Events in Norway 2012
January
Jan 7 POLAR NIGHT HALF MARATHON TROMSØ
Jan 12-15 ALL EARS Festival for improvised music. OSLO
Jan 17-22 TROMSØ INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Norway’s largest film festival screens a selection of quality films from around the world, most of which have not previously been shown in Norway. TROMSØ
Jan 19-22 TRAD JAZZ FESTIVAL International and Norwegian artists perform at various venues. STAVANGER
Jan 27-Feb 4 NORTHERN LIGHTS FESTIVAL Along with the return of the sun, a distinguished selection of international musicians come to the Northern Lights festival. The programme offers music ranging from baroque to contemporary, from jazz to classical. TROMSØ
Feb 1-5 POLARJAZZ The world’s northernmost jazz festival on the islands of Svalbard, with some of he best musicians in Norway. SVALBARD
February
Feb 2-5 WORLD CUP BIATHLON. The best skiers in the world gather in Oslo. OSLO
Feb 2-18 KRISTIANSUND OPERA FESTIVAL The festival presents a comprehensive menu within musical theater, and offers two or three opera productions, large church music productions, ballet and other concerts. KRISTIANSUND
Feb 3-5 ICE MUSIC FESTIVAL GEILO
Feb 3-5 WORLD CUP CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING. TRONDHEIM
Feb 8-12 BARENTS SPEKTAKEL. Cultural festival with music, theatre, arts exhibits. KIRKENES
Feb 9-12 LINK WINTER Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival. LOFOTEN ISLANDS
Feb 11 HOLMENKOLLEN SKI MARATHON. OSLO
Feb 10-19 WORLD SNOWBOARDING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2012. OSLO
Feb 16-18 BY:LARM International rock music festival. Oslo
Feb 18 NORWEGIAN SKATING FESTIVAL LILLEHAMMER
Feb 21-25 ROROSMARTNAN The Røros Fair has been an annual tradition since 1854. UNESCO has designated the town of Røros a Cultural Heritage Landmark. Markets, concerts, exhibitions. RØROS
Feb 23-26 SKI FLYING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. VIKERSUND
March
Mar 3-4 WORLD CUP ALPINE SKIING Downhill and Super G. KVITFJELL (Lillehammer)
Mar 7-8 WORLD CUP SKI JUMPING. TRONDHEIM
Mar 8-11 ROROS WINTER FESTIVAL Classical music festival with young Nordic artists together with international names such as Leif Ove Andsnes and Arve Tellefsen. RØROS
Mar 9-11 HOLMENKOLLEN SKI FESTIVAL. World Cup in Nordic skiing including cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and ski jumping. OSLO
Mar 9-18 OSLO INTL CHURCH MUSIC FESTIVAL Concerts in Oslo Cathedral and other churches in the city. OSLO
Mar 9-18 NARVIK WINTER FESTIVAL Festival including church music, jazz, classical music, markets, carnival, seminars, sports events. NARVIK
Mar 10-17 FINNMARKSLOPET. Starting in Alta, Finnmarkslopet is the longest dog sled race in Europe. The Borealis Winter festival will be held from March 8-18. ALTA
Mar 11 INGA LAMI Cross-country ski race for women only. The historic ski race covers 9 miles around Lillehammer. More than 5,000 women of all ages participate every year. LILLEHAMMER
Mar 14-18 BOREALIS Bergen Contemporary Music Festival. BERGEN
Mar 17 BIRKEBEINEREN International cross-country ski race with historical roots, covering the distance between Lillehammer and Rena, a 33-mile trek. RENA - LILLEHAMMER
Mar 19-25 KOSMORAMA Trondheim International Film Festival. TRONDHEIM
Mar 21-25 YUKIGASSEN. The great snowball battle! Plus music and other fun. VARDØ
Mar 23-24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN COD FISHING. Fishing, food and fun in the Lofoten Islands. SVOLVÆR
Mar 27-29 AMANDUS FILM FESTIVAL. Film festival for young filmmakers. LILLEHAMMER
