The Creative and Cultural Sector in Umeå
Wide variety of institutions
Umeå, known as northern Sweden’s cultural hub, offers exciting opportunities in the arts, music, literature, journalism, and design. Institutions like Bildmuseet, Kvinnohistoriskt Museum and Västerbotten Museum frequently seek talent for roles in curation, event planning, and education. There are also several media houses including VK Media, SVT and Sveriges Radio.
Festivals and events
Music and performing arts thrive here, with NorrlandsOperan and local festivals offering positions in production, stage management, and event coordination. Brännbollsyran is the largest music festival. Umeå is also a great literary center and provides roles in both writing and editing, while its design community offers opportunities in graphic and product design. Littfest is one of the largest cultural events within the literary scene in Sweden.
Arenas for collaboration and entrepreneurship
Freelancers and entrepreneurs benefit from co-working spaces and business incubators like eXpression, HUMlab and Väven, fostering collaboration and networking. Volunteering at events and engaging with local networks can help you tap into Umeå’s creative scene. There are also up and coming video game companies both larger and small who's taking the world by storm. Ongoing work through Arctic Game and Umeå Game Hub tries to introduce new talent to the sector through both community work and events throughout the year.
With its vibrant culture and supportive environment, Umeå is ideal for building a career in the arts!
3 X EMPLOYERS IN THE CREATIVE AND CULTURAL SECTOR
- NorrlandsOperan
External link, opens in new window. – The single largest creative sector employer in Umeå. Focused on screenplay productions, as well as dance and music. - Toontrack External link, opens in new window. – A highly successful company within digital media production, who creates and distributes music software.
- Windup Games External link, opens in new window. – An up-and-coming games studio who’s been rapidly growing since its founding in 2023.
This content is produced as part of the EU-funded project Gateway Umeå, owned by the municipality of Umeå and Region Västerbotten.