Holiday Calendar in Norway
Many of Public Holidays in Norway (helligdager) mark historical religious events or important days in Norway’s history. However, Norwegians traditionally tend to use most of these days as a reason to get out into the forests and mountains. Even On New Year’s Day, Norwegians will most likely head to the hills for a hike. Despite this being the main Norway’s approach to celebrating public holidays, there is still a lot of interesting things you can see if you decide to visit the country on a holiday.
Help us Public Holidays and Observances in Norway for 2024-2025 year
December 2024
Monday 9 December -
Anna's Day (Sweden, Finland and Norway. Marks the day to start the preparation process of the lutefisk to be consumed on Christmas Eve, as well as a Swedish name day, celebrating all people named Anna)
Friday 13 December -
Lucia Festival (a tradition that is widespread in the countries of Northern Europe: Sweden, Denmark, Norway);
Saint Lucia Day (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and parts of Italy. Dedicated to Saint Lucia's independence from the United Kingdom in 1979)
Thursday 26 December -
Second day of Christmas (Western Christianity. Public holiday in the Netherlands, Poland, Norway);
St. Stephen's Day (public holiday in Alsace, Austria, Andorra, Catalonia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland);
Boxing Day (Belgium, Fiji, The Bahamas, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Samoa...)
January 2025
February 2025
March 2025
Friday 21 March -
Birken ski festival in Rena, Norway (Birken festival, usually taking place in February in Rena, follows the route that a group of skiers took during Norway’s civil war back in 1200, to carry the young prince Haakon Haakonsøn away from the enemies and to safety)
April 2025
May 2025
June 2025
Saturday 7 June -
Union Dissolution Day (Norway. The Union Dissolution Day, observed in Norway on 7 June (though not a public holiday), is marked in remembrance of the Norwegian parliament's 1905 declaration of dissolution of the union with Sweden, a personal union which had existed since 1814)
Monday 23 June -
St John's Eve and the first day of the Midsummer celebrations (Roman Catholic Church, Europe: - Bonfires of Saint John in Spain; Festa del Poble in Andorra; First night of Festa de São João do Porto; First day of Golowan Festival in Cornwall; Jaaniõhtu in Estonia; Jāņi in Latvia; Kupala Night in Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine; Last day of Drăgaica fair in Buzău, Romania)
July 2025
Tuesday 29 July -
Olsok or St. Olaf's Day (King Olaf II Haraldsson of Norway is remembered as Rex perpetuus Norvegiae, the Eternal King of Norway. Olsok is a national day of celebration in the Nordic countries of Norway and the Faroe Islands, and also in the provinces of Härjedalen in Sweden and Savonlinna in Finland)
August 2025
Tuesday 5 August -
Øya Festival in Oslo, Norway (Øyafestivalen is a four-day music fest that brings together about 60,000 people on the green grass of Tøyen Park, who are excited to listen to tunes from internationally acclaimed stars)
September 2025
October 2025
November 2025
Notes:
Public days off in Norway (with some exceptions) fall on a specific date. This means that there are usually some that fall on a weekend, so the number of actual public holiday days in Norway varies each year. Many of the days fall in May and early June, which can lead to a lot of 3-day or 4-day weeks in the run-up to summer.
