A city that lives all year round and where tourists come with the aim to attend some of the biggest events in Oslo. In addition to music festivals (all genres of music), there are sports events but also other smaller events. We will single out the most popular ones in the city of Oslo.
Øia music festival is held every year in August and it last for four days. International stars and newly-discovered musical talents perform at this festival, which gathers an average of 60 thousand visitors to Tøien Park each year. The festival features multiple stages, shops and vendors selling food. Between 1971 and 1997, this festival was held on Kalvøia Island and featured stars such as Frank Zappa, Jackson Browne and Nirvana. Øia took the concept in 1999 and the concerts continued to be held.
This festival was first held in 1986 and has been going on ever since, with concerts being organized every August. All jazz subgenres are explored at the festival, with between 60 and 70 concerts being held in 15 to 18 different locations in Central Oslo. Some of the venues include Opera Oslo House, the cathedral, but also some of the most notable clubs in town. The festival holds a very good reputation among performers and audiences alike, and it is considered one of the most important jazz festivals in Europe, bringing to the stage numerous legends, such as Tony Bennett, Jan Garbarek, Cab Calloway, Charles Lloyd and Paul Bley.
The Ultima Music Festival was first held in 1991 and has since been held every Fall, at the end of September, and lasts for two and a half weeks. This is the largest contemporary music festival in Norway, being organized in numerous places in Oslo. The festival contains opera, puppetry,theater, cinema, dancing, as well as premieres of the latest music from Norway, but from elsewhere as well. The Festival is organized by the Ministry of Culture and the municipality of Oslo.
One of the most attended music festivals in Oslo is the Norske Wood Festival, held every June for three days at Frognerbadet, an outdoor swimming pool. The first festival was held in 1992, and many celebrities have performed at the festival since, such as Sting, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Lou Reed and Tori Amos. The festival was established by Jørgen Roll, Sten Fredriksen and Haakon Hatcedt. The name of the festival was taken from the Beatles song “Norwegian Wood”, also known as “This Bird Has Flown”, and it is open for visitors of all age groups, with two types of tickets sold, the Festivalpass, which allows access for all three days, and Dagspass, a one-day access to the festival.
Considered one of the leading music festivals in Europe, Oslo World Music Festival focuses primarily on contemporary music, taking particular interest in musical genres coming from Africa, South America, Asia and the Near East. The first festival was held in 1994, and has been held in the center of oslo every year for six days, characteristic by the genre diversity it welcomes. The festival itself is part of many events and organizations in Oslo during the whole year, such as “Our Neighborhood”
