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MAY 17TH

How Norway’s biggest cities will celebrate May 17th this year

As the big celebrations associated with Norway's national day – May 17th – draw closer, we look at how the country's biggest cities plan to mark the occasion.

Published: 15 May 2023 12:22 CEST
May 17th parade
A May 17th parade in Norway's capital, Oslo. Photo by Gadiel Lazcano on Unsplash

Constitution Day in Norway is a day like no other – Norwegians all over the country take to the street to commemorate the signing of the Norwegian Constitution on May 17th, 1814.

The day is one of the most widely celebrated in Norway, and most cities organise special May 17th programs, festivities, concerts, and a string of other events to mark the day.

READ MORE: May 17th: A guide to how Norway celebrates its national day

The overall mood is festive and cheerful. The streets come alive with parades featuring schoolchildren, marching bands, and community organisations, flags are put on display on most buildings and posts, and Norwegians dress very smartly, often in traditional attire called the bunad, as they take partake in this popular celebration.

According to the May 17th committees in Norway’s largest cities, plans for Syttende Mai (the Seventeenth of May) have mostly been finalised, and now all that’s left is to hope that the weather will be kind to the crowds on Wednesday.

Oslo: Some 110 schools to join the May 17th parade

In Oslo, a key part of the celebration is the children’s May 17th parade. Schoolchildren make their way up Karl Johan Street to the Royal Palace to wave at the royal family. Thousands of people will line Karl Johan Street. The parade will begin in the morning and last into the early afternoon. 

Furthermore, a concert showcasing young Norwegian talents will take place at Akershus Fortress.

The free concert will take place at the Karpedammen stage and bring together talented students from renowned institutions such as Edvard Munch, Foss, Hartvig Nissens, and Oslo cultural schools, alongside other professional musicians.

A highlight of this year’s concert is the presence of Emelie Hollow, a renowned artist. In addition, the Oslo Symphony Orchestra’s 30th consecutive participation adds a touch of elegance to the occasion.

“The planning is going very well. We have 110 schools that will join the children’s parade. Before that, there will be a festive concert with several young talents and Emilie Hollow at the fortress,” Sarah Safavifard, the leader of the May 17th committee in Oslo, told Norwegian newswire NTB.

“There has been a fair amount of work. I have received good help from the committee. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the children’s parade myself. Now, I hope for a sunny celebration with lots of people. May 17th at its best, as we know it,” Safavifard said.

Oslo Municipality has published a brief on its May 17th program on its website.

Bergen: A flag parade and fireworks at Festplassen

Bergen is preparing a traditional May 17th program, with the flag parade, a special air show with aerobatics demonstrations, and fireworks at the Festplassen square.

Liv Cecilie Lycke, head of the May 17th committee in Bergen, has great faith that this year’s celebration of the national day will be in good Bergen tradition.

“You can expect a program that starts at 7am and lasts until 11:30pm. We have lots of activities that will take place in the centre of Bergen. There, there will be a celebration with several old traditions. Much of what we do on our national day are traditions that go back 175 years ago,” Lycke said.

Among other highlights, Lycke pointed to the flag parade, which takes place at 10:40am. In addition, a celebratory salute will be carried out at the Bergenhus Fortress at 12 o’clock, and at 1:30pm, the air show over Vågen/Byfjorden will take place. At the same time, there will be a really good party at Festplassen Square when the national day draws to a close.

“In the evening, we have a big event for young people at Festplassen. Among other things, several artists will perform, so there will be dancing and a good atmosphere. Finally, we’ll end the day with a fireworks display at 11.15 pm,” she said.

You can find more information on the program in Bergen on the Municipality’s website (in Norwegian).

Stavanger

Stavanger is placing its confidence in a traditional May 17th celebration. Photo by Victor Malyushev on Unsplash

Stavanger: Traditional festivities and international culture spotlight

This year, Stavanger is placing its bet on a traditional celebration, with parades taking centre stage as the main attraction of the day, according to Ann Sesilie Tekfeldt, leader of the May 17th committee in Stavanger.

“We are ready and looking forward to the day ahead. There will be a children’s parade, a people’s parade, and a parade of high school pupils in their final spring semester. But, overall, it will be a very traditional celebration,” Tekfeldt said.

“It’s also incredibly fun to meet people and congratulate others on the parade on the day… We also have an international folk festival outside our concert hall in Stavanger. There were a lot of people there last year… So, I’m looking forward to seeing the great international cultural features,” she said.

“It will be very nice to have a holiday on May 17th in Stavanger. There will be a bustling public life around the entire cityscape. If the weather is good, there will be no better places to holiday on May 17th than in Stavanger,” Tekfeldt concluded.

