Scandinavian Culture Calendar: March 2025

By Karl Batterbee

From an iconic ‘chanteuse’ of the 20th century to one of this century’s biggest pop stars in Norway, and from exploring Surrealism to enjoying… sausages?! There’s plenty to get your teeth into across Scandinavia in March.

Helmi Biese: Coastal cliffs at Villinki (the late 1890s). Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Jenni Nurminen

Crossing Borders (until 24 August)

In a brand-new concept for an art exhibition, works by women artists who studied and worked in Germany in the 19th century are brought together in one exhibition. At the time, to get a better education, artists from the Nordics had to travel abroad, to cities such as Düsseldorf, Dresden, Munich and Berlin in Germany. Women were only allowed to study as private students of male artists or in art schools men had established for women. Back then, women had to choose between a career and a family, and they did not yet have the right to vote; so the artists featured in Crossing Borders truly paved the way for the next generations.

Arteneum, Helsinki, Finland

www.artenium.fi

Victoria Åberg: Landscape in Germany (1860). Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Hannu Aaltonen.

Korvfestivalen. Photo: Korvfestivalen

Korvfestivalen (7-9 March)

What better way to spend a weekend than a good old-fashioned sausage fest! In early March, the 10th edition of Korvfestivalen (The Sausage Festival) rolls (pun intended) into the Swedish capital. As a visitor, you will find a unique and awe-inspiring range of sausages, sausage accessories and well-matched drinks presented by around 60 exhibitors. The producers are from Sweden and abroad and are always eager to show off both new and old sausage staples plus exciting and innovative flavours.

Münchenbryggeriet, Stockholm, Sweden

www.korvfestivalen.se

Korvfestivalen. Photo: Korvfestivalen

HUMAN International Documentary Festival (10-16 March)

Oslo’s largest documentary film festival presents the newest Norwegian and international documentaries in combination with debates, talks, seminars and workshops, art exhibitions, stage performances and more. The festival consists of two competition programmes, and a diverse film programme dedicated to human rights and other social issues. The organisers’ passion for documentary cinema is reflected in the festival’s programming, resulting in not just screenings to look forward to, but also directors’ talks and discussions around the topics of the films.

Oslo, Norway

www.humanfilm.no

HUMAN. Photo: Johnny Vaet Nordskog

Édith Piaf – La Vie En Rose (until 27 May)

Édith Piaf’s (1915–1963) extraordinary life has left a lasting musical legacy that continues to be cherished decades later. This new ballet taking up residency in Helsinki offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of Édith Piaf’s life. It tells her true story while exploring the depths of the protagonist’s emotions. Though the choreography embraces the beauty and precision of classical ballet, it also incorporates the flow of contemporary dance to reflect Piaf’s unique gestures and movements.

Finnish National Opera and Ballet, Helsinki, Finland

www.oopperabaletti.fi

Édith Piaf – La vie en rose. Photo: Ooppera & Baletti

The Subterranean Sky (until 11 January 2026)

In 2024, it was one hundred years since the French poet André Breton wrote the first Surrealist Manifesto. This exhibition digs deep into Moderna Museet’s world-famous Surrealist collection and the movement’s influence in our time. The exhibition includes nearly 200 works from Moderna Museet’s collection and around 30 loans from other art collections, libraries and archives, with a particular focus on film, literature and the performing arts.

Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
www.modernamuseet.se

Jan Håfström, Skogen (1967/1968). Photo: Prallan Allsten / Moderna Museet

Astrid S at Oslo Spektrum (29 March)

She debuted in 2014 and now just over a decade later Astrid S is playing her first headline concert at the Oslo Spektrum arena. In that time, the Norwegian singer has continued to reach new heights in her career, making her one of the country’s most in-demand artists. She has over five billion streams of hit songs like Hurts So Good, Think Before I Talk, and It’s OK if You Forget Me, and she has collaborated with international stars such as JP Cooper, Benjamin Ingrosso, Shawn Mendes and NOTD, as well as Norwegian names like Matoma, Röyksopp, Julie Bergan, and Dagny. The Spellemann Award and MTV EMA winner has just finished a run in Norway’s biggest music TV show Hver Gang Vi Møtes. And there’s another reason to head to the Oslo Spektrum on 29 March – Swedish artist Molly Sandén will be the support act!

Oslo Spektrum, Norway

www.oslospektrum.no

These Things Changed The World. Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Nanaka Adachi

These Things Changed the World (until 11 December)

For the very first time, the Nobel Prize Museum is displaying a large selection of items from its collection of artefacts from Nobel Prize laureates. More than 200 artefacts bear witness to revolutionary inventions, courageous peace efforts, groundbreaking ideas and innovative literature. In the exhibition These Things Changed the World, you can discover how your life and the world you live in have changed thanks to researchers, writers and activists who have worked in the fields of science, literature and peace, and have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

Nobel Prize Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

www.nobelprizemuseum.se