Oulu Music Festival 2008 was the last for the artistic director Mika Rännäli. As a farewell gift he wanted to bring joy and laughter to the audience in Oulu.
In a concert called A Little Nightmare Music, a Korean-Russian duo made fun of classical music, and another international guest was jazz singer Victoria Tolstoy, who performed together with Oulu All Star Big Band. The famous St Matthew Passion oratory by J.S. Bach was a memorable closing concert to the festival.