Before All The Flags Come Out...

Hei Scoopers,

We are now firmly in the merry month of May, when Oslo starts waking up properly, the weather gets ideas above its station, and the calendar develops a few nice red dots -which can only mean one thing: Partay!

And then, of course, there is 17 May.
Yes, I know there’s another Scoop before then. But by next week it may already be too late to prepare properly. So this is the “sort yourself out now” edition.

There are national days, and then there is 17 May in Norway, which is less of a public holiday and more of a full-scale national operating system.

If you’re still relatively new to Oslo, it can look slightly confusing from the outside. Everyone is suddenly dressed like they’re attending a royal wedding at 9am in the morning. Children are marching through the streets. People are eating ice cream and drinking Champagne for Breakfast. Flags seem to appear from nowhere. And the whole city manages to be wildly patriotic, deeply sentimental and not at all like their usual quiet and humble demenour.. and somehow still quite well organised.

If you’re Norwegian, most of this will be painfully obvious. You were probably born knowing where to stand, what to wear, how early to arrive, and exactly how many flags one household can reasonably own.

But if you’re new to Norway - or you’ve got relatives visiting who keep asking, “What’s all this about, then?” - this is for you. Send it to them, print it out, or quietly use it yourself while pretending you knew all along.

17 May is Norway’s Constitution Day. The big event in Oslo is the barnetoget - the children’s parade - which starts at 10:00 from Festningsplassen by Akershus Fortress, heads up Karl Johans gate past the Storting and the Royal Palace, and ends at Rådhusplassen around 13:30.

This year, around 120 schools are taking part, so this is not a “pop out for ten minutes and see what’s going on” situation. It is basically the city centre being handed over to children, flags and marching bands for half the day.

The parade reaches the Storting around 10:15, the Royal Palace around 10:30, and the front of the parade gets to Rådhusplassen around 10:45. But the whole thing carries on for hours, so plan accordingly.

If you want the postcard version, aim for Karl Johans gate or somewhere near the Royal Palace. That’s where you get the flags, bunads, marching bands and balcony moment.

But here’s the local tip: don’t drift into the city centre at 10:05 expecting a clean view and a calm little stroll. You will be behind twelve rows of people, three prams, two bunads, and a man holding a flag at exactly your eye height.

Go early, bring patience, and assume crossing the parade route will be annoying.

You don’t need a bunad. But you do need to make an effort.

A bunad is Norway’s traditional festive costume, based on old regional folk dress. It’s not just “the women’s dress” either, there are men’s bunader too, and it usually signals a connection to a particular place or family heritage.

If you don’t have one, smart clothes are fine. Think wedding guest, not “I’m just popping to Kiwi.” A suit, dress, blazer, nice coat, polished shoes, or anything vaguely red-white-and-blue will do.

Comfortable shoes matter more than you think. This is a long standing-around day.

If you do have a bunad, now is the time to check it. Not at 22:43 on 16 May while muttering darkly in front of a mirror.

Does it fit? Is the shirt clean? Is the silver polished? Are the shoes wearable? Has anything been living in the sleeve since last May?

And if it needs cleaning, Fru Hang is a good one to remember for last-minute bunad dry cleaning. This is exactly the sort of job you don’t want to leave until every other person in Oslo has had the same thought…it might already be too late!

This is the unglamorous insider bit: buy what you need before the rush.

Flags. 17 May ribbons. Nice breakfast stuff. Coffee. Soft drinks. Ice cream. Hot dogs. Tights. Hair clips. Plasters. Whatever your child suddenly “absolutely needs” at 07:42 on the day.

Norway is wonderfully organised, but it is not designed around your last-minute panic.

Also, 8 May is Liberation Day and Veterans Day in Norway, marking the end of the occupation during World War II. It is not a normal red day, but it does nudge the country into flag-and-history mode before 17 May properly arrives.

Or, put another way: the liberation of Norway begins on 8 May; the liberation of your money from your wallet begins shortly after, once you remember flowers, dry cleaning, flags, food, transport and something vaguely respectable to wear!

Don’t call it “Norway Day” unless you want someone to gently correct you.

Don’t stand in front of small children during the parade. It is literally their day.

Don’t expect normal city movement through the centre while the parade is on.

Don’t wear brand-new shoes unless you enjoy suffering patriotically.

Don’t be surprised if the day starts early. Many Norwegians do breakfast gatherings before heading into town.

And don’t be cynical too quickly. Yes, it can look slightly over-the-top if you’re British and your national emotional range runs from “mustn’t grumble” to “quite good, actually.”

But 17 May is genuinely moving when you begin to understand it’s real meaning

It’s children, democracy, independence, local identity, music, families and civic pride, all wrapped up in flags, cake and a level of outfit planning that would frighten most weddings.

