Tullikamari reopens after nearly €14 million refit with new entrance and expanded backstage

Tampere's historic Tullikamari complex is set to reopen after a nearly €14 million renovation, just ahead of the Tampere Jazz Happening on Oct. 29–Nov. 1, Tamperelainen reported.

The project preserves the 125-year-old building's original look while adding modern functionality, according to Janne Laurila, program manager of Tampereen Kulttuurikamari.

The Pakkahuone main entrance has been moved to Tullikamarin square. Visitors now enter through a spacious glass vestibule that leads directly to the toilets, cloakroom and Pakkahuone hall. A much larger cloakroom, a staircase twice as wide and a relocated elevator that opens straight into the hall should ease long-standing bottlenecks and improve accessibility.

Backstage and service areas were upgraded for professional touring acts. The new performers' backstage includes a lounge with sofas, a large dining table, a fully equipped kitchen, showers, a sauna and a screen showing the stage.

The club side of the complex remains largely unchanged after its 2021 refurbishment, but the Pakkahuone hall now has a bar twice the previous size and more wall elements that match the venue's gritty atmosphere. During the renovation, crews uncovered large stones under the foyer wall that appear to have supported the building for decades.

The first public event in the renewed Tullikamari will be the 45th Tampere Jazz Happening.

Previous coverage noted the renovation included a new basement level and a large artist green room with a sauna (previous coverage), and that the venue was granted a use permit and handed over to users at the end of August (use-permit notice).