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Where to celebrate a spectacular New Year’s Eve in Sweden

With only a few hours left until it is 2020, the question is: Where to celebrate the new year? The Local has listed some of the best places in Sweden to view fireworks and to toast the New Year, from north to south and east to west.

Where to celebrate a spectacular New Year's Eve in Sweden
New Year's Eve celebrations in Stockholm a few years ago. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

Stockholm

Because of the vast amounts of water that surrounds Stockholm, there are a number of good vantage points where you can admire the beautiful firework shows around town, for instance at Södermalm, Fjällgatan, Katarinaberget or Fåfängan. One of the best is Skinnarviksberget, a vantage point in the north of Södermalm. From here you can look over a large part of the city, an impressive start to 2020.

Skansen has a festive event for every opportunity, and that's also the case on New Year's Eve. There's a New Year's Eve speech tradition at Skansen, where a famous Swedish person reads the Lord Tennyson poem Ring Out, Wild Bells. After midnight, the city provides magnificent fireworks.

The most exclusive parties are organized in the trendy clubs and bars around the Stureplan square. Sturecompagniet is one of the largest and best-known night clubs in Sweden, and a ticket to start 2020 while dancing here costs 295 kronor. Make sure you are well dressed, because the bouncers can be strict.

Gothenburg

Dinner on New Year's Eve should be a bit chic, and in Gothenburg you will find a number of excellent restaurants that put together special menus during New Year's Eve.

Restaurant Norda is known for its sustainable Nordic cuisine and is open on the 31st. The restaurant grows its own vegetables in a rooftop garden and uses a lot of local fish from the Swedish west coast. The Sjömagasinet restaurant also has a rich selection of fish and shellfish on the menu. The restaurant is located in an attractive building at the waterside that dates from 1775.

Unlike in other places, the fireworks in Gothenburg start at the end of the afternoon. The local newspaper Göteborgs Posten performs a yearly fireworks show at the pier Kvillepiren at five in the afternoon. There are various places around the central harbour where you can watch the show.

The Skansen Kronan fortress dates from 1700 and is located on one of the highest points of the city, making it a perfect place to watch the firework shows and start the new year.


What New Year's Eve looked like in Gothenburg in 2012. Photo: mescon/Flickr.com

Malmö

The fireworks display in Malmö will take place at another location this year. The show was held at the Malmö Opera in previous years, but has now been moved to the Nyhamnen area. The fireworks can best be viewed from Anna Lindhs plats, Hjälmarekajen and Krankajen at the docks.

There is also a New Year's celebration for children at Stortorget in Malmö between 1pm and 5pm. A theatre group will be performing and there are various workshops and a final fireworks show tailored to younger spectators.

For those looking for just a classy way to usher in 2020, you can go to the Malmö Opera. There is a fancy dinner in the foyer, the possibility to dance to music from a big band and watch the opera performing Disney's Beauty and the Beast.


Fireworks at Turning Torso in Malmö in 2013. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Kiruna

How about celebrating New Year's Eve under the Northern Lights? Camp Ripan in the far north organizes a special evening, including a big campfire and champagne in a pure winter landscape. A visit to Lapland is also a perfect opportunity to go for a ride with sled dogs, spend the night in the ice hotel or learn about the local Sami culture. A New Year's Eve that you won't forget. And, of course, there's the Northern Lights.

Örebro

Örebro Castle is hosting a special musical New Year's Eve show. The program starts with the season finale of projection show The Magic Machine. After that it's time for a musical Örebrokavalkad. The New Year show, which is also projected on the castle's facade, features several of Örebro's most celebrated artists, both past and present. Later in the evening Örebro Castle is also the best place to watch the city's firework show.

The nightclub Villa Strömpis has been around since 1858 and is still going strong with a great party every New Year's Eve. The evening starts at 10pm, and admission costs 195 kronor. Alternatively, The Ritz in Örebro is one of the largest clubs in the city, and a ticket for the party organized there costs 140 kronor.


During the special New Year's show at Örebro Castle, moving images are projected onto the building. Photo: Lars Hermansson/Flickr.com

Västerås

The New Year celebration will take place at Fiskartorget/Stadsparken, starting at 11.30pm. The show should be spectacular since it's organized by the same company that plans popular music festival Summerburst.

Restaurant Pråmen is offering a six-course New Year's dinner with a lot of Nordic ingredients for 850 kronor per person. This restaurant has a unique location on a ship in the Västerås harbour.

Linköping

The student city has an exciting and family-friendly New Year's celebration at Stora Torget from 5pm, with a speech from the city's mayor, musical entertainment, and a grand laser show to conclude the evening.

Helsingborg

Celebrate New Year's Eve with good food, enjoyable entertainment and the best view of fireworks. The ferry Sundsbussarna operates between the Danish city of Helsingör and the Swedish city of Helsingborg. The shipping company offers a delightful New Year celebration for everyone.

Helsingborg offers many alternatives to ring out the year and celebrate the new — not least at the pub or dance floor. The restaurant “KOL & cocktails” was named restaurant of the year of Helsingborg in 2019. The restaurant has a refined menu especially for New Year's Eve. After the dinner there is a party, the place is open from 7pm — 3am.


Sundbuss Pernille leaves the port of Helsingborg with destination Helsingör. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Jönköping

The city of Jönköping is experimenting with new ways of celebrating New Year's Eve.

Last year it chose to have an LED show instead of fireworks, this year there will be special 'silent' fireworks. Despite the name, these are not entirely silent, but they have lower noise levels.

Norrköping

The city of Norrköping is hosting a New Year's Eve walk, starting at 4pm on December 31st with a meeting point at the statue of Moa Martinson on Grytstorget. The route runs along a few of the highlights of Norrköping and at several locations along the route there will be entertainment in the form of a speech or music.

An alternative is to celebrate the new year with champagne at restaurant Stadsvakten's New Year's party. The evening starts at 7pm with a glass of bubbly, before sitting down for a three-course New Year's menu. When the clock hits 12, there's the chance to watch the fireworks from the restaurant's terrace.

Umeå

In northern university city Umeå it all happens around the Rex, a classy brasserie, pub, café, and bistro in the Town Hall in the centre of the city, with six bars, three DJs and dance floors. To start 2020 in complete luxury, Hotel Mimer offers a fully catered New Year's package. At 11.30pm in Rådhusparken the Nyårsglitter över Umeå event starts with different performances, music and a spectacular fireworks show at midnight.

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