Scandinavian Culture Calendar: October 2024
By Karl Batterbee
The cast of Dreamgirls: The Musical. Photo: Mats Bäcker
From beer to burlesque and from film and song to theatre and musical: there’s a whole host of entertainment and events happening across the Nordic nations throughout October. Here’s a curated selection of cultural highlights worth checking out this month.
Dreamgirls: The Musical (until 17 November)
A brand-new Swedish production of Dreamgirls: The Musical opened at Stockholm’s China Teatern in September and runs until the middle of November. With a Swedish-language script and direction by Edward af Sillén, it’s a new take on the classic musical which tells the tale of three young singers in a girl group trying to make it in a tough music industry. The musical is starring three Swedish talents in its lead roles: Janice Kavander, Laila Adéle and Mary N’Diaye.
China Teatern, Stockholm
Everyone is invited along to experience Queerlesque. Photo: Muumi
IV International Queerlesque Festival (4-5 October)
Burlesque, but make it queer! Following the huge success of the first three editions, We Are Queerlesque are inviting you to a colourful festival full of burlesque, circus and drag. They’ve promised some of the most mesmerising and breathtaking performances by artists from all around the world, on the grand stage of the Savoy Theatre in Helsinki. The LGBT+ and PoC communities are putting on the party here, but everyone is invited to come along and enjoy the spectacle.
Savoy Theatre, Helsinki
Finnish artist VIIVI plays a Helsinki show in October. Photo: Kuva Tero-ahonen
VIIVI (5 October)
She’s one of the hottest properties in Finnish pop right now, and in October VIIVI plays a much-anticipated live show in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. A staple of the radio airwaves and a mainstay on the Spotify charts, VIIVI has charmed Finnish audiences with her accessible blend of Nordic melodies and enchanting productions. If you’ve yet to enjoy her music, this is a chance to see what all the Finnish fuss is about!
Tavastia, Helsinki
Copenhagen’s Tivoli gets spooky for Halloween. Photo: Tivoli
Halloween at Tivoli (10 October – 3 November)
Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen has by now become renowned for its commitment to marking the seasons of the year, and Halloween is no exception. During autumn, the gardens are decorated to convey a spooky but cosy atmosphere, featuring more than 20,000 jack-o’-lanterns in its display. Special Halloween exhibitions and events fill the gardens, and visitors are offered a programme that includes the traditional pumpkin competition, the Monsters Night Out parade and haunted houses aplenty.
Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen
The biggest Oktoberfest event in Scandinavia happens in the Norwegian capital. Photo: Oktoberfest Oslo
Oktoberfest Oslo (10-12, 17-19 and 24-26 October)
Scandinavia’s biggest Oktoberfest takes place in Oslo at Youngstorget square – with a real Bayern beer tent, long tables and a beer orchestra that plays all your favourite German drinking songs. There are over 2,000 seats in the tent at Youngstorget. One-third of the tables are first come, first served. But if you prefer to be absolutely sure of a seat, it is possible to reserve a table for four or up to ten people. Strøm Larsen and Los Tacos will provide the food in the tent so that no one goes hungry.
Youngstorget, Oslo
The Annual Copenhagen Film Festival takes place at Husets Biograf. Photo: Elsa Solorio Borbón
Annual Copenhagen Film Festival (12-14 October)
The Annual Copenhagen Film Festival returns to the Danish capital for its seventh edition in October. This year’s lineup will feature 27 independent films that span six different themes, touching upon gender identity, ethics, human dilemmas and personal relationships, through stories we can all identify with. All films are either in English or come with English subtitles.
Husets Biograf, Copenhagen
Company (until 17 November)
One of the world’s most talked about stage shows has finally arrived in Sweden. Stephen Sondheim’s Company follows Bobbie’s search for love and a place of belonging, surrounded by an eclectic group of friends in the big city. The production at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm stars some of Sweden’s most beloved theatre performers, such as Frida Modén Treichl, Helen Sjöholm and Gunilla Backman. Company opened to rave reviews in September.
Kulturhuset Stadsteatern, Stockholm
www.kulturhusetstadsteatern.se
The cast of the Swedish production of Company. Photo: Felix Swensson
Scene from the Swedish production of Company.
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