Mar 30-Apr 1 VOSSAJAZZ Three days and nights of jazz and folk music in Voss, a major ski resort in Western Norway. International and Norwegian performers. VOSS
April
Apr 4-7 INFERNO FESTIVAL Heavy metal music festival. OSLO
Apr 4-8 SAMI EASTER FESTIVAL. World championships in reindeer racing, Sami film festival, concerts, markets, arts and crafts. KAUTOKEINO
Apr4-8 LOFOTEN PIANO FESTIVAL. Festival with classical music. LOFOTEN
Apr 12-15 SCANDINAVIAN SKI PRIDE. Gay and lesbian ski festival. HEMSEDAL
Apr 24-29 KRISTIANSAND INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL KRISTIANSAND
Apr 24-28 NORDIC LIGHT International Festival for Photography. KRISTIANSUND
Apr 25-29 BODO INTERNATIONAL ORGAN FESTIVAL BODØ
Apr 26-30 NIDAROS BLUES FESTIVAL TRONDHEIM
Apr 26-May 1 BERGENFEST Music festival focusing on folk music, R&B, funk, gospel and Cajun. BERGEN
Apr 27-28 GRENLAND INTERNATIONAL BRASS FESTIVAL. Brass band festival. OSLO
Apr 28 SVALBARD SKI MARATHON. Skiing competition. LONGYEARBYEN/SPITSBERGEN
May
May 1 LABOUR DAY. Parades throughout Norway
May 8-13 MAIJAZZ International jazz festival. STAVANGER
May 9-12 JAZZFEST. Trondheim Jazz Festival. TRONDHEIM
May 11-13 BALEJAZZ. Jazz festival in the beautiful fjord resort Balestrand. BALESTRAND
May 15 ST HALLVARD'S DAY. Celebration of Oslo’s patron saint. Folklore, concerts, theatre, family entertainment. OSLO
May 17 CONSTITUTION DAY. Celebrations and parades all over Norway.
May 23-Jun 2 NATTJAZZ Northern Europe’s largest jazz festival with music ranging from trad jazz to World Music. Many internationally renowned artists. BERGEN
May 23-Jun 6 BERGEN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL One of Bergen’s artistic highlights. World-class music, dance, theatre – an artistic window of the world.
May 24-28 HARDANGER MUSIC FESTIVAL Music and culture from the Hardangerfjord area, chamber music, church music and folklore. ULLENSVANG
May 25-27 CODSTOCK. Two days of music and cod. Henningsvær, Lofoten Islands
May 29-Jun 3 NORWEGIAN LITERATURE FESTIVAL LILLEHAMMER
May 29-Jun 3 STAMSUND INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL. In the beautiful Lofoten Islands. STAMSUND
June
Jun 7-Sep 30 CONCERTS AT TROLDHAUGEN Classical concerts with Norwegian and international artists at composer Edvard Grieg’s home Troldhaugen. Also every Sunday in September. BERGEN
Jun 7 EXXON MOBIL BISLETT GAMES 2012 Diamond League – International athletes break the world records. OSLO
Jun 7-10 VIKING FESTIVAL Historical play, saga tales, competitions, marches, market, concerts, Viking camp. KOPERVIK
Jun 7-17 NUFF 2012 Nordic Youth Film Festival. Festival for young film makers from all over the world. TROMSØ
Jun 9 – 17 NORTH CAPE FESTIVAL. Annual culture festival at northernmost place on mainland Norway. HONNINGSVÅG
Jun 14-17 NORWEGIAN WOOD Annual rock music festival. With international and Norwegian musicians. Lenny Kravitz to headline in 2012. OSLO
Mid Jun-Aug GRIEG IN BERGEN Concerts and stories. BERGEN
Jun 17-18 OSLO MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL Music, theatre, brave knights and beautiful princesses in Oslo Medieval Park. OSLO
Jun 22-24 HARDANGER WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL NORHEIMSUND
Jun 22-Jul 1 OSLO GAY PRIDE OSLO
Jun 22-24 THE GREAT CHALLENGE Bicycle race from Trondheim to Oslo. Also shorter distances: Lillehammer-Oslo and Eidsvoll-Oslo. TRONDHEIM-OSLO
Jun 23 MIDSUMMER NIGHT. Celebrations and bonfires throughout Norway
Jun 23-30 NORTH NORWAY FESTIVAL The region’s largest cultural event with music, theatre, dance and art exhibitions. HARSTAD
Jun 23-26 OUTDOOR OPERA. Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” at Bergenhus Fortress. BERGEN
