Scandinavian Culture Calendar: December 2024
By Karl Batterbee
Rockheim presents: Röyksopp – Melody A.M. Photo: Geir Morgen Rockheim
Before the year is out, we’re going all in on cultural happenings. Throughout December you’ll be able to celebrate Finnish independence and Norwegian royalty – via the medium of music. We’re also paying homage to cultural classics such as Ingmar Bergman and The Moomins, while taking the time to salute our current pop culture icons, like Röyksopp and Daði Freyr.
Christmas concert with His Majesty the King’s Guards (5 December)
You are cordially invited to attend Norway’s Royal Palace, where His Majesty the King’s Guard welcomes you to a Christmas concert in the Royal Chapel. A truly magnificent evening is promised, with a festive repertoire of music that ranges from the most well-known and beloved Christmas carols to those yuletide tunes that will get your feet tapping. Conductors for the evening will be Major Sverre Stakston Olsrud and Staff Sergeant Lise Solberg Nilsen.
Slottsplassen 1, Oslo, Norway
Rockheim presents: Röyksopp – Melody A.M. (5 December)
Norway’s Music Hall of Fame – Rockheim – presents a unique listening experience under the starry sky in the Planetarium, of one of the country’s most celebrated albums of all time, Röyksopp’s Melody A.M. The event is happening to shine a light on the fact that the internationally renowned electronic duo has just been inducted into the Norwegian Music Hall of Fame. Guests are invited to join Rockheim on a journey into Röyksopp’s extra-special soundscape and listen to the entire album in the spectacular surroundings of the Planetarium at the Science Centre, with its 360-degree digital cinema and one of the world’s most advanced sound systems that features 38 speakers placed in a circle.
The Science Centre Planetarium, Oslo, Norway
Finland’s Independence Day Gala Concert. Photo: YLE Photography – Maarit Kytöharju
Finland’s Independence Day Gala Concert (6 December)
It’s a major occasion in Finland, and the national Radio Symphony Orchestra has a suitably special concert lined up to mark it. On the programme is the world premiere of a new violin concerto by Olli Mustonen, which pays tribute to Larin Paraske, a central figure in Finnish folk poetry. Audiences will also be able to enjoy Lara Poe’s breakthrough work KAAMOS, plus more tuneful treats besides. Those unable to make the celebratory concert will be able to tune in on Finnish broadcaster YLE’s website, yle.fi.
The Helsinki Music Centre, Concert Hall, Finland
Nobel Week Lights
Nobel Week Lights (7-15 December)
Nobel Week Lights is a popular festival lighting up Stockholm during the darkest time of the year – a free cultural experience for everyone. The light festival is presented by the Nobel Prize Museum and invites both international and local artists, designers and students to create public light artworks inspired by the Nobel Prize. The light installations illuminate the Nobel Prize laureates’ scientific discoveries, literature and peace work, while at the same time giving attendees the opportunity to see the Swedish capital and the urban environment in a whole new light… Quite literally!
Stockholm, Sweden
Daði Freyr at Gamla Bí
Daði Freyr at Gamla Bíó (20 and 21 December)
Icelandic pop icon Daði Freyr returns to his home country for his first live shows there in quite some time, having recently sold out multiple shows across Europe and the US. Known for his infectious songs and dry humour, Daði’s music exudes good vibes only. Many will recognise the long-haired laureate from his breakthrough viral hit, Think About Things, which catapulted Daði to fame during 2020’s lockdown era. One year later and he would represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest, giving the Nordic nation a Top 5 result with his song 10 Years.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Mondays with Bergman. Scene from Det Sjunde Inseglet.
Mondays with Bergman (until 31 December)
Every other Monday, the Fågel Blå cinema in the Östermalm neighbourhood of Stockholm will be screening a film by legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, as part of its monthly series Mondays with Bergman. Fågel Blå was built in 1926 and is one of the Swedish capital’s oldest cinemas. It was also Ingmar Bergman’s childhood cinema, where he would go to watch films for the first time himself. All Mondays with Bergman screenings come with English subtitles.
Bio Fågel Blå, Stockholm, Sweden
Tove Jansson: Bird Blue, 1953. © Tove Jansson Estate. Photo: HAM / Maija Toivanen
Tove Jansson – Paradise (until 6 April 2025)
Helsinki Art Museum’s major exhibition takes an in-depth look at Tove Jansson’s public paintings, through which she shared joy, beauty and windows into magical worlds of storytelling. Filling half of the museum’s exhibition space on two floors, it presents over 180 artworks and other exhibits, along with a notable collection of previously unexhibited sketches. The exhibition additionally celebrates 80 years of Jansson’s most famous creation; The Moomins. In 2025, eight decades will have passed since the 1945 publication of Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen (The Moomins and the Great Flood).
Helsinki Art Museum, Finland
Tove Jansson: Fairytale Panorama (left panel), 1949. © Moomin Characters Oy Ltd. Photo: HAM / Maija Toivanen
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