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WHATS ON

WHAT’S ON: Events for English-speakers in Sweden in December

Here's our list of events geared towards English-speakers taking place across Sweden during December. If you have any that you'd like us to add to next month's guide, please let us know.

WHAT'S ON: Events for English-speakers in Sweden in December
The Local's Book Club is one of the events taking place in December. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

Are you interested in more Christmas-related events? Click here for a list of 20 of Sweden's best Christmas markets.

STOCKHOLM

Stockholm Green Drinks

Where: Openlab Coworking Space, Valhallavägen 79

When: December 3rd, 6pm-9pm 

Event by: Urban Beings/Stockholm Green Drinks

Green Drinks is a free monthly informal social for people interested in green issues. This month we will get ready for Christmas by upcycling some Christmas decorations, cards and gifts. Not feeling creative? No problem, you're welcome to join us, have a drink and a chat! Vegan refreshment and materials will be provided free of charge. Red and white wine available for 15 kronor contribution per glass. RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite.

Work Permits for Startups – Know & Grow Afterwork

Where: We Work, Regeringsgatan 29

When: December 4th, 5pm

Event by: Diversify Foundation

New laws, new rulings, new systems, new opportunities, new talent, new work permit? “How do we do it right?!” is something the Diversify Foundation hears from a lot of great startups. The Local is proud to be involved as a media partner of this event, which will help explain to startup employers what the law is, how to follow it, and how to deal with the bottle-necks. There's also free beer and cider on tap. Register here.

The Local Sweden's Book Club

Where: English Bookshop, Södermalm

When: December 12th, 6-8pm

Event by: The Local

Come and mingle with other international bookworms at our fifth and final Book Club event in Stockholm. It's not a requirement to read the book beforehand, so if you'd like to come along and chat about any of our previous books, or just to meet some new people, you're very welcome to join. The event is free but places are limited, so please sign up to secure your spot.

A Christmas for everyone

Where: Quality Hotel Globe

When: December 18th, 5-8pm (the dance begins at 7pm)

Event by: Nema Problema

Nema Problema is hosting a Christmas event where everyone is invited. There will be traditional activities, such as dance around the Christmas tree, Christmas decorations and Christmas gifts to all the kids. More importantly, during a Christmas fika Kompisbyrån is going to match people who want to practise their Swedish language skills and meet new friends. The event is free but space is limited. Register here.

SKÅNE 

Christmas Mingle

Where: Sankt Petri Kyrkogata 4, Lund

When: December 6th, 4-6pm

Event by: International Citizen Hub Lund

The International Citien Hub Lund is inviting internationals, colleagues, collaborators and speakers to a drop-in Christmas mingle, to celebrate the year that's been. Traditional Swedish mulled wine will be served along with something sweet to nibble on. The event is open and there is no need to register.

Level up – Demo Day

Where: Storm Malmö University, Citadellsvägen 7, Malmö

When: December 6th, 11.30am-1pm

Event by: Drivhuset Malmö

Save the date and join Drivhuset Malmö for the Demo Day of their pre incubator Level Up. The students have been working together once a week for 10 weeks and on the 6th of December they celebrate the end of this term with a lunch mingle at Storm. Hear the participants final pitch and new experience. 

Kitchen Table Talks

Where: Condeco, Södra Tullgatan 4, Malmö

When: December 7th, 10.30am-noon

Event by: Democrats Abroad

Are you interested in getting together to talk about US policy? Democrats Abroad is getting a head start on their platform process by asking members to send in their opinions on platform topics. Would you like to meet up for what they're calling Kitchen Table Talks to discuss a few of these topics, for example climate, economy, equal rights, immigration, healthcare and taxation. RSVP to attend.

FFP Retropolis – 20's NYE Masquerade

Where: Nalen, Regeringsgatan 74

When: New Year's Eve, December 31st, 10pm-3am

Event by: Fräulein Frauke Presents by Bichard Studios

Fräulein Frauke Presents Retropolis – a retro, glittering, decadent New Year's Eve masquerade party taking inspiration from the Roaring 20s and the dystopian classic Metropolis. There will be amazing international cabaret, burlesque, drag and circus, live music, dancing on two dance floors, mingle, count down, sing-a-long, best dressed competition and surprises. Stockholm's original and most spectacular vintage inspired live club.

