When you are visiting Norway, knowing when there are public holidays is going to be important. These public holidays translates to getting the day off from work for most people, but it also means that stores and other services are closed.
There are always people who end up getting surprised by public holidays in Norway when they realize that it’s going to be a few days until the stores open. Hopefully this article will help you prepare ahead of time to plan for the public holiday dates.
So, let’s get straight to it, and look at all the dates that are considered a public holiday in Norway in 2023:
- January 1.
- April 6. A public holiday tied to Easter.
- April 7. A public holiday tied to Easter.
- April 9. A public holiday tied to Easter.
- April 10. A public holiday tied to Easter.
- May 1. The international Labor day. Read more about Labor Day in Norway here.
- May 17. Norway’s national day. Read more about May 17 as a tourist here.
- May 16. Ascension Day, tied to Easter.
- May 28. Pentecost.
- May 29. Pentecost.
- December 25. First Christmas day.
- December 26. Second Christmas day.
And that’s all the pubic holidays we have in Norway. All stores with the exception of stores that are open on Sundays, will be closed on these public holidays. Gas stations and kiosks will still be open, but everything else will be closed.
Public holidays in Norway in 2024 and 2025
We’ve passed the halfway point of 2023. so let’s also include all the 2024 and 2025 dates for those of you that are planning a trip to Norway for next years already.
Below are all the public holiday dates for Norway in 2024:
- January 1.
- March 28. Easter.
- March 29. Easter.
- April 1. Easter.
- May 1. Labor day.
- May 9. Ascension Day.
- May 17. Norway’s National Day.
- May 20. Pentecost.
- December 25. First Christmas day.
- December 26. Second Christmas day.
Below are all the public holiday dates for Norway in 2025:
- January 1.
- April 17. Easter.
- April 18. Easter.
- April 21. Easter.
- May 1. Labor day.
- May 17. Norway’s National Day.
- May 29. Ascension Day.
- June 9. Pentecost.
- December 25. First Christmas day.
- December 26. Second Christmas day.
How public holidays will affect your visit to Norway
The different public holidays will absolutely affect anyone who visits Norway. Not only are most people home from work, but most things are also closed. The buses might not run during this time, and as mentioned, all stores are closed.
Don’t expect to be able to visit a bank (ATMs are still open), go to a regular non-emergency doctor, or get in touch with government services like UDI or Skatteetaten.
Some of the public holidays are also big celebration days, like May 17, the national day of Norway. I won’t go into detail about this celebration here, because I’ve already written about it in detail.
For the most other public holidays, people tend to stay home or with their family, so you will likely notice that there are fewer people in the city during these days.
There are also celebration days that are not public holidays
In addition to the public holidays, there are also some celebration days where most stores will have limited opening hours. Some examples are during the Easter, as well as on Christmas (December 24) and New Year’s Eve (December 31).
Stores tend to close at around 15:00 or 16:00 during these celebration days, giving people time to get home to their families and celebrate.
The article has been updated to include the 2023 dates as well.