Go early. Dress nicely. Bring snacks. Learn “gratulerer med dagen.”

And if in doubt, just follow the marching band!

Got any 17th May tips? Funny stories? send them to me I’d love to hear them!

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A reader tipped us off about Skovveien Bar & Pizza this week, and after going through the reviews, it’s pretty clear why. Oslo is not exactly short of pizza, Norwegians may pretend to be all about skiing, brown cheese and cabin life, but give them a good pizza and a glass of wine and civilisation quickly follows. Skovveien seems to have become one of those places that locals actually use, which is usually a better sign than any carefully angled Instagram reel. Several reviewers mention the same thing: it’s busy, often full, and booking ahead is probably wise.

The big draw is the pizza itself. Reviewers repeatedly praise the dough - chewy, crisp, airy, and properly cooked - with several calling it the best pizza they’ve had in Oslo. The menu seems to lean more creative than old-school: pepperoni with a kick, prosciutto and burrata, vodka nduja, mortadella, coppa with chili honey, and even a Tantanmen mushroom pizza that one reviewer compared to “the world’s best hunter’s stew… in pizza form.” There’s also decent wine, cocktails, sharing dishes, and a gluten-free base that gets surprisingly good mentions, though one reviewer warned it may not be suitable for coeliacs.

The only real wobble is service. Most people describe the staff as friendly, helpful and welcoming, but a noticeable minority had the opposite experience: slow follow-up, uncleared tables, cold pizza, or staff who came across as a bit indifferent. Still, the weight of opinion is heavily in its favour. Out of the reviews we looked at, the food averaged a very healthy 4.6 out of 5 on Google. with the main complaint being not the pizza, but the occasional service miss or noisy room.
So the Scoop verdict: go for the pizza, book ahead, expect a lively local room.

Some places are very easy to explain. Some are a bit harder, because they seem to be doing three or four good things at once.

Snitt Blomster at Vulkan is one of those.

I met Kaja from Snitt this week, and the setup is exactly the sort of Oslo thing I love: part flower shop, part café, part bar, part “what slightly unusual thing is happening here tonight?”

They do flowers, coffee, Snitts, wine, workshops, events, and the general business of making Oslo feel a bit less grey and a bit more alive. It’s the kind of place where you might go in for a coffee and come out accidentally holding a bouquet, a glass of wine, and a mild sense that your flat has been under-decorated for years.

Very usefully, they’re also running a hair wreath workshop on 15th May, where you can make a floral crown for 17 May. Ideal if you’re wearing bunad or festdrakt, or if you simply want to turn up to Norway’s biggest national celebration looking like a walking flower arrangement.

So if you’re already thinking about 17 May flowers, table decorations, gifts, or just want somewhere a bit lovely around Vulkan, Snitt is well worth knowing about.

Find them at Vulkan / book the hair wreath workshop here:

Vallegata 7 B, also known as Havehuset, is a brand-new SKAPA-designed city villa tucked away in a quiet blind alley on St. Hanshaugen, with four bedrooms, 202 m² of internal space, three floors, 33 m² of terrace, a private garden, and the sort of restrained architectural confidence that says: “Yes, we own linen napkins, and no, we don’t shout about it.”

The house is where the original 1850s property meets this new modern villa in one of Oslo’s more quietly desirable pockets, between St. Hanshaugen, Valleløkken and Idioten. Which is useful, because if you spend 38 million kroner on a house, you do at least want to be able to say you live near somewhere called Idioten. It’s due to be finished in Q3 2026, so not too long to wait, really - just enough time for them to lay the turf, put the handles on the doors, and make sure every bit of mahogany looks like it was personally approved by a man in a black roll-neck. Inside, it’s all very polished: Nordiska Kök kitchen, Gaggenau appliances, oak floors and mahogany details.

There’s also a basement with its own entrance, bathroom, wine room, storage, laundry and flexible space that could become a guest area, teenage lair, home gym or “practikantdel” depending on your life choices. The garden is the real trick here, though: a private green pocket in the middle of the city, with big glass doors opening the living space into the outdoors. There is even an application in for a pool, although no guarantee it will be approved. Which may be just as well. A pool in Oslo is either luxury, optimism, or a very expensive way of storing rainwater.

The numbers:

Address: Vallegata 7 B, St. Hanshaugen
Price quote: 38,000,000 kr
Total price: 38,301,091 kr
Bedrooms: 4
Rooms: 7
Internal area: 202 m²
Terrace/balcony: 33 m²
Floors: 3
Plot: 637 m² listed for the property / approx. 370 m² for Havehuset’s plot area
Built: 2026 / planned completion Q3 2026
Extras: SKAPA architects, private garden, bergvarme, waterborne underfloor heating, fireplace, wine room, laundry chute, Gaggenau appliances, Nordiska Kök kitchen, possible pool application.

