
The best places to celebrate Sankthansaften in Oslo and Bergen
Bjørvika
. One of the biggest Sankthansaften bonfires in Oslo, or at least in central Oslo is the bonfire arranged by the sauna club, Oslo Badstuforening, in the waters in front of the iconic Barcode project.
You can find all the details of the arrangement on the
association's Facebook page here
. The event starts at 4pm, when young people are encouraged to make blomsterkrans flower crowns, with music and other events to keep you entertained until the fire is lit at 7pm.
The event is free and open to all.
The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.
The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (Norsk Folkemuseum) on the Bygdøy peninsular holds
big traditional celebration every year on the Sunday closest to Midsummer
. The events took place this year on June 22nd, so people could attend on the weekend.
Tickets cost 195 kroner for an adult, but children can enter for free.
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Bogstadvannet.
There will be Sankt Hans-themed activities for the children at the Bogstadvannet lake between Oslo and Bærum from 5pm, with lambs to pet, storytelling and music. The bonfire will be lit at 8.15pm.
You can find the program here
.
Holmendammen.
The
activities at the Holmendammen lake
start at shortly before 5pm, with children offered horseback riding, a
fiskedam
or "fishing lake" present-fishing game, a lottery, and ice cream cart, grill booth, sausage stand and lots of cake, waffles and coffee. The fire gets lit at 8.30pm.
BERGEN
Gamle Bergen Museum
. The city's open-air history museum arguably puts on
the best traditional Sankthansaften celebration
in the city, with traditional activities for children such as a
potetløp
(potato race), ballkast (ball-throwing contest) and music from traditional barrel organs.
Montana
. The Baune sports club hosts a
Sankthansaften bonfire at the Montana training park
outside Bergen, with hotdogs, soda, coffee, cakes and svele pancakes for sale. The bonfire is lit at 7pm.
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Local Norway
23-06-2025
- Local Norway
The best places to celebrate Sankthansaften in Oslo and Bergen
OSLO Bjørvika . One of the biggest Sankthansaften bonfires in Oslo, or at least in central Oslo is the bonfire arranged by the sauna club, Oslo Badstuforening, in the waters in front of the iconic Barcode project. You can find all the details of the arrangement on the association's Facebook page here . The event starts at 4pm, when young people are encouraged to make blomsterkrans flower crowns, with music and other events to keep you entertained until the fire is lit at 7pm. The event is free and open to all. The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (Norsk Folkemuseum) on the Bygdøy peninsular holds big traditional celebration every year on the Sunday closest to Midsummer . The events took place this year on June 22nd, so people could attend on the weekend. Tickets cost 195 kroner for an adult, but children can enter for free. Advertisement Bogstadvannet. There will be Sankt Hans-themed activities for the children at the Bogstadvannet lake between Oslo and Bærum from 5pm, with lambs to pet, storytelling and music. The bonfire will be lit at 8.15pm. You can find the program here . Holmendammen. The activities at the Holmendammen lake start at shortly before 5pm, with children offered horseback riding, a fiskedam or "fishing lake" present-fishing game, a lottery, and ice cream cart, grill booth, sausage stand and lots of cake, waffles and coffee. The fire gets lit at 8.30pm. BERGEN Gamle Bergen Museum . The city's open-air history museum arguably puts on the best traditional Sankthansaften celebration in the city, with traditional activities for children such as a potetløp (potato race), ballkast (ball-throwing contest) and music from traditional barrel organs. Montana . The Baune sports club hosts a Sankthansaften bonfire at the Montana training park outside Bergen, with hotdogs, soda, coffee, cakes and svele pancakes for sale. The bonfire is lit at 7pm.


