The biggest Stockholm events in 2023

Recurring events in Stockholm

Some events attract attendees year after year and have become a mainstay in annual calendars. Some of the most popular recurring events are:

• Adidas Stockholm Marathon - Adidas is the main sponsor of the Stockholm Marathon since 2022. But the annual event has older roots than that, as far back as 1979. It is usually held in late May/early June.
• The Baltic Sea Festival - The Baltic Sea Festival is a music event, that highlights classic and orchestral music from countries around the Baltic Sea. The festival is a collaboration between, amongst others, The Swedish Institue and the Swedish National Radio, and the concerts are held at Berwaldhallen on Gärdet.
• Bauhaus-galan - Formerly known as DN-galan, Bauhaus-galan has been around since 1967. The annual athletics meeting is part of the Diamond League and regularly hosts some of the world's most prominent athletes.
• Kulturnatt Stockholm - Kulturnatt Stockholm is basically a smorgasbord of Stockholm's cultural scene. During the one-night-only festival in April, many of the city's libraries, theaters, museums, and cultural institutions organize unique events, shows, and exhibitions free of admission.
• Lidingöloppet - With some 15 000 participants every year, Lidingöloppet is the world's largest cross-country running competition in the world. Although the track is "only" 30 kilometers long (18.6 miles), the difficult terrain has made it infamous, considered by some as one of the most challenging races in Sweden.
• Liljevalch's Spring Salon - 2021 marked the 100-year anniversary of the Spring Salon at Liljevalch's art museum. Since its inception, the annual exhibition has showcased works from established artists, side-by-side with virtual unknowns and amateurs. Each year's lineup is hand-picked by a jury.
• Lollapalooza - The music festival Lollapalooza has its roots in the US and the alternative rock music of the '90s. The first Stockholm edition was held in 2019 with performing artists like Lana Del Rey, Foo Fighters, Chance the Rapper, and Billie Eilish.
• Stockholm Design Week - Stockholm Design Week is organized by the Stockholm Furniture Fair and is held two times each year; in February and August. It puts the spotlight on Swedish and Scandinavian design with design-focused events at galleries, showrooms, museums, and cultural institutions all over Stockholm. The February-edition also coincides with the annual Stockholm Furniture Fair.
• Stockholm International Film festival - The Stockholm International Film Festival took place for the first time in 1990. Although the program is broad with several categories, the competitive section is only open to young filmmakers.
• Stockholm Jazz Festival - Stockholm Jazz Festival is one of Sweden's oldest music festivals. As the name suggests, the festival focuses on jazz music with concerts by both jazz legends and rising stars.
• Stockholm Kulturfesival & We Are Stockholm - Two admission-free festivals – with various events, concerts, and exhibitions – that take place simultaneously in August, in central Stockholm. While Stockholm Kulturfestival is for the whole family, We Are Stockholm is more aimed at teenagers and young adults.
• Stockholm Pride - The largest pride celebration in Northern Europe has been around since 1998. Festivities are spread across Stockholm, during the last week of July/the first week of August. But almost everyone views the Pride Parade, at the end of the week, as the obvious highlight of the celebrations.
• ÖTILLÖ Swimrun - Rumor has it that ÖTILLÖ started out as a late-night bet between friends. The idea was to see who could get from Utö in the southern Stockholm archipelago to Sandhamn in the North, by a mix of swimming and running. The race has since become one of the most popular events in the archipelago.