What's on in Stockholm this season
Publish date: 22 October 2024
Fall is the season for film festivals, theatre premiers, and new exhibitions. Here are some of the season's highlights.
October
Stockholm Craft Week October 2-6
Stockholm Craft Week highlights contemporary craftsmanship. Since its premiere in 2019, the festival has grown bigger and become a popular meeting place for professionals as well as art aficionados. Kulturhuset Stadsteatern is this year's main venue, but Stockholm Craft Week is spread all around Stockholm with workshops, exhibitions, and meet-ups at different venues.
Open House Stockholm October 4–6
The architecture festival Open House Stockholm opens up some of the city's most unique buildings – usually closed to the public – for a weekend's worth of fascinating guided tours. All guided tours are admission-free, but some require pre-booking.
Nobel Calling 4–14 October
Nobel Calling is a way to highlight recipients of the Nobel Prize. As this year's recipients are announced during the first week of October, various events at Stockholm's museums, cultural institutions, and universities celebrate the scientific process, researchers, and the breakthroughs that changed the world.
Concerts, festivals, and performing arts this season
Concerts move back indoors, making fall a busy season for avid music lovers. Expect hip-hop, death metal, techno, jazz, pop, goth, and much, much more.
Musical highlights this season include Autechre (October 2, Slakthuset), Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (October 3, Hovet), Cannibal Corpse (October 5, Fryshuset Klubben), Ghøstkid (October 8, Kollektivet Livet), Einstürzende Neubauten (October 11-12, Fållan), Monster Magnet (October 16, Fållan), Interpol (October 19, Cirkus), The Compozers (October 26, Kägelbanan), Ms Lauryn Hill and The Fugees (October 26, Tele2 Arena), Fish (October 29, Berns), In Flames (November 2, Hovet), Sun Ra Arkestra (November 4, Fasching), Louien (November 8, Debaser), Master Boot Records (November 9, Kollektivet Livet), Kygo (November 13, Tele2 Arena), Cradle of Filth (15 November, Fryshuset Klubben), 10cc (November 26, Cirkus), Sigur Rós (November 30 - December 1, Stockholm Waterfront), Amanda Ginsburg (November 30 - December 1, Fashing) and Albin Lee Meldau (November 30, Tele2 Arena).
Fall also means several new premiers at Stockholm's theaters. The Treasure (September 19 - November 24, Folkoperan) is a new opera based on Selma Lagerlöf's eponymous novel, with a libretto by horror writer Sara Bergmark Elfgren. The Royal Dramatic Theatre re-interprets Shakespeare's King Lear (September 6 - December 9) in a production about theatre itself. The Royal Opera tackles another classic, George Bizzet's Carmen (September 7 - November 26) in a critically acclaimed production by Johanna Garpe. Stephen Sondheim's beloved Company (August 30 - November 17) premiers at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern, starring some of Sweden's most prominent musical performers like Frida Modén Treichl, Helen Sjöholm, and Gunilla Backman.
Find more music in Stockholm
Stockholm Jazz Festival October 11-20
Stockholm Jazz Festival is one of Sweden's oldest and largest music festivals. The festival is spread around various stages in Stockholm and is visited by approximately 25,000 visitors annually. Performing artists this year include Loney Dear, Ibibio Sound Machine, Dr John Cooper Clarke, Jaubi, and Sungazer.
Halloween at Gröna Lund Amusement Park October 11 – November 3
During Halloween, Gröna Lund Amusement Park transforms into a scary paradise where you can revel in haunted houses, spooky attractions, and frightening characters. For those of you who love Halloween but not getting too scared, the kids' area offers a warmer and kinder atmosphere.
Fall break in Stockholm October 28 – November 1
Every fall, as the days grow shorter and shorter, Swedish school children get a week off from school during a fall break (or Höstlov, as it's called Swedish). The fall break is a way for children to charge their batteries during a week in late October/early November and many museums, libraries, and attractions have special exhibitions and activities aimed at kids during this week.
Fall at the museum
Some exhibition highlights this season are:
- Designing Motherhood (September 27 – August 31, 2025, ArkDes) is the inaugural exhibition at the renovated and reopened ArkDes (the Museum of Architecture and Design). The exhibition is about how design has influenced human reproduction over the past 150 years to enable, facilitate, or prevent our arrival into the world.
