Tromsø throughout the year

The light, temperature and city life in Tromsø and Lyngen are constantly changing. As a result, there is never a dull moment. Read about a year in the life of Tromsø, which will enable you to better plan when it suits you to visit!

In January, when the winter darkness covers the countryside and the wallets are empty, the locals of Tromsø drink an extra cup of coffee, rub the sleep out of their eyes and celebrate two of Northern Norway’s most attended festivals, the Tromsø International Film Festival in the third week of January and the Northern Lights Festival, which follows one week later. Culture is a great idea during the winter darkness. The sun is back over the mountain peaks in the south on January 21, and the locals enjoy Berlin buns, renamed as “sun buns” for the occasion. The ones filled with raspberry jam are the tastiest! Other January highlights include the first premier of

the year at Hålogaland Theatre, a busy programme

of concerts and theatrical performances at

KulturHuset and the nightlife takes off after the year’s

first pay day. Aside from the period when the film

festival is on, hotel rooms are in good supply.

From February and onwards, the sun is back with a vengeance and the days become steadily longer. This time of the year is ideal for some longer cross-country skiing trips and some enjoyable days at the Tromsø Alpine Skiing Centre. As the days get longer, the majestic Lyngen Alps become more accessible to off-piste skiers. An environmentally-friendly, Arctic version of Formula One, the National Reindeer Sledding Championship, is held in Tromsø’s main pedestrian street, Storgata, during the first weekend in February. From March, we notice the temperature starting to rise and with it the Latin Festival kicks off. . A few degrees are possible in the sun, but when the sun sets the temperature is sure

to drop below zero again. From mid-April, the snow starts to melt and the letter boxes start to reappear from the snow. Easter is a great time for cross-country skiing trips in the area surrounding Tromsø, while the city centre is extremely quiet. Shops are

closed between Holy Thursday and Easter Monday.

In April, the world’s northernmost premier league

football team, Tromsø IL, prepares its grass surface

at Alfheim Stadium, turns on the underground heating

cables and starts to score goals. The Northern Lights

starts its retreat from mid-March, and fades away

completely as the nights get lighter from mid-April.

Hotels can be quite full during the week. However,

plenty of rooms are available during weekends and Easter.

May is often our only month of spring. As the snow melts, skiing in the mountains can be difficult, but skiing conditions in the Lyngen Alps are generally good almost all month long. In Tromsø, Norway’s Constitution Day on May 17 can be everything from people sweating in their well-insulated national costumes in temperatures of

18 °C to snowball throwing at students celebrating the completion of upper secondary school. No matter what the weather has to offer, the party atmosphere

is always a memorable experience. The Midnight

Sun appears over the mountain peaks in the north

on May 21 in Tromsø. However, it no longer gets

dark at night at any time during May. Hotels generally

have an abundance of rooms available in May and,

especially during long weekends, special discounts

may be available.

June provides an endless array of light, with no darkness at all. All this light makes the locals of Tromsø energetic, happy and amorous. There are a host of events in and around Storgata, including a city breakfast, choir festival, rowing regatta, market day and the Nordic Youth Film Festival. There always seems to be something happening. Tromsø’s

annual sporting highlight is the Midnight Sun Marathon, a full-length marathon through the streets of Tromsø and across the bridge. Remember to

book hotel rooms well in advance in June, as hotels are often full. The locals get out their swimwear in

June, but don’t pack their woollen gloves too far

away, as the weather can change quickly.

By comparison, July is a leisurely and holiday-oriented month. The locals like to climb mountain peaks or go fishing, preferably at night, be it Midnight Sun or Midnight Rain. The city’s official culture takes

a holiday and now is the time for unauthorised fun like the Bukta Open Air Festival on the city’s most popular beach. In Sommargøy, Riddu Riddu, thethe Deep Sea Fishing Festival at beautiful locations surrounding Tromsø or beach volleyball in the outmost parts facing the Atlantic Ocean. On July 21, we bid farewell to the Midnight Sun. However, it takes at lest another 14 days before we need to switch on the light. The Tromsø palms

are flowering and, overall, Tromsø switches to

holiday mode in July. As a result, hotel prices drop

and a high standard of hotel accommodation is

available at an affordable price.

In August, Tromsø locals and students alike come down from the mountains and out of the waterKarlsøy Festival,. It’s time for the annual Beer Festival at Strandtorget with popular favourites and good drinks, as well as a boisterous start to the academic year at the student cultural centre, Driv. Once and a while the summer’s warmest temperature is recorded in August and the temperature is generally pleasantly warm all month long. The mosquitoes have disappeared from the mountains and mountain hikes are very tempting. The Botanical Garden is at its best in August. From mid-August, the Northern Lights can appear as light

green against the dark blue night sky. The hotels

maintain the favourable summer price levels for the

first three weeks of August.

From the first day of September, you notice the change of pace in Tromsø. The hotels are buzzing with suit-wearing conference delegates. The theatre auditoriums and concerts are full and cafes fill up given the combination of darkness at night and frequent rain. It is easy to see that the students have received their scholarships, the Northern Lights assume strength and there can be morning frost on the rooftops. During the third weekend in September, lively, happy people converge on the city for the annual Dance Gala. On clear days, mountain hikes are fantastic at this time of the year, but remember

your red woolly hat during the hunting season.

The literature festival, Ordkalotten, sets the tone for October when the dark evenings are perfect for reading and meeting the authors. Snowfalls can switch to heavy rain thumping on the roof and then suddenly night frost and the Northern Lights appear.

It gets dark so early that from now until mid-March, conditions are optimal for experiencing the aurora. In November there is even more snow, but good skiing conditions can’t be taken for granted. On November 21, the sun sets for the last time and the Polar Nights begin. This pre-Christmas month offers a shopping speciality, the many Christmas gift fairs selling local

handicrafts, which at other times of the year can

prove difficult to find.

There are concerts and theatrical performances a plenty all autumn long, but December also offers evocative church concerts. You can meet “nisse” (gnomes) at the “Nisse Weekend” at Berg during

the first weekend in December. The time has now come for dog sledding trips or sleigh rides and the floodlit ski tracks on Tromsø Island are ideal for a taste of cross-country skiing under the Northern Lights. It’s worth noting that on December 24, 25

and 26, only a few hotels and restaurants are open and all shops remain closed. From December 27,

the city comes to life. On New Year’s Eve, you will

experience fireworks filling the night sky above the

city. A highlight is at Storsteinen, where the four

digits of the New Year are written in fire down the

mountainside, in addition to the fantastic fireworks.