Christmas and New Year in Tromsø
Christmas in Tromsø falls in the middle of the polar night. The streets are lit from mid-November, there are small markets and church concerts, and over the holidays many doors close. Here is what is open when.
Tromsø's Christmas season starts in mid-November, when the city puts up its festive lights, and runs into the New Year. It overlaps with the polar night, which lasts from about 27 November to 15 January. There is no sunrise in this period, but around midday you get a few hours of twilight, often pink and deep blue. The rest of the day belongs to the Christmas lights.
Lights and the Christmas tree
From mid-November, according to Visit Tromsø, the city lights up with festive decorations. On the first Sunday of Advent, which is 29 November in 2026, the large Christmas tree in the middle of the city is lit. The lights stay up well into January: the Polar Night Half Marathon on 9 January 2027 still starts under the Christmas lights.
Christmas markets
Visit Tromsø lists several small Christmas markets, held in November and December. The dates for 2026 had not been published when we checked in October 2026. The table shows last season's dates as a guide to when and where to look.
| Market | Place | Dates in 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Tromsø Julemarked | Stortorget | 21 November to 22 December |
| Juleglede market | Nerstranda | 21 November to 21 December |
| Christmas market in “Skomakergata” | Strandgata 34 | 3 November to 22 December |
| Christmas market in Rødbanken | Bankhjørnet Rødbanken | 14 and 15 November |
| Juovlamárkanat Romssas, Sámi Christmas market | Bankhjørnet Rødbanken | 28 and 29 November |
The Sámi Christmas market, Juovlamárkanat Romssas, ran for only two days at the end of November in 2025. If you want to visit it, watch for this season's dates, and see our page on Sámi culture in Tromsø for more.
Christmas concerts in the Arctic Cathedral
The Arctic Cathedral in Tromsdalen, across the bridge from the centre, lists several December concerts. In 2026 these include a Christmas concert with Aurora Borealis and Lisa Stokke on 5 December and “Julefred” from 20 to 22 December. On New Year's Eve, 31 December 2026, the New Year concert starts at 21:00. Store norske leksikon notes that in the dark season the light from inside the church spills out into the day. Our page on the Arctic Cathedral describes the building and how to get there.
Opening hours over Christmas
Attractions keep shorter hours or close completely on the main holidays. These are the hours published for 2026. Opening times can change at short notice, so check the official site before you go.
| Place | 24 December | Other holiday days |
|---|---|---|
| Arctic Cathedral | Services at 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00 only; otherwise closed | 26–30 December 11:00–17:00 |
| Polaria | 10:00–16:00 | Normally open every day 10:00–17:00 |
| Arctic University Museum | Closed | Closed 25 December and 1 January |
| Nordnorsk vitensenter (science centre) | Closed | Closed 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January |
| Fjellheisen cable car | Normally every day 09:00–00:00, departures every full and half hour; may close at short notice in strong wind | |
Shops and public holidays
Christmas Eve, 24 December, is not a public holiday in Norway. By law, shops have to close by 16:00 on Christmas Eve, and Visit Tromsø says that in practice they normally close at 13:00. The public holidays are Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December and New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027. New Year's Eve, Thursday 31 December, is not a public holiday.
On Sundays and public holidays, shops in Norway have to stay closed. Exceptions include small grocery stores with up to 100 square metres of sales space, petrol stations, garden centres and restaurants. Visit Tromsø notes that many shops reopen on 27 December. In Advent there is one relaxation: on the last three Sundays before Christmas Eve, shops may open from 14:00 to 20:00. If you arrive on 24 December, buy what you need for the next two days in the morning.
New Year's Eve
Visit Tromsø suggests watching the New Year fireworks from the cable car, Fjellheisen, high above the city. Other viewpoints it names are Charlottenlund, Alfheim, the area around Tromsø Maritime School, and in the centre Strandtorget and Porten til Ishavet at Vervet. We could not find an official organiser or start time for the 2026 fireworks, so check local news closer to the date. Visit Tromsø also mentions a New Year boat trip on a hybrid-electric boat that watches the fireworks from the fjord.
The cable car can close at short notice in strong wind or difficult weather. Look at the Fjellheisen website on the day and have a viewpoint in town as a back-up.
