Event calendar

Oslo is a vibrant city with plenty of events happening throughout the year. Festivals take place both in the summer and in the winter, there are free cultural happenings, and each night of the week, there are concerts taking place in one of the city’s many live music venues.

H O L M E N K O L L E N SKIFESTIVAL Annually, usually in March Holmenkollen Skifestival, often referred to as Kollen-helgen (‘The Kollen Weekend’), is an annual festival of various skiing tournaments taking place in Holmenkollen. Though parts of the event area are ticketed, several of the events take place in nonticketed areas, allowing everyone to get a glimpse of their sports heroes. The Norwegian term ‘Kollenbrølet’ relates to the roar produced by the excited crowds at the Holmenkollen ski-jumping competitions.

I N F E R N O M E T A L F E S T I V A L 9-12 April More than any other genre of music, Norway is famous for its black metal, and every year, extreme metal festival Inferno Metal Festival paints Oslo black during Easter. From Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, several of Oslo’s venues take part in the festival and present the attendees with large national and international acts. Artists confirmed for 2020: Mayhem, Vreid, Ihsahn, Venom and more. streets with flags, chants and songs, and free concerts and events are held across the city.

VG-LISTA TOPP 20 June, date TBA The biggest free concert tour of the year is VG-lista Topp 20, which stops by Rådhusplassen in Oslo every year. With a line-up consisting of the biggest teen idols, pop stars and celebrities, the concerts draw thousands of young attendees each year for a celebration of the Norwegian Top-20 chart show.

PIKNIK I PARKEN 11-13 June Norwegians love their picnics, and the annual city-based festival Piknik i Parken (‘Picnic in the Park’) embraces the picnic culture to the max as Sofienbergparken fills to the brim with people, music and summer vibes. Artists confirmed for 2020: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Massive Attack, Supergrass, Girl in Red, Two Door Cinema Club and more.

T H E O S L O P H I L H A R M O N I C A N N U A L O U T D O O R CONCERT 14 June The Oslo Philharmonic and special guests end their concert season with a free open-air concert at Myraløkka in central Oslo, where anyone can sit down on the grass and enjoy classical music in the mild summer night.

17 MAY – NORWEGIAN CONSTITUTION DAY 17 May The biggest celebration of the year, as millions of Norwegians take to the streets to celebrate Norway’s constitution. Children parade the

From Inferno Metal Festival. © Dreamstime

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Fun fact ‘Uffda’ is a good word to know when watching sports with Norwegians. It means a sometimes disappointed, sometimes goodhumoured, sometimes patronising and other times a comforting ‘whoops’. Use, for instance, when the opposite team scores; to say to a friend supporting the opposite team when your team scores; when your ski hero breaks his ski pole; or when you realise you won’t get into Fotballfest because it’s already too crowded.

OVER OSLO 17-20 June For those longing for fresh air and a view of the city, Over Oslo ships busloads of people up to Grefsenkollen for four days of music from big Nordic and international names. Artists confirmed for 2020: Sigrid, Cezinando, Melissa Horn, Gabrielle, The Cardigans, Pet Shop Boys and more.

OSLO PRIDE 19-28 June Norway’s biggest LGBTQ+ festival takes place in Oslo city centre, with its main hub and festival area in Spikersuppa. Admission to the festival area is free of charge and features concerts, shows and events, educational stalls, talks and debates. The annual Pride Parade takes place on 22 June, when thousands of people celebrate in the streets of Oslo .

TONS OF ROCK 25-27 June Tons Of Rock caters to fans of commercially successful rock. Originally a Halden festival, Tons Of Rock relocated to Oslo in 2019 and takes place at Ekebergsletta in June. Artists confirmed for 2020: Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Faith No More, Mastodon and more.

FOOTBALL GAMES Summer half of the year Though Oslo has several football teams fighting in the upper Norwegian divisions, it’s the Norwegian national team that draws the biggest crowds. While it’s far from the best national team in Europe, or even Scandinavia, Norwegians are faithful fans, and if there’s a national game happening, they’ll meet in football pubs, party downtown and make friends with fans from the opposite team before heading to the stadium – more often than not to have their hopes crushed once more. But ‘uffda’, that’s ok, as they say; it was a fun day anyway!

