The best places to celebrate New Year in Sweden

Gothenburg

If you like fireworks then Sweden’s second city is the place to be on New Year’s Eve. Local newspaper Göteborgs Posten puts on one of the biggest displays, sending about 1,000 colourful rockets into the sky from Kvillepiren at Frihamnen harbour starting at 5pm.

You should be able to see them from anywhere around the city’s central harbour, but the nearby Göta Älvbron bridge is a good high point to make the most of the occasion, as is Ramberget hill or even the hill at Masthuggskyrkan church further south, provided it’s a clear night.

Alternatively, there is also a free fireworks display at the iconic Götaplatsen square on Avenyn, starting at 11.40pm. Around 20,000 people are expected to turn up however, so get there early if you want to find a good spot to watch.

If you fancy something a bit warmer, then Henriksberg bar up on Stigbergsliden in Majorna is offering a meal with a view, and plenty of fireworks should be visible from the high point. The menu and prices can be checked here.

As it’s New Year a late one may be on the cards though, and it’s difficult to beat Trädgår’n in that regard. The classic nightspot has three dance floors open from 10pm on the 31st until 5am the next day, so you can literally dance into New Year’s Day. Entrance costs 250 kronor and can be bought here.

The spectacular fireworks at Gothenburg's main harbour. Photo: Erik Söderström/Flickr creative commons

Stockholm

December 31st will be something of a bittersweet evening for music lovers in the capital as one of Stockholm’s best venues holds its last ever concert before closing. Debaser Medis will go out the way it opened, with Bob Hund, who played the first gig held there in 2006, closing the venue with a special New Year’s gig. There’s also meal on offer and DJs will play additional music until 03:00. Tickets and information can be found here.

If you’re more of an electronic music kind of person, then Under Bron inside Trädgården is the place to be – and they’ll also have fireworks, of course. It’s open until 5am, and has information as well as ticket details in English here.

Also open until five is Södra Teatern, and the club’s spot high up on the hills of Södermalm means you should be able to get a great view of much of the city’s fireworks. People who really want to make it a marathon can start off with a meal at Mosebacke Etablissement, before moving upstairs to try and find a spot on the balcony of the champagne bar, or dancing to the usual hip-hop classics.

Alternatively, the club’s newly renovated sister venue Underhof has a pretty epic sounding Ibiza-inspired basement party going on, which promises confetti cannons, DJs and drag queens. Details and tickets for all the different event combinations can be found in Swedish here.

Finally, if nostalgia is your kind of thing, then Debaser Strand at Hornstull will be playing nothing but 90s and early 2000s hits until 3am, with a few extra surprises on top. Tickets cost 295 kronor and can be bought here, with a discount on offer for anyone who has a meal in the venue’s Mexican restaurant Calexico’s beforehand.

The view from Södra Teatern is about as good as it gets. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

Umeå

Rådhustorget is traditionally one of the best places to watch fireworks in the northern Swedish hub, and this year is no exception, with music, speeches and more on the cards ahead of the big countdown.

The busiest area is expected to be around Skeppsbron pier, where big screens will be set up to make sure everyone gets a decent view.

The celebrations start at 10.30pm and a full schedule can be found here.

Gävle

There likely won’t be a burning goat in sight, but Gävle is still worth visiting on the last night of 2016 for the big fireworks display in the centre of the city. The angel statues opposite the concert hall in Stadsträdgården park is where they will be launched from, starting at a family-friendly time of 4pm.

Malmö

Malmö has a reputation for its nightlife and unsurprisingly there are a number of big club nights on offer on December 31st. Kulturbolaget should satisfy those determined to stay out until early in the morning with late opening hours until 5am. The music tends to lean towards rock, and advanced tickets are on sale here.

For a more mainstream affair (but one which nonetheless runs until 4am), Hipp is starting the evening with a New Year’s buffet including pre-drinks from 7.30pm, before everyone duly gets up and dances the night away thereafter. Prices and more info for both the food and the club night can be found here. Did we mention the venue is beautiful (see the image below for proof)?

Finally, for the seventh year in a row, Malmö Opera will put on music, lights and fireworks at the building’s outdoor piazza from 11.30pm on New Year’s Eve, and it costs absolutely nothing to attend. After the bells there will be more music and dancing long into the early hours of Sunday. More details are available in Swedish here. 

Check out our interactive calendar below for more things to do in Sweden.