Summer

As soon as summer gets a firm grip on Norway, usually in late May or early June, you’ll see the locals out and about, enjoying the sun after a long and cold winter, barbecuing in the parks or at the beach, and generally just being happy. And as the weather gets warmer and warmer, so does the people.

From late June to early August, it never gets really dark anywhere in the country. But if you want to experience the midnight sun, you have to travel to Northern Norway. The further north you go, the more nights of midnight sun you get. Do as the locals – go kayaking, hiking, or fishing in the middle of the night, or gather at one of the top places to experience the phenomenon in all its glory.

Norwegians celebrate Midsummer Eve, or “Sankthansaften” (Saint John’s Eve) on 23 June. Parties take place all over Norway, especially along the coast or up in the mountains. The Norwegians take their bonfires seriously – in 2016, residents in Ålesund built the world’s largest open-air fire.

The summer season is also prime time for hiking, cycling, and camping. Most of the snow in the mountains has melted away, and lots of people spend their summer holiday out in the nature. Outdoor recreation is a major part of our national identity, and is also established by law.

Seasonal food and drink

Blueberries are common in Norwegian forests and mountains, and will start to ripen in the middle of summer in Southern Norway and a bit later further north. In July and August, you will see roadside booths offering locally grown strawberries and cherries for sale.

When the sun is out, so are the Norwegians. Barbecuing vegetables, fish, meat, and poultry for dinner is a Norwegian summer tradition, and at the first sign of summer Norwegians of legal drinking age will flock to pubs offering for a beer on the pavement or in a beer garden. This “utepils” (literally “outdoor beer”) is so ingrained that the first opportunity for it will often be mentioned in the national press. We wouldn’t like to miss the year’s first beer in the sun, would we?