F O T B A L L F E S T E N Dates TBA Fotballfesten shows the World and European football cups on big open-air screens at Kontraskjæret near Akershus Fortress. Entry is free of charge, but there are usually extensive queues to get in due to its popularity.

ØYAFESTIVALEN 11-15 August Norwegians love festivals, and some of the biggest ones take place in Oslo. The biggest of them all is Øyafestivalen, an annual music festival taking place in Tøyenparken in the city centre every August. For four days on end – in addition to one multi-venue club day in the city – the park is filled with thousands of happy festivalgoers enjoying some of the biggest national and international names in music. Øyafestivalen is a multi-awardwinning non-camping festival, and in February 2020, it won International Greener Festival Award, pinning it as the greenest festival in the world. Ecological and sustainable festival food and beer served in eco-friendly containers and reusable glasses are only a small part of the eco aspect of the festival. Renewable energy and meticulous recycling of the remaining waste are others. But for the festival visitors, it is the relaxed vibe, good music, and unbeatable location that is important. Artists confirmed for 2020: The Strokes, FKA Twigs, Suede, AURORA, Stormzy and more.

Oslo’s public holidays in 2020

1 January: New Year’s Day 9 April (2020): Maundy Thursday 10 April (2020): Good Friday 12 April (2020): Easter Sunday 13 April (2020): Easter Monday 1 May: Labour Day/May Day 17 May: Constitution Day 21 May (2020): Ascension Day 31 May (2020): Whit Sunday 1 June (2020): Whit Monday 25 December: Christmas Day 26 December: Boxing Day (known as Second Christmas Day in Norway)

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MELAFESTIVALEN 14-16 August Free-to-attend festival Melafestivalen is a festival celebrating world culture. Outside the concert area, food stalls let people sample foods and treats from all over the world. Other aspects of the festival include art and culture from several continents. Artists confirmed for 2020: Jaz Dhami, Mari Boine, Jasmine Sandlas, Manu Chao and more.

MUSIKKFEST 29 August Another free-to-attend festival is Musikkfest, an annual festival celebrating music, taking place in the streets of Oslo on the first Saturday of June. Local arrangers and livemusic venues move their stages out onto the streets, and bands from all conceivable genres entertain crowds all over the city for free. Many eateries also move outside for the crowds to be able to enjoy food and drink along with the music.

OSLO CULTURE NIGHT 13 September For one night only, 200 of the city’s museums, venues, galleries, and historical sites open their doors for anyone to visit free of charge. Get guided tours, learn about local history, explore places you might not normally visit, or listen to music you might not normally choose.

E L V E L A N G S I FAKKELLYS 24 September, 8pm to 11pm Elvelangs i fakkellys (‘Along the river by torchlight’) is an annual event usually taking place in September along the Akerselva River. For one night, all the electric lights along the river are switched off and replaced with 4,500 torches. 1,500 cultural experiences including choirs, theatre troupes, art installations, light installations and dance performances entertain the approximately 40,000 people walking the eight-kilometre path each year.

J U L I V I N T E R L A N D Mid-November to end of December Christmas is a time of celebration in Norway, and in Oslo, it’s marked by Christmas concerts in the various churches, streets being decorated with lights and Christmas markets popping up in the squares. The biggest Christmas market in Oslo, Jul i Vinterland (‘Christmas in Winterland’) takes place at Spikersuppa in Oslo city centre and includes food stalls, souvenir and handicraft stalls, a free ice-skating rink, bars and eateries, games, and a large Ferris wheel.

On public holidays and Sundays, Norway shuts down. Shops are closed, and outside Oslo, so are many restaurants. In Oslo, however, restaurants and cafés tend stay open, albeit with shorter opening hours. December is the exception, when shops are allowed to stay open in preparation for Christmas.