Local Norway
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- Local Norway
What's on in Norway: Five great Christmas markets in Oslo
Winter typically transforms Norway into a winter wonderland in its own right, and a handful of excellent Christmas markets across the country can really help you get in the festive mood. Being the biggest city in the country, it'll come as no surprise that Oslo is home to the largest concentration of fantastic Christmas markets. Whether it's a family day out, a trip through time or a desire to buy a handmade gift for that special someone, there's a market for everyone. The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History's annual Christmas fair Probably our favourite Christmas market we've visited in Oslo, the annual fair is home to an excellent selection of market stalls selling great gifts and traditional Norwegian Christmas produce. This is in addition to freshly made lefse being served up the same they would've been a few hundred years ago, folk dance performances, and horse-drawn carriage rides. Houses will also be decorated for Christmas in the style of several different periods, meaning you can also learn more about the country's unique Christmas traditions. The Christmas fair is only open on the first two weekends of December, meaning you'll have limited time to make the most out of this gem. Tickets are 180 kroner for adults, while kids go free. Oslos Supermarked SALT's annual indoor market will have over 100 stalls selling food, jewellery, textiles, and art. Visitors to the multihyphenate cultural hub can enjoy choir concerts, workshops where you can make your own gifts, quizzes and storytelling. There will be nearly 20 cultural performances, demonstrations, and exhibitions. A full list of the market's vendors is already available on SALT's website. It'll pay to get to the market (which opens at 12pm) early as entry is free in the first and final hour. Tickets will otherwise cost 49 kroner for adults. The market is open between 11am and 4pm during the second and third weekends of December. Jul i Vinterland Many entries on this list will only be open for a couple of weekends in December, thankfully Oslo's biggest Christmas market is open everyday until New Year's Eve. Located bang in the heart of Oslo, surrounding the Spikersuppa skating rink, near Oslo's main shopping street, Karl Johan Street is Jul I Vinterland or Winter Wonderland Oslo. Among the main attractions are the ice skating rink and Ferris wheel. In addition to those and the market stalls, there are plenty of open fires where you can gather around and soak up the atmosphere. This is all in addition to the market stalls and plenty of delicious food and drinks available. Handmade in Norway's Christmas market More than 60 venders will be selling handmade Norwegian goods. The products will be made by artists and designers. The event is free to the public, so you don't need to worry about entry fees. This event is also super central being held at Sentralen in Kvadraturen. Given how close to the city centre this one is, you could combine it with either Jul i Vinterland or the Christmas market at SALT. If you really want to get in the festive spirit, then you could potentially do all 3 in one day. This market is only available on December 7th between 12pm and 5pm. Fabrikk Christmas market This Christmas market in the Nydalen neighbourhood will focus heavily on reused, upcycled, refurbished and short-travelled goods with a focus on sustainability. The market will be spread over 750 square metres, with warm drinks, baked goods and a good Christmas atmosphere on offer. This market will be open from Thursday, December 12th until Sunday, December 15th and will be open between 11am and 6pm.


Local Norway
26-11-2024
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What's on in Norway: Six of the best events in December 2024
Christmas markets A good Christmas market can get even the biggest Grinch in the mood for the festive period. There are too many good ones to list for just one article, but some of our favourites include the annual Christmas fair at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, the exceedingly popular Christmas market in Egersund, near Stavanger and the annual market in Bergen. Thankfully, we have compiled a comprehensive article on ten of the best in all of Norway. And if you will be going to a Christmas market, then be sure to try out some traditional foods and drinks. We've also got an article with our picks for what you should try too. Oslo's Christmas Tree Lighting, December 1st An annual tradition in Oslo is the lighting of the large Christmas tree at Universitetsplassen. The lighting takes place at 5pm. Given its proximity to the Winter Wonderland Christmas market in Oslo, you could spend a few hours before or after the lighting to soak up the atmosphere. Torshov's live Christmas calendar This event in the Torshov neighbourhood of Oslo puts a unique spin on the traditional advent calendar. Every evening, there will be a live performance from the window of a local home or business. The shows are put on for free, and anybody can come along to watch. Music performances, recitals from Norway's best-loved Christmas films, and choirs make up the bulk of the entertainment. Following the organiser's social media accounts will let you know where each event is held. Being a Christmas calendar, performances begin on December 1st. Stand-up comedy in English Sticking with Oslo, we thought we'd feature some non-Christmas events. There will be at least two stand-up comedy nights in English in the capital in December. On December 5th, Nieu Scene in Torshov will host one of its regular comedy nights. Inia James will host it. Other performers have yet to be announced, but the shows tend to have a good mix of established comics and emerging acts. Later on in the month, on December 21st, SALT will have an English language comedy night hosted by Pernille Haaland, which features acts such as Cécile Moroni, who we've recently spoken to about raising kids in Norway and how to make Norwegians laugh. If you know of any other English-language comedy nights in Norway, please let us know in the comments so we can potentially include them in future roundups of the best events. Nidaros Boys' and Nidaros Girls' Choirs One of Norway's oldest boys' choirs will hold several concerts in December. Concerts will be held on December 13th, December 14th, and December 15th. Information on tickets is here. Trondheim Soloists and violinist Joakim Røbergshagen will join the choir. A week later, on December 20th and December 21st, you will be able to see the Nidaros Cathedral's Girls' Choir. More information on tickets can be found here. Santa Lucia, December 13th Santa Lucia is a Christian tradition that celebrates Lucia, a Christian girl born in Sicily in 283. She dedicated her life to helping others and wore a candle on her head to keep her hands free while she handed out food. Long before Norwegians heard of Lucia, Santa Lucia was called Lussinatten, and you were forbidden from working (unfortunately, that tradition has long since died out). Across the country, Lucia processions will be held in schools, workplaces, retirement homes and hospitals. Children dress in all-white costumes, with one child selected to be Lucia, and they sing songs with candles on their heads. If the singing isn't up your street, then luckily, the kids also hand out saffron buns called lussekatter.