibrant mix of performances, exhibitions, talks, readings and workshops – celebrating both Greenlandic creativity and the wider Arctic and Nordic artistic scene.

Rasmus Lyberth, one of Greenland’s most renowned musicians, playing a concert at the festival. Photo: Kunstnerkollektivet Larm

“There’s a truly special atmosphere when you experience all art forms at once, and October is the perfect time to visit Nuuk,” says festival manager Pauliina Oinonen. “I think nature is so beautiful – all the plants turn red and yellow, and if you’re lucky enough to get sunshine, it’s the most beautiful light. I highly recommend experiencing it.”

Founded by the Nordic Institute in Greenland and the Municipality of Nuuk, the festival has grown from a Nordic exchange project to an Arctic cultural landmark with strong roots in Indigenous traditions. The programme is as ambitious as it is eclectic – and this year, more intimate. “In 2025, we’re embracing a more personal experience,” says Oinonen. “Some concerts will take place in unexpected, smaller venues – allowing the audience to encounter culture in places where it’s not usually found.”

Greenlandic drum dancer, musician and filmmaker Varna performing at the festival. Photo: Sermersooq Business Council

Among the programme highlights are Kiuryaq, a multidisciplinary Arctic theatre production inspired by northern lights mythology, and Qullaq, an ambitious musical collaboration fusing classical and rhythmic elements, featuring Greenlandic and international stars. Nive Nielsen, who has not performed in Nuuk for years, returns to the stage, while Nuka Alice teams up with the choir Ingiulik in a powerful meeting of choral arrangement and drum dancing.

Nick Ørbæk and band playing a concert in 2017. Photo: Sermersooq Business Council

Visual art includes Sobey Art Award-winning Inuvialuk artist Kablusiak, and an exhibition at Nuuk Art Museum showcasing leading Greenlandic and Sámi contemporary artists. Meanwhile, the architecture and literature programme converges in Joar Nango’s Girjegumpi, a mobile library installation hosting this year’s talk stage. Literature lovers can also look forward to the Arctic Art Book Fair.

A tribute to the late Greenlandic multi-artist Kunngi (Frederik Kristensen), whose poem Suialaa gave the festival its name, runs as a subtle thread throughout the programme. “Suialaa refers to a breeze – something light and fleeting that moves something,” Oinonen explains. “That’s what we want the festival to do: stir the air, bring something into motion, if only briefly.”