Jun 24-July 1 VESTFOLD INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL. Cultural festival in the county of Vestfold
Jun 24-Jul 1 EKSTREMSPORTVEKO International extreme sport competition, including skydiving, rafting, kayaking, paragliding, hang gliding, climbing, BASE and MTB Freeride. VOSS
Jun 26-Jul 1 RISOR CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL International and Norwegian chamber music performers gather in the small town of Risør. RISØR
Jun 28-July 1 HAMAR MUSIC FESTIVAL. Rock music festival. HAMAR
Jun 28-Jul 1 SKUDEFESTIVALEN One of Norway’s largest coastal culture festivals with focus on boats in all categories, and also traditional music, folklore etc. SKUDENESHAVN
Jun 30 MIDNIGHT SUN MARATHON Marathon and other competitions at midnight. Concerts and entertainment. TROMSØ
July
Jul 4-7 KONGSBERG INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Concerts with Norwegian and international artists. KONGSBERG
Jul 5-8 BERGEN HORSE SHOW BERGEN
Jul 5-8 FÆRDE INTERNATIONAL FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL Norway’s largest folk music festival with more than 250 performers from all over the world. Concerts, exhibitions, festival parades, dancing, etc. FØRDE
Jul 9-14 LOFOTEN INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL Festival presenting artists from the Norwegian and international arena. LOFOTEN ISLANDS
Jul 9-15 NORWAY MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL Festival focusing on activities in the majestic mountains of Romsdal. Hiking, climbing courses, seminars and activities for the whole family. ÅNDALSNES
Jul 11-14 ÅLESUND BOAT FESTIVAL ÅLESUND
Jul 11-15 RIDDU RIDDU Cultural festival for the indigenous people of the world. Participants from all over world gather in the town of Kåfjord in the county of Finnmark to exchange and celebrate their culture. KÅFJORD
Jul 16-21 MOLDE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Norway’s largest jazz festival, with more than 400 performers, many of them world famous. MOLDE
Jul 19-21 BUKTA FESTIVAL Rock music festival. TROMSØ
Jul 19-22 TELEMARK FESTIVAL Festival not only presenting traditional folk music from all over the world, but also blues and jazz in harmony with folk music. BØ I TELEMARK
Jul 22-27 ARCTIC SEA KAYAK RACE. International sea kayaking competition in the islands of VESTERÅLEN
Jul 22-29 JØRN HILME FESTIVAL. Norway’s largest festival focusing on folk music and folk dance. FAGERNES in VALDRES
Jul 25-28 GLAD MAT Culinary festival in the harbour of Stavanger. The festival shows new trends in cooking, while people taste, eat and have a good time. Also cooking competitions. STAVANGER
Jul 25-28 CANAL STREET. Jazz and blues festival. ARENDAL
Jul 25-29 ST OLAV PLAY. Historic play focusing on the battle at Stiklestad when Viking king Olav Haraldsson, who christianised Norway, was killed. STIKLESTAD
Jul 28-Aug 4 ST.OLAV FESTIVAL 50th anniversary. A variety of cultural events - concerts, exhibitions, religious services, seminars, pilgrimages, dance, historical market commemmorating the death of St. Olav at the battle of Stiklestad in 1030. TRONDHEIM
Jul 29-Aug 4 NORWAY CUP 2011 International football tournament for youths. More than 1,500 teams with 30,000 participants from 40 nations
compete. Age group 13-19. OSLO
August
Aug 1-12 PEER GYNT FESTIVAL Art exhibits, music, processions with national costumes, open-air theatre with performane of Henrik Ibsen’s ”Peer Gynt” and Edvard Grieg’s music, by Gålå Lake. VINSTRA/GÅLÅ
Aug 2-5 NOTODDEN BLUES FESTIVAL International blues festival with several famous performers. "Blues Train" from Oslo and "Blues Cruise" on Lake Heddal. NOTODDEN
