Helsinki
Home to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Sibelius Academy, the glass- and copper-fronted Helsinki Music Centre,…
Must-see entertainment in Scandinavia
Copenhagen
Saxing things up since the late 1950s, this is one of Scandinavia's great jazz venues, with past performers including Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster and Kenny…
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Aalborg
One of the new additions to the revitalised Aalborg waterfront is Musikkens Hus, a shiny, futuristic-looking concert hall that opened in 2014. Its…
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Trondheim
In an artistically converted former pumping station (look through the glass beneath your feet at the old engines), the Dock House is at once auditorium …
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Tampere
Comics and musicians regularly take to the stage at this much-loved venue, which attracts arty, hip and fun-loving locals of every age. Drinkers and…
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Reykjavík
Dark and raw, this large bar opens up its back room to create a much-loved concert venue, with a wide range of live music or DJs most nights. It's one of…
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Akureyri
Tucked down a lane beside Blaá Kannan, this intimate venue is the best place in town to see live music – and one of the best in the country. If you get…
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Malmö
Opened in 2015, Malmö Live is a world-class concert hall and home to the Malmö Symphony Orchestra.
Oslo
Blå is all things to everyone, with DJs (it happens to be the city's best spot for hip-hop), live gigs and jazz. On Sundays there is a live big band that…
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Oslo
A friendly, intimate and rather stylish live venue that also has excellent craft beers and natural wines to drink. There's a summer courtyard for hanging…
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Malmö
This former slaughterhouse is a multipurpose venue that hosts anything from concerts to DJs, plays and conferences. Check the website to see what's on…
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Aarhus
Art-house cinema in the northern reaches of the Latin Quarter. Shows films in their original language, with Danish subtitles.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen's harbourside playhouse is home to the Royal Danish Theatre and a world-class repertoire of homegrown and foreign plays. Productions range from…
Helsinki
Designed by Alvar Aalto, this 1971 concert hall in angular white marble is one of Helsinki's landmark buildings. It received its congress wing in 1975 and…
Copenhagen
Designed by the late Henning Larsen, Copenhagen's state-of-the-art opera house has two stages: the Main Stage and the smaller, more experimental…
Copenhagen
These days, the main focus of the opulent Gamle Scene (Old Stage) is world-class opera and ballet, including productions from the Royal Danish Ballet. The…
Copenhagen
Cosy and intimate, Copenhagen's jazz-club veteran is a great spot to catch emerging homegrown musicians and the occasional big name. The club even has an…
Gamla Stan
Stampen is one of Stockholm’s music-club stalwarts, swinging to live jazz and blues six nights a week. The free blues jam (currently on Sundays) pulls…
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Bornholm
This summertime institution offers live music six nights a week in peak summer; see the program and buy tickets online, or tickets are generally also…
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Stockholm
The Royal Theatre stages a range of plays in a sublime art-nouveau environment. You can also take a guided tour in English at 4pm most days (adult/child…
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Helsinki
Opened in 1927, this gorgeous art-deco cinema with chequerboard tiles has 216 plush red seats. It shows classics from the Finnish Film Archive through to…
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Stockholm
The Royal Opera is the place to go for thunderous tenors, sparkling sopranos and classical ballet. It has some bargain tickets in seats with poor views,…
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Stockholm
Music club Fasching is the pick of Stockholm’s jazz clubs, with live music most nights. DJs often take over with Afrobeat, Latin, neo-soul or R&B on…
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Oslo
Designed in lavish fashion by Oslo's Henrik Bull, Norway's showcase theatre was constructed specifically as a venue to honour plays by Norwegian…
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Oslo
Oslo's beloved medium-sized venue, right on the lovely main square. Come to see international acts such as Shabazz Palaces or locals like Lindstrom and…
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Oslo
One of the city's best concert halls, Rockefeller Music Hall, once a bathhouse, hosts a wide range of artists and events.
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Copenhagen
Cinephiles flock to the Danish Film Institute's cinema centre, which screens around 70 films per month, including twice-monthly classic Danish hits (with…
Copenhagen
Just off Strøget, this historic theatre from 1923 screens a range of films from European art-house productions to mainstream dramas. You won't find…
Copenhagen
Huset KBH is a local institution, churning out almost 1500 annual events spanning live music, theatre and art-house film, to poetry slams, cabaret and…
Helsinki
Helsinki’s number-one jazz club attracts a refined older crowd swinging to boogie woogie, trad jazz, Dixieland and New Orleans most nights. As well as the…
Copenhagen
The Tivoli concert hall hosts Danish and international symphony orchestras, string quartets and other classical-music performances, not to mention…
Stockholm
Regular performances are staged at this theatre inside Kulturhuset, as well as guest appearances by foreign theatre companies. It's also the temporary…
Reykjavík
Drama, stand-up comedy, improv and dance all get a showing at this long-standing, independent performing-arts theatre. Look out for the many shows…
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Helsinki
Next to the Olympic Stadium, this 10,770-seat arena is the home ground of Helsinki's football (aka soccer) team, HJK (Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi). The team…
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Helsinki
From mid-August to May, opera, ballet and classical concerts are staged at Helsinki's opera house, set in landscaped parkland next to Töölönlahti bay…
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Helsinki
The Finnish National Theatre was founded in 1872 as the country's first Finnish-speaking theatre, but didn't move into its permanent home until 1902. The…
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Helsinki
One of Helsinki’s legendary rock venues, going strong since 1970, Tavastia attracts both up-and-coming local acts and bigger international groups, with a…
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Odense
Built in 2014, Odeon is Odense's sparkling-new centre for theatre, concerts, musicals, ballet and conference-style events. There's a packed calendar in…
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Odense
Run mostly by volunteers, this intimate live-performance venue focuses primarily (but not exclusively) on jazz, blues, folk and world music, from Danish…
