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OSLO

What to expect from Oslo’s Pride celebrations this year

Oslo's Pride celebrations begin Friday, with a wide variety of activities planned across the city to mark the occasion, including the annual Pride parade. 

Published: 20 June 2023 14:24 CEST
Pictured is a Pride flag being waved.
Pictured is a Pride flag being waved. Photo by Raphael Renter on Unsplash

Norway’s biggest city Oslo is also home to the biggest Pride celebrations in the country. This year’s festivities will run from Friday, June 23rd, until Saturday, July 1st. 

A majority of the biggest events for the country’s largest celebration of equal rights, diversity and the LGTBQ community are organised by Oslo Pride. 

Oslo Pride has organised several events over the week at four different venues. The venues will be the Pride Park (June 28th – July 1st), Pride House (June 2nd – July 1st), Mini Pride (June 24th – July 1st) and the location of the main Pride Parade (July 1st). 

Pride Park will be a festival area on Kontraskjæret near Aker Brygge, while Pride House will be nearby at Christiania Torv. Mini Pride will be a meeting place for LGBTQ children, young people and families with small children. 

The nearest stop, Kontraskjæret, can be inaccessible for some with disabilities and mobility problems as only older tram models stop there. The National Theatre bus stop and Storting T-bane stop are the next closest accessible stops. 

Across the ten days of celebrations, there are around 230 shows, events, dinners, talks, workshops, film screenings, picnics and exhibitions. Oslo Pride has published the complete program on its website. 

The beginning of Oslo Pride will be marked by an opening party at SALT in central Oslo on Friday July 23rs. The day after, there will be an event at Karmaklubb on Storgata. Another event will also be held at the same location the following Friday. And on Saturday, July 1st, an LGBTQ gathering will be held at Clarion Hotel The Hub, which is a stone’s throw from Oslo Central Station. 

The centrepiece of the Pride celebrations in Oslo is the annual parade. It makes a return this year after last year’s march was delayed until the autumn following a shooting which left two dead and dozens injured on the eve of the parade. It is believed that the shooting was aimed at the LGBTQ community. 

Oslo Police District has said it will be stepping up its presence this year with officers both in uniform and plain clothes. 

Dan Bjørke, leader of Oslo Pride, has said there has been good dialogue with the police regarding security arrangements. 

“We have close cooperation with the police, with continuous dialogue about the security system throughout the year. We are sure that the Oslo police district will do its utmost to ensure this will be a safe and great event,” he told the newspaper Klassekampen. 

The full route for the parade has not yet been published. However, practical information in regards to the march has been released to the public. For starters, it will start at Grønlandsleiret in Oslo and stretch 3km through the city from 1pm.

Grønland T-bane station is the closest public transport stop to the beginning of the parade. Other public transport in the area will be affected by road closures. 

Stewards will line the entire route, and people are asked to bring water as there won’t be any available when the parade begins. Attendees are also asked to check the weather. People are not allowed to bring alcohol to the parade as it will break the rules on drinking in public. Other practical information on the parade is available in both English and Norwegian. 

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OSLO

Potential bankruptcy threatens bus services in Oslo 

The strained finances of bus provider Unibuss could cause chaos for Oslo’s bus network if the company folds. 

Published: 24 April 2024 12:08 CEST
Potential bankruptcy threatens bus services in Oslo 

Unibuss, which is wholly owned by Oslo Municipality, is in danger of going bust due to large losses, unpaid bills, and fines from public transport firm Ruter for issues with its electric bus fleet this winter. 

Oslo City Council will hold an emergency meeting headed up by transport councilor Marit Vea on Wednesday, where she will be grilled on how the council will avert a collapse in the city’s public transport network should Unibuss go bankrupt. 

Unibuss is comprised of four smaller companies that operate bus routes in Oslo on behalf of Ruter. The company has just over 370 buses in operation and covers around 60 to 70 percent of the routes in Oslo and the neighboring municipality of Bærum. 

Oslo’s fleet of electric busses struggled especially with snow and cold temperatures this winter, which caused frequent chaos across the capital’s public transport network. 

Snow, ice, range and charging issues for the busses lead to vehicle shortages which caused mass delays and cancellations several times over the winter. 

Ruter, which is also part owned by Oslo municipality, believes that the financial problems facing Unibuss mean the company could be forced to file for bankruptcy or undergo a major restructuring, according to a memo obtained by publication Teknisk Ukeblad.  

It has previously told public broadcaster that it was working on a plan in case Unibuss goes bankrupt. 

“There is no doubt that the first days of such a scenario will be very demanding for the residents of Oslo and parts of Akershus,” Ruter’s communications director Elisabeth Skarsbø Moen told public broadcaster NRK.  

“First and foremost, we are working to find a solution together with Unibuss that does not affect Ruter’s customers,” she said. 

“But as those responsible for public transport, we have both a plan and an emergency organization ready to also handle a bankruptcy,” Skarsbø Moen added. 

Should Unibuss go bankrupt, its buses would become part of the bankruptcy estate and if such an event were to occur while passengers were in transit, all passengers would need to disembark at the next stop so the buses can be transported to the depot. 

Ruter said it had an eye on the market to try and see what could be available in terms of extra buses and equipment. 

It said that its priority would be to ensure that school transport, and that healthcare workers could get to work, in the event of a sudden lack of buses. 

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