- The Museum of Ethnography's new exhibition Yokai (September 13 – August 30, 2026, The Museum of Ethnography) explores mystical Japanese creatures and spirits known as yōkai. See how they've been portrayed through history; from the scroll paintings, woodcuts, and books of the Edo period (1603–1868) - to today's video games, films, and manga.
- On Lies, Secrets and Silence (August 28 – November 10, Bonniers Konsthall) highlights Norwegian artist Frida Orupbo. Orupbo's image-based practice explores issues related to race, family relationships, gender, sexuality, violence, and identity.
- Andy Warhol – Money of the Wall (October 18 - April 27, Spritmuseum) focuses on one of the pop-artist’s most recurring themes: money. Visitors will get a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Warhol’s artistry and its connection to economics and society.
- Katalin Ladik has been using her body and voice as tools and materials in her poetry, sound, and performance art since the 1960s, becoming one of Hungary's and Eastern Europe's most prominent contemporary artists. Ooooooooo-pus (November 9 – April 20, 2025, Moderna Museet) is the first exhibition in the Nordic region to present a large overview of her body of work.
Museum highlights in Stockholm
November
Comic Con Winter November 1-3
At Comic Con Winter you can take part in activities inspired by TV & film, try new games before anyone else, and meet popular actors, comic artists, and digital creators. You can also experience world-class cosplay listen to interesting panels, and see breath-taking performances on the stages. Special guests this year include Mark Williams (actor; The Harry Potter films), Don Rosa (comic book writer and artist; Disney's Scrooge McDuck), and Agnes Garbowska (author and comic book artist; My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic).
Stockholm Food & Wine + Bak & Chokladfestivalen November 8–10
The annual Stockholm Food & Wine is Stockholm's largest convention for both foodies and professionals. Taste the latest delicacies, get inspired by unusual flavors, and learn about the latest food and beverage trends. Bak- & Chokladfestivalen, a public fair focusing on chocolate and baking, is held in conjunction with Food & Wine.
Filmfestivals in Stockholm
Fall is the high season for film festivals in Stockholm, with several of the most renowned in October and November.
- Panoramica Film Festival 2024 (September 24–29) – Since 2014 Panoramica has screened some of the most talked about and interesting contemporary films from South America, as well as timeless classics from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia.
- Cinema Queer (September 30–October 7) – Sweden's largest international LGBTQ+ film festival. Explore a wide range of queer films that question, discuss, and aren’t limited to existing norms while highlighting stories that otherwise wouldn’t be recognized.
- SIFFF: Monsters of Film (October 7-13) – MoF started in 2012 as a horror film festival, but has branched since then to include other adjacent genres like fantasy and sci-fi. You'll see some of the most hyped up-coming genre movies and special screenings of classics.
- Stockholm International Film Festival (November 7–17) – Stockholm's premiere film festival usually occurs in early/mid-November. Primarily focusing on young filmmakers (who have directed no more than one previous feature) in the competition, the festival features several other categories screening everything from new Asian cinema, American independents, documentaries, and short films. The festival's top honor is The Bronze Horse.
Naturally, Stockholm has many great cinemas worth visiting any day of the week. From cozy and intimate one-screen movie theaters to large cineplexes and historic film palaces. Read our guide about movie theaters in Stockholm for more tips!
#Stockholmsjul Christmas Lights November 16 – January 15, 2025
Stockholmsjul decorates more than 40 streets, locations, and squares with Christmas LED lights in Stockholm. The opening ceremony is usually in the middle of November, and the lights will illuminate the city until mid-January. Read more about Stockholmsjul on their website.
DreamHack Stockholm November 22-24
The Swedish LAN festival phenomenon comes home, as Dreamhack takes over Stockholmsmässan Conventions Center for a weekend. Imagine a magical realm where gamers from all walks of life unite under one gigantic roof, armed with their trusty keyboard and fueled by an insatiable passion for pixels and polygons.
Sweden International Horse Show November 29 – December 1
SIHS presents international equestrian competitions in five disciplines - jumping, dressage, 4-in-hand driving, eventing, and Icelandic horses/tölt. Besides world-class competitions, there are thrilling show performances, presented by a mix of international and Swedish equestrian artists.
