What's on in Stockholm this season
Publish date: 4 December 2025
A dark starry sky, crisp air, and snow! Winter in Stockholm offers everything from festive concerts and exhibitions to trade fairs and family-friendly shows. Below you’ll find a selection of highlights for the season – and a link to our calendar, where you can see what’s on during your stay.
December
Christmas in Stockholm All of December
Christmas approaching is obvious as you move through the streets: shop windows, Christmas lights, and music are clear clues. However you want to celebrate, Stockholm offers many options. Have a Christmas buffet (julbord) at a restaurant, visit a Christmas market, or listen to a Christmas concert. We’ve collected the most Christmassy recommendations here.
Nobel celebrations in Stockholm December 7–14
This year the celebrations start on December 7, when the light festival Nobel Week Lights kicks off. Nobel Day is December 10. You can of course enjoy the broadcast of the banquet, but you can also take part in seminars, workshops, and talks hosted by many of Stockholm’s museums and institutions. In the guide A Nobel way to discover Stockholm you’ll find events during the week and museums with a science profile. If you want to try some Nobel tastes, many chefs who have led the banquet have their own restaurants in Stockholm. And if you want to catch up on reading this year’s Nobel laureates (and past ones), check out Stockholm’s bookshops.
Stockholm Santa Run December 7
Santa Run is a fun charity race in central Stockholm where all runners have one thing in common: they’re dressed as Santa. The start is in Kungsträdgården. There are two distances: a three-kilometer route around Gamla stan, and a longer distance where you run two laps.
Lucia in Stockholm December 13
This year Lucia falls on a Saturday. You can experience Lucia concerts on the days before and after. Most churches in Stockholm arrange some kind of Lucia celebration, with the most classical one taking place in Storkyrkan. You can also find alternative celebrations around the city. Find your perfect fit in our guide to Lucia.
Stockholm Hundmässa December 13–14
Combine Sweden’s biggest dog show with fast-paced dog sports and a large trade show focused on dogs. Whether you have a dog, are thinking of getting one, or just love dogs, this is the highlight of the year—with activities for the whole family.
New Year in Stockholm December 31
Finish 2025 with a party. This year will be celebrated in style at many clubs and venues across Stockholm. Whether you prefer opera or a big night out, you’ll find recommendations in our New Year guide, including museums and attractions that are open over the weekend.
Concerts, festivals, and performing arts this season
The festival summer is over, but Stockholm still has plenty of more concerts and performances to enjoy:
Ski Aggu (December 5, Debaser Strand), Roxette (December 5, Avicii Arena), Mikkey Dee (December 12, Slaktkyrkan), Vendredi sur Mer (December 13, Nalen), Sabaton (December 13, 3Arena), Darya & Månskensorkestern (January 3-4, Fasching), Burna Boy (January 15, Avicii Arena), 500 Years with the Royal Swedish Orchestra (January 17-18, The Royal Swedish Opera), Earl Sweatshirt + Sideshow (January 23, Slaktkyrkan), Sylosis (January 23, Fryshuset Arenan), Uriah Heep (January 27, Göta Lejon), Cryptopsy (January 28, Kollektivet Livet Bar och Scen), Anna of the North (January 30, Debaser Strand), Xion + Diabolo (January 30, Slakthuset) and Soppgirobygget (January 31, Avicii Arena).
Find more events in our guide here!
Find more music in Stockholm
Museum highlights this season
Early January offers a last chance to visit some of the exhibitions from this season. Some highlights are:
- Nordiska Museet is currently presenting its largest exhibition ever. Nordic Life (February 10 – December 31, 2026) explores the lives and people of the Nordic region over the past 500 years. With 4,000 artefacts and images, the exhibition offers a deeper understanding of Nordic cultural history.
- Laia Abril meets Emily Jacir & Teresa Margolles (September 6 – January 11)
Moderna Museet’s brand-new wing opens with a hard-hitting triple bill on misogyny, violence and resistance, pairing Abril’s research-driven photo-essays with Jacir’s and Margolles’ politically charged installations. - Pablo Picasso (November 22– April 5, 2026)
Many know Pablo Picasso, but few have seen his late paintings. At Moderna Museet, they receive the attention they deserve in a new exhibition featuring around 70 paintings from 1963–1972. - Hanna Hirsch Pauli – The Art of Being Free (December 4 – January 11, 2026)
Nationalmuseum presents the first comprehensive monographic exhibition on painter Hanna Hirsch Pauli, bringing together more than 120 works spanning over six decades – from intimate portraits to large-scale interiors. - The Left Shore (December 4 – January 11, 2026)
Also at Nationalmuseum, filmmaker Johan Renck and photographer Anders Petersen join forces in a film-and-photography installation about life on the margins, combining a new still-image film with Petersen’s powerful black-and-white photos. - The Subterranean Sky (December 3 – January 11, 2026)
Moderna Museet digs deep into its world-famous Surrealist holdings, tracing the movement from classic icons to later works that explore the subconscious and dreamlike imagery in film, sculpture and installation. - Together Through Time(through January 11, 2026)
The Swedish History Museum’s family exhibition is an immersive time-travel from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages, with hands-on stations, films and real objects that invite kids to explore how people lived in the past.
Museum highlights in Stockholm
January
FORMEX January 20-22
Formex started in 1960 and is organized twice a year, at the beginning of January and at the end of August. It's Sweden's biggest design convention for professionals, touching on interior design, gardening and mixed living, packaging and paper, toys, and much more. Pick up on the latest trends, meet future talent, and find many great designs to bring home.
