Cultural Calendar: December 2024
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
If you still haven’t played your favourite festive Mariah Carey songs or baked a gingerbread house, we’re letting you know that it’s officially time! As the days get shorter, Oslo is adorned with glittering lights and decorations. Grab a hot chocolate to warm you up and read on for a curated list of this month’s events to immerse yourself in the magical atmosphere of Christmas, and more!
Christmassy get-togethers
Christmas tree lighting
What better way to start the month of December than to go see the lights turn on in the majestic Christmas tree in downtown Oslo! This festive event is complemented by live music to celebrate the beginning of Advent.
When: 1 December 17:00
Where: Universitetsplassen
Christmas market at the Norsk Folkemuseum
It is an annual tradition at the museum, the Christmas market! Discover or rediscover the hundred stands offering gifts, cakes, decorations, and many other things. The market takes place amidst traditional Norwegian houses, letting you imagine how Christmas markets might have been celebrated in the past.
When: 7 and 8 December 11:00 to 16:00
Where: The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History
Learn more here.
Gift wrapping workshop
Did you buy your Christmas gifts but haven’t had the chance to wrap them yet? Don’t worry, this workshop is made for you. Bring your DIY spirit and materials and join others in crafting beautiful homemade gift tags and wrappers.
When: 12 December 17:00
Where: Chateau Neuf, Galleriet (1st floor)
Turn off the Mariah Carey!
Christmas concert with Kling Kokos
The annual Christmas concert of Kling Kokos, University of Oslo’s Psychology Department’s Singing Association, promises to dish out festive songs to celebrate the onset of this dark but cozy season. Come in and immerse yourself in the magic of the Holmenkollen Kapell, an awe-inspiring wooden chapel with a tall spire.
When: 5 December 20:00
Where: Holmenkollen Chapel
Learn more here.
Saint Lucy’s Day (Luciadagen)
Lucy’s martyrdom is marked in the Catholic liturgical calendar on the day of her death, the 13th of December. Lucy, from the Latin origin lux, announces the approaching light, a custom that has its origins in folkloric tradition. This celebration symbolises the triumph of light and hope over the return of longer days soon.
To celebrate this tradition, the women's choir Kvindelige Studenters Sangforening organizes a concert with Det Norske Jentekor (the Norwegian Girls’ Choir). Afterwards, there will be a serving of lussekatter (traditional saffron buns) and coffee.
When: 13 December 7:30
Where: Oslo Domkirke
Learn more here.
Jazz Club with Unge Prisere
To top off a day of musical misadventures, this somewhat enigmatic event led by Unge Prisere promises songs mixed with liturgical elements. ‘Tis the season to be a good, if jazzy Christian!
When: 13 December 20:30
Where: Chateau Neuf
Learn more here.
Enough of Christmas?
Nobel Peace Prize award
If Christmas is not your thing there are plenty of other events during December. The Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony will take place on the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death in Oslo City Hall. Throughout the day, the Nobel Peace Centre presents exhibitions and installations around former winners and Alfred Nobel. Later in the afternoon, a torch-lit march in honor of the winner will arrive at the Grand Hotel.
When: 10 December 13:00
Where: Oslo City Hall