VÄSTERGÖTLAND

Briefing for UK Nationals

Where: Hörsalen, Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland, Stora Badhusgatan 2B, Gothenburg

When: December 3rd, 5.30-7pm

Event by: British Embassy Stockholm

Her Majesty's Ambassador H.E. Ms Judith Gough will be hosting a Townhall Meeting for Brits in Sweden. Ambassador Gough will be joined by representatives from Swedish government agencies, who will take questions on citizen's rights. Places are limited so please be sure to register to attend. Admission is free.

Into the unknown: Uncertainty, risk and opportunity

Where: Svenska Mässan, Gothenburg

When: December 9th, 10am-4pm

Event by: Nobel Prize

The 2019 Nobel Week Dialogue will discuss how we deal with what we do not know and accept that there are things we cannot know. Join Nobel Laureates and other experts for a day of discussions on risk, uncertainty and opportunity. Registration is closed, but you can sign up for the waiting list here.

VÄSTERBOTTEN

Game Breakfast

Where: Laboratorgränd 7, Skellefteå

When: December 11th, 8.30am-9.30am

Event by: Arctic Game Lab

Every two weeks, Arctic Game Lab offers what they say is the world's best breakfast in Skellefteå's most cozy environment. Come and eat, play and mingle. If you are lucky then maybe they will have a secret guest. Free breakfast.

Dodgeball Tournament

Where: Samhällsvetarhuset, Umeå

When: December 14th, noon-3pm

Event by: HHUS (Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics student association)

It is time for HHUS' last GET GAME this year, so all members are invited to their own Dodgeball tournament. Anyone can apply to join this event, but those who don't have an IKSU membership have to pay an entry fee of 170 kronor. If you and your friends are interested, read more about how to sign up here

Do you know of events for English-speakers around Sweden? Submit your January event here BEFORE December 22nd to get it included in next month's What's On guide on The Local.

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EVENTS

How Cologne is preparing for the start of Carnival on Friday

Dressing up, singing, and drinking: On Friday, countless Jecken (revelers) in Cologne will once again celebrate the start of the Carnival session.

How Cologne is preparing for the start of Carnival on Friday

Dubbed Germany’s “fifth season” by locals, the event starts every year on November 11th at 11:11 am, and typically stretches into February or March, when colourful parades spill into the streets.

Carnival stronghold Cologne in particular is preparing for the onslaught of tens of thousands of people who will flock to its Altstadt (old town), and especially to the student quarter, starting early Friday morning. 

READ ALSO: 10 unmissable events in Germany this November

“Far too many people want to celebrate in far too small a space,” city director Andrea Blome told DPA. “We can’t stop anyone from coming to Cologne now.” 

More security this year

In the popular Kwartier Latäng student quarter, there have been regular bouts of drinking by young partygoers in the past, who crowded into a confined space, leaving litter everywhere and publicly peeing on the corners of buildings. 

Google Maps shows the location of the so-called Kwartier Latäng part of Cologne.

But with a new security plan, the city and police hope to keep the situation under control.

Several checkpoints and road closures have been set up to secure the safety of the revelers and relieve the burden on worried residents, according to Blome. Visitors will only be able to enter the closed-off area around Zülpicher Straße via a single access point. 

On Friday, Cologne is also set to send a total of 150 employees from the Ordnungsamt (public order office) onto the streets, who will be supported by 520 private security guards. 

A glass ban will again apply in the celebration zones, and several hundred toilets will be set up at the hotspots, “which nevertheless will probably not be used by all visitors,” Blome predicted.

READ ALSO: 10 words you need to know at Cologne’s Carnival

Up to 1,100 police officers are expected to be on duty on the day – about 200 fewer than last year, said head of operations Rüdiger Fink. But he expected to keep the situation “under control with a new security plan.”

What to expect

On Cologne’s Heumarkt, there will be a stage program all day with bands such as the Bläck Fööss, the Paveiern and Brings. 

Google Maps shows Cologne’s Heumarkt along the Rhine River.

According to the Willi Ostermann Society, about 10,000 tickets were sold in advance for the event, which will be aired by German WDR for several hours.

Meanwhile, in Düsseldorf, the day will start at 11:11 a.m. with the “Hoppeditz Awakening” in front of City Hall. 

According to a spokesman, the police will be adequately prepared for the start of the season, with a particular focus on the Altstadt, where there will certainly be celebrations.

“But 11.11. is a very different event here in Düsseldorf than in Cologne,” he said, referring to a more orderly start and fewer guests.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about celebrating Carnival in Germany

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