Norway Events and Festivals
January
 Northern Lights Festival
The annual Northern Lights Festival is close to 20 years old and is consequently one of the country’s most established music festivals. Held to coincide with the sun’s reappearance following its winter withdrawal, the festival sees musicians from genres such as ethnic folk, chamber orchestra, experimental jazz, contemporary and symphonic music.
March
The Winter Festival Narvik: established in 1956, the Winter Festival Narvik is an event based around the cultural history of the town of Narvik. The festival comprises carnival, jazz and classical music performances as well as sporting events, a literature seminar and various conferences and workshops.
April
 Inferno Festival: held in Oslo, the Inferno Festival is a chance for fans of heavy metal music to get together and do a little head banging as metal acts from Norway and across the globe take to the stage to thrash out some of their best compositions. The crowd is mainly Norwegian but hardcore metal fans from other countries often make the trip to enjoy this significant event.
May
 Bergen International Festival: established in 1953, the Bergen International Festival is primarily a music festival however; in recent years it has expanded to include performing arts such as theatre and dance. This event, which lasts a little under two weeks, is exceptionally well attended and features both Norwegian and international performers.
June
 Extreme Sports Week: held in Voss which can be reached in just over an hour from Bergen, the Ekstremesport Ueko as it is locally known sees seven days of outdoor sporting events offering thrills for both participants and spectators. Sports such as base jumping, skydiving, hang gliding, climbing and box biking are represented and events are accompanied by a program of live music.
 Festival of North Norway: the Festival of North Norway is the biggest and most important cultural event in the North of the country and offers nine days of cultural events with a highly varied program including live music and theatrical performances. The festival’s main aim is to showcase the cultural diversity which is present in Norway’s northern regions.
July
 Førde Folk Music Festival: the Førde Folk Music Festival is an annual event that sees both local and international artists from the folk music genre; gather for three days of performances showcasing their talents. The festival focuses on the folk music of a specific country every year and invites artists from that country to perform.
August
 Oslo Jazz Festival: the annual Oslo Jazz Festival sees performers from the many disciplines of jazz gather to showcase their talents. Norwegian artists as well as internationally renowned ones from a host of countries perform new and old jazz pieces at an event that draws large numbers of people from across Norway.
September
 Contemporary Dance Festival: held in Oslo at the end of September, the Contemporary Dance Festival offers visitors the chance to indulge their love of the modern dance genre with performances by professional dancers from across the country and abroad also. Expect everything from traditional contemporary dance performances to slightly more avant-garde ones.
October
Tromsø International Literature Festival: every year this festival invites visitors to enjoy readings from the works of internationally acclaimed writers in an event lasting three days. Each festival is given a theme based on a specific country and hence the literature of that country becomes the main focus for that year’s readings.
November
 Oslo International Film Festival: for 10 days, the city of Oslo presents the best in independent cinema from Norwegian and international artists. Full length features films, short films and animations are among the many uncompromising productions that are aired during the festival.
December
 Lucia: Norwegians celebrate the turning of the winter on a day which sees the longest night in the lunar calendar. In every town across the country, a woman is crowned Princess Lucia and given the task of serving bread, cookies and coffee to the people who observe the sun rising on a day which is considered highly significant in Norwegian culture.
National Public Holidays
New Year's Day 1 January
Palm Sunday 9 April
Maundy Thursday 13 April
Good Friday 14 April
Easter 16 April
Easter Monday 17April
May Day 1 May
Constitution Day 17 May
Ascension Day 25 May
Whit Sunday (Pentecost) 4 June
Whit Monday 5 June
Christmas Day 25 December
Second Day of Christmas 26 December
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