The highlight of Pride celebrations for many people are parades. The parades bring people from all walks like together to celebrate and champion LGBTQ+ rights.

The largest Pride parade in Norway is the Oslo Pride Parade, the yearly procession typically acts as the climax of more than a week of LGBTQ+ events and exhibitions across the Norwegian capital.

When and where

This year, the Oslo Pride Parade will take place on Saturday, June 29th and will begin in Grønland and travel to the heart of the city’s centre before heading up Storgata to the trendy Grünerløkka neighbourhood.

The parade will end in Sofienbergparken, which is also the home of Pride Park this year.

The official starting point is Helga Helgelsens plass. There will be toilets at the beginning, and participants will be able to purchase Pride flags. The parade begins at 12:00 p.m. and it will take about two hours to walk the 2.9-kilometre-long route.

Participants can join the parade wherever they wish, and there will be medics and volunteers from the Red Cross at various stops.

The weather in Oslo is looking sunny, with temperatures around 20 degrees. So sunscreen and some water may be a good idea.

Drinking alcohol in a public space in Norway is illegal, and the event’s organisers have said that they want the event to be one that people of all ages can enjoy.

Many in the parade may be affiliated with an association or organisation, but individuals can show up and join the parade without having to register.
It is too late for people to register organisations and vehicles to take part in the parade.

When it comes to safety, police have said that they were not aware of any concrete threats against the LGBTQ+ community. Police have also reported a lower level of hate speech in relation to the event compared to last year.

Despite there being no specific threat this year, the police will be armed nonetheless to act as a deterrent. Police will both be uniformed and in plain clothes.

What to know if you aren’t attending 

Given the large volume of people progressing through the town centre, you can expect disrupted and crowded public transport in the areas where the pride parade is starting, taking place and ending. 

The procession won’t affect the opening of stores and restaurants, so if you are in the Grünerløkka area then you can still go about your daily business while enjoying the atmosphere the parade brings as it makes its way up the neighborhood’s main street, Thorvald Meyers. 

Those who want to do some sightseeing can also expect more crowds around the main train station and the sqaure behind Oslo’s town hall during the parade’s duration.