What's on in Tromsø (Tromso), Norway through the year

Peak crowds — Tromso International Film Festival, Christmas holidays in Norway

• Festival

  Tromso International Film Festival

  12–20 Jan · usuallyCrowded

  A week of cinema in the middle of January, including screenings outdoors in the snow. It is the reason the town is busy before the light comes back. Source ↗

• Festival

  The sun comes back

  20–23 JanPolar night

  The sun clears the mountains on 21 January for the first time since November and the town marks it with sun buns and people standing on the bridge at noon. Two months of dark end in about an hour. Source ↗

• Festival

  Nordlysfestivalen

  24 Jan – 5 Feb · usuallyMusic festival

  A week of concerts across the town at the turn of January and February — classical, jazz and whatever else fits — with the lights themselves outside if the sky cooperates. Source ↗

Still on: Aurora season (15 Sep – 5 Apr (usually)), Orca and humpback in the fjords (1 Nov – 20 Jan (usually))

Peak crowds — Sami Week, Winter sports week in Norway

• Festival

  Sami Week

  1–8 FebMajor festivalCrowded

  Reindeer racing down the main street, a lasso-throwing contest and a market of Sami crafts around the national day on 6 February. It is the best week of the winter to be in town. Source ↗

Still on: Nordlysfestivalen (24 Jan – 5 Feb (usually)), Aurora season (15 Sep – 5 Apr (usually))

Busy — Easter break in Norway, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Easter holidays

  2–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekClosuresBook early

  Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday is a five-day public holiday. Towns empty as Norwegians head for mountain cabins, most shops and many supermarkets close on the holy days, and trains and flights toward the mountains are full. Source ↗

Still on: Aurora season (15 Sep – 5 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Easter holidays, Easter break in Norway

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Easter holidays (2–6 Apr), Aurora season (15 Sep – 5 Apr (usually))

Busy — Constitution Day, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Constitution Day

  17 MayNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  17 May is Norway's national day. Children's parades with flags and school bands march through town centres, many people wear bunad, shops close and restaurants book up. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Midnight Sun Marathon, Summer holidays in Norway

• Festival

  Midnight Sun Marathon

  20 JunSporting eventCrowdedBook early

  A marathon started late in the evening in full daylight on a Saturday in the second half of June. The town fills, and the finish is somewhere around one in the morning. Source ↗

Busy — Summer holidays in Norway, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Bukta festival

  15–26 Jul · usuallyMusic festivalBook early

  Two days of rock on the shore at Telegrafbukta in light that never goes out, usually the third or fourth weekend of July. Rooms in town go early for it. Source ↗

Busy — Summer holidays in Norway, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Busy — Autumn break in Norway, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Aurora season

  15 Sep – 5 Apr · usually

  Directly under the auroral oval, so a quiet night still shows something from September to early April. The problem is coastal cloud, which is why the chase buses drive inland for hours.

Busy — Autumn break in Norway, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Aurora season (15 Sep – 5 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Nature

  Orca and humpback in the fjords

  1 Nov – 20 Jan · usuallyWhale season

  The herring come into the fjords north-east of the city and the whales follow them, in the four hours of blue twilight that count as day. Boats run from Skjervoy rather than Tromso itself.

Still on: Aurora season (15 Sep – 5 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Christmas closures, Christmas holidays in Norway

• Holiday

  Christmas closures

  24–26 DecChristmas & New YearClosures

  Christmas Eve is the main celebration: shops close by mid-afternoon on 24 December, and 25 and 26 December are public holidays when most shops, many restaurants and museums stay shut and public transport runs a reduced timetable. Source ↗

Still on: Aurora season (15 Sep – 5 Apr (usually)), Orca and humpback in the fjords (1 Nov – 20 Jan (usually))