October 7th-11th: Nobel prizes announced

On Monday October 7th, the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology will kick off a week of announcements in Sweden, followed by the physics prize on October 8th, the chemistry prize on October 9th and the literary prize on October 10th. The final Nobel Prize, the peace prize, will be announced by the Norwegian Nobel committee in Oslo on Friday October 11th.

The Nobel Prize ceremony takes place in Stockholm each year on December 10th, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

October 4th: Cinnamon Bun Day

Swedes love their cinnamon buns so much they even gave the baked goods their own annual day – kanelbullens dag – which is marked on October 4th each year.

The holiday was invented in 1999 by the Home Baking Council (Hembakningsrådet), a club of baking ingredient producers now run by Danish sugar company Dansukker. The company wanted to create a baking tradition in honour of its 40th anniversary. This is one of our favourite cinnamon bun recipes.

October 27th: Clocks go back

Winter time will start on October 27th, lasting until March 30th, 2025.

This means that you’ll need to put your clock back an hour at 2am on Sunday October 27th (or whenever you head to bed on the 26th, if you’re not too keen on getting up early just to change your clock).

Luckily, this means you’ll get an extra hour in bed on Sunday, but the evenings will feel a lot darker after the time change.

Digital clocks on computers or phones should update automatically, but get ready to frantically search for the manual to your oven so you can figure out how to change its display on the 27th.

October 1st: Tougher rules on citizenship via notification come into force

Citizenship through notification – medborgarskap genom anmälan – is available to children who have lived in Sweden for at least three years (two if stateless), young adults between 18 and 21 who have lived in Sweden since they turned 13 (15 if stateless) and Nordic citizens.

From October 1st, people suspected or convicted of committing certain serious crimes, deemed a threat to Swedish security or connected to groups or organisations whose activities include “systematic, widespread and serious offences against other people” will be barred from citizenship via notification. 

Nordic citizens and children born in Sweden who have been stateless since birth are exempt from the new rules, as are people under the age of 15 (with some exceptions).

The requirements, even taking these new rules into account, are less strict than citizenship through application, which is the normal route to citizenship for most foreigners in Sweden.

• READ ALSO: How to get Swedish citizenship via notification

The new rules will also make it more difficult to relinquish Swedish citizenship once gained in some cases, specifically if there is a reason to believe that the applicant is being coerced to relinquish their citizenship by someone else, or, in the case of a child, if it is deemed to not be in the child’s best interest. Children over the age of 12 will also need to consent to relinquishing their citizenship.

October 1st: Law on temporary agency work comes into force

A 2022 law regulating temporary agency work will come into force on October 1st. The rule will affect workers in agencies, referred to as bemanningsföretag in Swedish, who are employed for the purpose of being hired out to client companies on temporary contracts.

Under the new rules, once a temporary agency worker has worked at a single client company for 24 months within a 36 month period, the company will need to either offer them a full-time contract or the equivalent of two months full-time pay (rising to three months in certain cases).

The law was adopted in 2022 but as it only applies after someone has worked for at least 24 months, it can only be enforced now that 24 months have passed from the time it came into force.

October 31st: Halloween (kind of)

Halloween may not be as big in Sweden as it is elsewhere – Swedes traditionally celebrate All Saints on November 1st instead – but you’re likely to still see kids out on the streets dressed up around October 31st.

Although Halloween technically falls on the last day of October, many Swedish families celebrate the weekend before or the weekend after. Individual streets and housing associations often agree on a date together so that parents are prepared with sweets and decorations for any trick-or-treaters.

The custom of trick or treating is called bus eller godis in Swedish, and there’s growing consensus that children should only knock on doors which have some kind of Halloween decorations outside, even if it’s just a pumpkin on the doorstep, and respect those who do not wish to take part.

Theme parks like Gröna Lund in Stockholm and Liseberg in Gothenburg will also host Halloween events throughout October.

October 10th-20th: Stockholm Jazz Festival

Jazz lovers should make sure to mark October 10th-20th in their calendars for Stockholm Jazz Festival, one of Sweden’s oldest jazz festivals which takes place across the city next month.

The programme has already been released and includes paid and free events.

October 9th-13th and October 31st: Durga Puja and Diwali

Diwali also falls on October 31st this year, with events held by Indian associations in all of Sweden’s major cities. 

The Durga Puja festival, on October 9th-13th, is celebrated with events in all of Sweden’s major cities, with at least two events in Stockholm, and celebrations in Helsingborg, Gothenburg, Uppsala and even as far north as Luleå.  

October 14th: India-Sweden Innovation Day

India-Sweden Innovation Day, an all-day event held by India Unlimited in association with the Indian Embassy in Sweden and the Sweden-India Business Council will take place in Stockholm on October 14th. 

The theme for the event this year is “Accelerating Green Growth for Inclusive Transition”, and will include speeches from each country’s ambassadors, ministers, as well as talks and panel discussions with representatives from Swedish businesses.

You can find more information and register for the event on the India Sweden Innovation Day event page.

October 5th: Dandiya in Stockholm

Indian-run event management company Indisk Vibes will be hosting Sweden’s biggest Dandiya event at Magasin 9 in Stockholm. Dandiya is a traditional style of Indian dance, and the event will showcase live music, dancing and other cultural performances, alongside Indian cuisine. There will also be activities for children.

The event is open to everyone, not just members of Stockholm’s Indian community, and the organisers hope that people from different backgrounds will join in the festivities.

More information and a link to tickets is available on the Facebook event.

Do you know about any other events or activities happening in October which could be relevant to our readers? Get in touch, either in the comments or via email to [email protected].