Aug 2-5 RISØR WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL RISØR
Aug 3-12 NORDLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL The festival offers concerts within many musical genres – classical, jazz, rock and folk music – with national as well as international artists. Also church concerts, music theatre, art exhibitions and more. BODØ
Aug 6-12 INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL The festival aims to unite world-renowned soloists and new talents to perform chamber music in various ensembles. STAVANGER
Aug 7-11 ØYA FESTIVAL Rock music festival in the medieval park Middelalderparken. OSLO
Aug 8-12 SILDAJAZZ International trad jazz festival featuring more than 300 performers. HAUGESUND
Aug 8-12 VARANGER FESTIVAL Jazz festival. The festival presents concerts, jazz cruises on Hurtigruten, seminars, street parades, theatre, markets, exhibitions. VADSØ
Aug 8-12 LOFOTR VIKING FESTIVAL. With markets, competitions, handicrafts and activities for the whole family at the Lofotr Museum in the LOFOTEN ISLANDS
Aug 9-12 MANDAL SEAFOOD FESTIVAL Long tables with fresh mussels, shrimps, cray fish, crabs and other delicacies from the ocean are laid out in the narrow cobblestoned streets. Concerts and entertainment. MANDAL
Aug 10-18 OSLO CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL International and Norwegian musicians perform on various stages in the city. OSLO
Aug 13-18 OSLO JAZZ FESTIVAL The festival presents more than 80 concerts during seven days. In addition to presenting the elite of Norwegian musicians, the festival also features many world famous performers. OSLO
Aug 15-19 INTERNATIONAL CHURCH MUSIC FESTIVAL KRISTIANSAND
Aug 18-25 NORWEGIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Introduction of new Norwegian and foreign movies. Also special New Nordic Films. Presentation of the Amanda Award. HAUGESUND
Aug 24-26 MELA FESTIVAL Annual multicultural festival taking place on City Hall Square. Music, food and other artistic expressions. OSLO
September
Sep NUART. International contemporary street and urban art festival. STAVANGER
Sep BERGEN FOOD FESTIVAL BERGEN
Sep 6-9 BLUES IN HELL One of Europe’s best blues festivals. HELL
Sep 6-15 ULTIMA Oslo Contemporary Music Festival. OSLO
Sep 17-23 TRONDHEIM INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL. TRONDHEIM
Sep 22-23 OSLO MARATHON OSLO
End Sep KAPITTEL. International festival for literature and freedom of speech. STAVANGER
End Sep-Oct NUMUSIC. International festival focusing on new and adventurous music. STAVANGER
October
Oct OSLO BEER FESTIVAL. OSLO
Oct CODA. Oslo International Dance Festival. OSLO
Oct EKKO. Festival for electronic music and art. BERGEN
Oct METEOR. Bi-annual international theatre festival. BERGEN
Oct DARK SEASON BLUES. The northernmost blues festival in the world. LONGYEARBYEN
Oct 4-7 NINA GRIEG FESTIVAL Music festival for young voices. BERGEN
Oct 12-14 OSLO HORSE SHOW Family show including Grand Prix. OSLO
Oct 17-24 BIFF Bergen International Film Festival. BERGEN
Oct 20-22 INSOMNIA. Festival for future music and techno culture. TROMSØ
Oct 21-30 OSLO OPERA FESTIVAL. OSLO
November
Nov OSLO WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL. OSLO
Nov 15-18 BARENTSJAZZ. International jazz festival. TROMSØ
Nov OIFF. Oslo International Film Festival. OSLO
Nov 24- Dec 20 CHRISTMAS MARKET. OSLO
December
Dec 10-12 DAYS OF PEACE IN OSLO The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in the Oslo City Hall every year on 10 December, followed by official ceremonies such as torch light procession, concerts and exhibitions. OSLO