The full Stavanger May 17th program has already been published online.

Tromsø: Hoping for nice weather

Like other major cities, Tromsø is also ready to celebrate May 17th.

Given the often cloudy, rainy, and changeable weather in Norway’s northern region, the local committee hopes for favourable weather conditions for the festivities.

“I hope that we will have pleasant weather. I don’t want to say sunny, but God, how good it would be if it were sunny,” Eva Lockertsen Stenvold, the leader of the May 17th committee in Tromsø, said.

The program for Constitution Day has been set, and the committee leader says several parades will run through Tromsø on Wednesday.

“After I joined the May 17th committee, I discovered a parade that I had never been aware of before – the scout parade, which starts in the morning at 7 o’clock. The parade visits all memorials and monuments in the city and ends its journey at 8.15 am. After that, not many hours are left before the school parade, the children’s parade, and the people’s parade occur. The school parade starts at 11.15 am, the children’s parade leaves at 1.15 pm, and the people’s parade takes place at 4.30 pm. So, there is something for everyone,” Lockertsen Stenvold said.

The full May 17th program can be found on the Municipality’s website (in Norwegian).

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NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS

The things foreigners in Norway find confusing about May 17th 

Constitution Day, or May 17th, is a fantastic occasion in Norway. Foreigners living in the country also love getting in on the celebrations – but a few things about the day can be confusing. 

Published: 15 May 2024 16:06 CEST
The things foreigners in Norway find confusing about May 17th 

Often referred to as Norway’s national day, May 17th is much beloved in Norway. The parades and festivities are a must-see (and also pretty hard to miss) for anyone in Norway on the day. 

There are plenty of traditions that can seem strange from the outside looking in, including bunads, parades, singing the national anthem, and waving flags. Even after you’ve experienced them a few times, they can still feel puzzling. 

How to celebrate 

One aspect that can confuse foreigners, even those with a few May 17ths under the belt, is how exactly the date should be celebrated. 

While the parades are an obvious starting point, traditions can vary across families, cities and regions. 

Many will start May 17th with a combination of a typical Norwegian breakfast, with or without champagne, and then go to watch the parades. 

After that, things become more unclear. Some choose to celebrate the rest of the day with family, grilling or playing garden games. 

Others choose to party hard, whether at parties, bars, or special May 17th events. 

Meanwhile, some cities have large gatherings after the parades, torch processions, or fireworks in the evening. 

Our tip would be to choose what you like most about May 17th and go with the flow. 

Thankfully, as long as you don’t do something stupid like desecrate the Norwegian flag or spend the day antagonising people, there doesn’t appear to be a “right or wrong” way to celebrate the occasion. 

What to wear 

Outfit choice can be tricky on May 17th. People normally dress their best, be it in a traditional bunad, a suit, or other smart clothes. 

For foreigners, this can be tough. For starters, most probably do not feel Norwegian enough to wear a bunad but want to dress nicely for the occasion as a show of respect. 

Therefore, finding something that makes you feel comfortable, doesn’t feel underdressed, and is also appropriate for whatever the weather is can be a tricky balance. 

Some people wear folk costumes from where they are from, which for the most part goes down well as very few Norwegians hold an attitude of “this is our day and not yours”.

What other people are wearing

This is perhaps more the case for newcomers to Norway, but seeing a bunad for the first time can be strange. Seeing thousands of people decked out in “national costumes” (as they are sometimes referred to) can be overwhelming. 

Given that the costumes date back centuries, seeing the old mixed with the modern can also be surreal—for example, seeing someone in a bunad whizz by on an e-scooter. 

Even as you become more accustomed to seeing national costumes and learning more about them, you could confuse yourself trying to work out the origin of the bunad given the designs, colours and embroidery unique to different regions of Norway. 

The national pride

As the day marks the signing of the Norwegian constitution, it’s no surprise that its themes centre on national pride and identity and feature plenty of flag waving and singing of the national anthem. 

This can be puzzling for foreigners, as in some places, patriotism and national pride have been hijacked by populist and far-right movements and used as a tool to cause division.

Other foreigners may also be critical of the idea of a monarchy and how heavily they feature in the day’s proceedings. 

However, in Norway, no one really questions these things. This is just as well because, for the most part, May 17th demonstrates how you can celebrate a country’s essence without hijacking it for the wrong reasons. 

The locals in Norway generally choose to include those who also wish to celebrate May 17th rather than exclude them. 

It’s the fact that Norway is able to maintain a strong sense of national pride on May 17th while remaining inclusive that some may find confusing. 

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