Grace Church Oslo
If you’re looking for an English-speaking church in Oslo that feels warm, welcoming and genuinely community-minded, Grace International Church of Oslo is well worth knowing about. It has the kind of atmosphere that can be hard to find in a city: a real mix of Norwegians, expats and long-term locals, with the sort of friendliness that makes it feel less like attending a service and more like arriving somewhere people are actually glad to see you.

They normally meet on Sundays at 11am, with food and fellowship afterwards, and for many people that shared time seems to be part of the appeal. It is not just somewhere to sit through a service and slip quietly out again, but somewhere that seems to offer real friendship, support and spiritual grounding under one roof.

If you’ve been meaning to try a church in Oslo but have not known where to start, this feels like a good one to keep in mind, especially if English-speaking community matters to you.

KRETS runs at Dansens Hus from 7–10 May, and it looks like one of those rare children’s shows that adults might actually survive without staring longingly at the exit. It’s a relaxed, imaginative dance performance for ages 4+, about circles, belonging, community and not being left outside the group.

I’ve recently started guiding walking tours in Oslo through Artista Tours, and it’s made me realise how much of this city I’d been walking past without properly seeing. If you’ve got friends, family or colleagues visiting, a walking tour is a great way to give them a proper grounding in Oslo: the Royal Palace, Karl Johan, City Hall, Akershus, the waterfront, and all the odd little stories between the monuments. Artista’s tours are built around storytelling, history and local guides, with many operating on a tip-based model.

From 8–10 May, Visit Vestbredden fills the “west bank” of Akerselva, from Eventyrbrua towards Hausmania, with Palestinian culture, music, food, art, talks and family activities. It’s volunteer-run and very local in feel - the sort of thing you might miss if you only look at the big-ticket Oslo calendar.

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If you want something on Wednesday 6 May that doesn’t require remortgaging your flat or pretending to understand a six-act concept album about urban loneliness, Uhørt! Skage Larsen Quartet + Elise Sløgedal at Victoria/Nasjonal Jazzscene is a very decent shout. It’s billed as New York jazz and R&B “for the big heart on the dance floor,” which sounds dangerously close to actual joy. Also: it’s free entry, which in Oslo is basically a cultural event in itself.

For Friday’s slightly cooler option, Seefeel play BLÅ on 8 May. They’re one of those bands that make more sense once you stop asking whether it’s guitar music, electronic music, ambient music or dub, and just let it hover around your head like a beautifully organised fog. They came out of early-90s London, released on Too Pure and Warp, and were apparently the first guitar-based group to sign to Warp, which is the sort of fact that lets at least three people in the room quietly nod with approval.

Also on Friday 8 May, Nigerian trumpeter, vocalist and bandleader Etuk Ubong comes to Cosmopolite. This is the one to pick if you want something with pulse, brass, heat and actual life in it, rather than another evening wondering whether your sofa has started to remember the shape of you. Cosmopolite has him down for jazz and Afrobeat, and he describes his own sound as “Earth Music,” which is a bold phrase, but probably fair when the line-up includes trumpet, trombone, sax, guitar, bass, drums, keys and vocals.

Pernille Haaland brings a work-in-progress show to SALT on Wednesday 13 May. She’s an award-winning Norwegian comedian with credits across HBO Max, Netflix, Discovery, NRK and TV2, which is a stronger CV than most people manage before they’ve even finished explaining their “new hour.” The show is billed as cool, cutting and unapologetically Nordic, with material ranging from performing stand-up for NATO to life as a single woman. So expect dry humour, cold edges and probably at least one moment where the room laughs before fully deciding whether it was allowed to.

Misty Coast play Parkteatret on Wednesday 13 May, with support from Ayka, celebrating the release of their new album Always Sun. Which is either a lovely title or a direct act of defiance against the Norwegian spring. Parkteatret has it down as a release concert, and that’s usually a good sign: bands tend to be a little more charged when they’re not just passing through, but trying to make the evening feel like a proper marker in the sand.

From now until the end of April, Lille Sitha is offering 50% off two of their favourite items.

First up:
Hot Spicy Chicken Fillet
in coconut milk and curry, served with rice or noodles - freshly prepared on site

And to drink:
Turmeric Latte
Choice of milk, tea or coffee and delicious blend of Turmeric, chilli and other flavours

If you’re after something healthy, flavourful and a little different, this is a very decent excuse to stop in. Mention the Scoop when you order!

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Stay curious, Oslo.

Spence

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