Christmas in the polar night
For a December visit, plan outdoor activities around the midday twilight and keep the evenings for concerts, markets and the northern lights. Around the shortest day, civil twilight lasts a little over four hours, roughly from half past nine to just before two in the afternoon. Our page on the polar night explains what a day looks like, and the events calendar lists what follows in January, starting with the film festival.
The long nights around Christmas are also aurora season. Tours for the holiday weeks are compared on northern-lights-tromso.com.
Concerts and evenings over the holidays
With the sun below the horizon, the Christmas weeks in Tromsø happen mostly by lamplight. These are bookable ways to spend an evening.
Concert · Johansenjjmusic
Christmas concert in the Arctic Cathedral
A 90-minute concert of English and Norwegian Christmas songs inside the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsdalen.
- Duration 1.5 hours
- Meeting point Arctic Cathedral
- ✓ Free cancellation
Concert · Best Arctic AS
Late-evening concert in Tromsø Cathedral
A 30-minute concert late in the evening in the wooden Tromsø Cathedral in the city centre, with doors opening at 22:30.
- Duration 30 minutes
- Meeting point Tromsø Cathedral (Domkirke)
- ✓ Free cancellation
Northern lights · Brim Explorer
Northern lights dinner cruise
An evening cruise of about three hours on a hybrid catamaran with dinner on board, with a chance of northern lights if the sky clears.
- Duration About 3 hours
In town · Fjellheisen Tromsø
Fjellheisen cable car return ticket
A return ticket for the cable car to Storsteinen, valid for the day, so you can see the lit-up city from above and stay as long as you like during opening hours.
- Duration Valid for one day
- Meeting point Lower station, Tromsdalen
- ✓ Free cancellation
Prices and ratings in these cards come straight from the booking platform and are shown in euros per person. If you book through them we earn a commission, and your price stays the same.
Questions travellers ask
Are shops open on Christmas Eve in Tromsø?
Yes, but only in the morning and early afternoon. By law, shops must close by 16:00 on Christmas Eve, and Visit Tromsø notes that they normally close at 13:00. On 25 and 26 December most shops stay closed, and they reopen on 27 December.
When are the Christmas markets in Tromsø?
The 2026 dates had not been published in October 2026. In 2025 the main market on Stortorget ran from 21 November to 22 December, and several smaller markets ran in November and December. Check Visit Tromsø in November for this season.
Is the Arctic Cathedral open at Christmas?
On 24 December 2026 there are only services, at 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00, and the church is otherwise closed to visitors. From 26 to 30 December it is open from 11:00 to 17:00. Check ishavskatedralen.no before you go.
Where can I watch the New Year fireworks in Tromsø?
Visit Tromsø suggests the cable car, Fjellheisen, as one place to watch. Other viewpoints it names include Charlottenlund, Alfheim, the area around Tromsø Maritime School, Strandtorget and Porten til Ishavet at Vervet in the centre.
Is it dark all day at Christmas in Tromsø?
The sun does not rise between about 27 November and 15 January, but it is not pitch dark all day. Around midday there are a few hours of twilight, often with pink and blue colours in the sky.
Where these facts come from
Dates, opening hours and rules change. We checked these pages in October 2026; the official source has the final word.
- Visit Tromsø: Christmas inspiration
- Visit Tromsø: Jul i Tromsø (inspirasjon)
- Visit Tromsø: Åpningstider i høytider
- Visit Tromsø: Nyttårscruise i Tromsø
- Visit Tromsø: Winter
- Visit Tromsø: Look out for the northern lights
- Ishavskatedralen: Åpningstider
- Ishavskatedralen: Hva skjer?
- Polaria: Praktisk info
- Fjellheisen: Opening hours
- UiT Arctic University Museum: Plan your visit
- Nordnorsk vitensenter: Åpningstider
- Nordic Council of Ministers: Public holidays in Norway
- Store norske leksikon: Lukningstid
- Midnight Sun Marathon: Polar Night Marathon
- Store norske leksikon: Ishavskatedralen
- US Naval Observatory: Sun data for Tromsø, 21 December 2026
- Visit Tromsø: Top 8 places to explore on foot
