The radical tragedy of Antigone, which defies those in power, will premiere on 15 April on the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre as a startling interpretation by young actors. Antigone, which premiered 2400 years ago by Sophocles, is once again topical: challenging power, civil disobedience and the status of women are being discussed all over Europe. Directed by Minna Harjuniemi and composed by Emma Raunio, the work continues the series of co-productions of HKT and the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki for the sixth year in a row.

Helsinki City Theatre's autumn programme is a diverse selection of Finnish premieres, music and comedy. The season on the big stage will be opened in August by the hit musical & Julia and in September by the musical drama The Story of a Laughing Vagabond. On the Arena stage, people laugh with the new Finnish relationship comedy, Kotijoukot. Elolliset, based on the book by Iida Turpeinen and a co-production with the WAUHAUS collective, will premiere on the small stage. Other premieres in the autumn include the adventure musical Fretti Mercury Seeks Happiness for the whole family, Lilla Teatern's black humour De obehöriga, and Birds of Paradise, which draws on the paradise birds and show wrestling of the Contemporary Performance. In addition, the warm-hearted comedy Kurtturuusut will continue its performances on a small stage.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the Finnish art and entertainment fields were strongly separated. Until an artist, Vesa-Matti Loiri, came along and conquered both. The Story of the Laughing Tramp is a musical drama directed by Paavo Westerberg, in which the adult Loiri is played by Santeri Kinnunen and the young Oliver Kollberg. The play will premiere on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre on 30 September.

The Time to Shine festival is a free and accessible performing arts festival for people over the age of 65 that challenges images of ageing and invites seniors not only to see theatre but also to participate and do things. The festival, organised for the first time, will bring together 17 Helsinki-based cultural operators at the Helsinki City Theatre on 30–31 March, who will fill the foyers with art, workshops and encounters.

Helsinki City Theatre's audience outreach brings theatre to where people live and invites them to join in the making themselves. In the spring of 2026, Finland's largest theatre audience outreach department will, among other things, take theatre to assisted living facilities and senior homes, organise free festivals for the elderly, and invite thousands of eighth-graders and schoolchildren to reflect on and experience theatre together.

Helsinki City Theatre's dance company Helsinki Dance Company brings an unprecedented combination of dance, magic and illusion to its spring programme. Designed by magician Kalle Nio, the moving set made of mirrors creates visually stunning images and requires millimetre precision work from the dancers. Brazilian top choreographer Fernando Melo's new work Out of Order will premiere on March 11 on a small stage.