Events & Festivals in Norway
From the Tromsø International Film Festival to midnight sun celebrations and Sami cultural gatherings — Norway's event calendar is as dramatic as its landscape.
Svalbard Ski Marathon (Svalbard Skimaraton)
A cross-country ski race across the Arctic tundra outside Longyearbyen. Distances of 20 km and 42 km through the Adventdalen valley at 78°N with snow-covered mountains on all sides. Armed polar bear guards patrol the course. Open to all fitness levels on the 20 km distance. Temperature at the start line averages -15°C.
Bergen International Festival (Festspillene)
Norway's largest arts festival, running since 1953. Fifteen days of music, theatre, dance, opera, and visual art across Bergen's historic venues. Performances in Grieghallen, Håkonshallen, and outdoor stages across Bryggen. The festival coincides with the arrival of long Nordic spring evenings.
Spitsbergen Marathon
The world's northernmost marathon at 78°N. Distances of 10 km, half marathon, and full marathon through the Adventdalen and Longyeardalen valleys. Armed polar bear guards along the entire course. The midnight sun lights the route around the clock in June. Average race-day temperature: 5°C. Limited to 300 runners.
Lofoten Stockfish Festival (Tørrfiskfestivalen)
A celebration of Lofoten’s stockfish (tørrfisk) tradition in Stamsund. Cooking demonstrations, stockfish tastings, fishing boat trips, and competitions for the best stockfish dish. The festival is run by local producers who have been drying cod on wooden racks for generations. Free entry to the market area. Cooking workshops require advance booking.
Lofoten Insomnia Festival
A music and arts festival in Henningsvær during the midnight sun season. Three days of concerts across the fishing village, with stages in converted fish processing plants and on the harbour docks. The sun does not set. Norwegian and international indie, electronic, and folk acts. Capacity limited to 1,500 to protect the village. Sells out by April.
Midnight Sun Marathon
Run a marathon under the midnight sun in Tromsø. The course follows the waterfront and crosses the Tromsø Bridge with views of the Arctic Cathedral. Start time is 20:30 so runners finish in full midnight daylight. Half marathon and 10K options available. 7,000 runners from 70 countries.
Ekstremsportveko (Extreme Sports Week)
A week of skydiving, BASE jumping, paragliding, kayaking, and mountain biking in and around Voss. 12,000 participants descend on a town of 14,000. Free to watch many events. If you have not booked accommodation by February, you will not find any. The festival runs regardless of weather.
Gladmatfestivalen (Gladmat Food Festival)
Scandinavia's largest food festival, held on the Stavanger harbour. Four days of chef demonstrations, food stalls, and tastings from 200+ producers. Local seafood, Rogaland lamb, and craft beverages dominate. Free entry to the harbour area. Individual tastings and events are ticketed.
Riddu Riđđu Festival
An indigenous music and arts festival in Kåfjord, Troms, founded and run by the Sami community since 1991. Four days of concerts from indigenous artists worldwide, Sami joik performances, film screenings, and workshops. The festival grounds sit on the shores of the Kåfjord with midnight sun overhead. This is Sami-led and Sami-programmed. Attend on those terms.
Trænafestivalen
3,000 people on a remote island off the Helgeland coast, with Norway's second-oldest lighthouse as a backdrop. Three days of music on Træna, accessible only by boat or helicopter. The festival sells out in March. Camping on the island is the only accommodation option for most. The boat from Sandnessjøen takes 3.5 hours.
Olavsfestdagene (St. Olav Festival)
Trondheim's medieval heritage festival, centred on the Nidaros Cathedral and the legacy of St. Olav. Nine days of concerts, theatre, pilgrim walks, medieval markets, and church services. The festival dates back to the medieval Olsok celebrations (29 July). Performances range from Gregorian chant in the cathedral to outdoor rock on the Torvet square.
Norseman Xtreme Triathlon
The world’s hardest triathlon: 3.8 km swim across Hardangerfjord at 05:00 in darkness (jumping from a ferry), 180 km bike over Hardangervidda to 1,200 m, 42 km run finishing on the summit of Gaustatoppen (1,883 m). 250 competitors by lottery only. Applications open November. The black T-shirt (top 160 to the summit) versus the white T-shirt (alternative finish) is the race’s defining distinction. Spectating the Eidfjord swim start is free.
Lofotr Viking Festival
A week-long Viking festival at the Lofotr Viking Museum in Borg, built on the site of the largest Viking Age longhouse ever found (83 metres). Re-enactors from across Europe demonstrate combat, blacksmithing, textile work, and Viking ship sailing on the adjacent lake. The longhouse feast on the final evening serves mead, roasted lamb, and stockfish. 10,000 visitors across the week.
Parkenfestivalen
Bodø’s main music festival, held in Rønvik park. Three days of Norwegian and international rock, pop, and electronic acts. 15,000 daily capacity. The festival runs under the midnight sun in August with the Lofoten Wall visible across the Vestfjord. Bodø is the gateway city for ferries to Lofoten. Combine the festival with a Moskenès ferry crossing.
Hardanger Apple Harvest (Hardanger Fruktfestival)
The Hardangerfjord valley produces 40% of Norway’s fruit. The harvest season runs from late August (plums and pears) through October (apples). Cideries along the Fv551 south shore open their farmgates: Aga Cider, Hardanger Saft og Siderfabrikk, and Noregs Cider. The Hardangertun market at Lofthus (third weekend of September) gathers 50 producers, 8,000 visitors, and outdoor concerts. Outside festival days, farm visits are unticketed and free.
Lofoten International Art Festival (LIAF)
A biennial contemporary art festival spread across Lofoten's fishing villages. Exhibitions in rorbuer, fish factories, and public spaces from Svolvær to Å. The 2026 edition is curated around Arctic environmental themes. The art sits in working landscapes, not white-walled galleries. Free entry to most installations.
Taste Svalbard
A food festival in Longyearbyen showcasing Arctic cuisine. Local chefs prepare dishes using seal, reindeer, ptarmigan, Arctic char, and foraged herbs from the tundra. Held at restaurants and pop-up venues across town. Svalbard Bryggeri provides Arctic-brewed beer. Three days of tastings, chef talks, and communal dinners. 78°N gastronomy at its most concentrated.
Dark Season Blues
A blues festival in Longyearbyen held during the transition into polar night. Four days of live blues, rock, and roots music in the world's northernmost town at 78°N. The sun has already set for the last time, and the darkness is settling in. Intimate concerts in Kulturhuset and Huset. 1,500 capacity, sells out early.
Plan your Norway trip
Time your visit around a festival and combine it with the right experiences and accommodation.