World Championships in handball and ice hockey
December is more than Christmas and holiday celebrations, it is also the month when Gothenburg hosts not one but two different world championships.
December 1-11, the Women’s Handball World Championship takes place at the arena Scandinavium. The Swedish national team plays their group stage and main round matches in Gothenburg during these dates. You can combine the matches with a Swedish Christmas buffet at the arena restaurant Glöd or attend the fan zone event at the restaurant Corner.
During the Christmas break, from December 26 to January 5, 2024, the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship for men will be held in Gothenburg. Expect a major hockey celebration in the city as fans from around the world come to town!
Christmas events and activities
Gothenburg is now adorned in Christmas decorations, and as a visitor to our city, you can look forward to numerous festive activities such as Christmas markets, light walks, Lucia and Christmas concerts, and Christmas at Liseberg – which will be open until January 7, 2024, this year.
Read more about all the highlights in our guide to Christmas in Gothenburg:
Music festival across ten venues
Viva Sounds is the festival for those who want to discover new music! The festival takes place on December 1-2 at ten different venues in Gothenburg, most of them around the live music hub, Stigberget. More than 40 artists will take the stage on this evening, including local acts like KÅRP, Danish Fabräk, and Moto Boy.
Fotography and art exhibitions
Photographer Anton Corbijn is a favourite of many rock stars. In the unique exhibition Stillness thru Movement, he portrays the Gothenburg Opera’s Dance Company. You can see it between November 3 and December 12 in the opera house foyer.
On November 18, the Röhsska Museum opens the exhibition Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom with textile works by Elsa Pärs-Berglund. She was called “the radical weaver of Hisingen,” and the exhibition showcases both her political engagement and her creative development.
If you’re interested in games, gaming, and their history and culture, you shouldn’t miss the exhibition A World of Games at the Museum of World Culture. Here, you can learn more and at the same time, try out games from around the world.
On December 2-3, the museum is also the arena for the Nordic Championship for women in the e-sport game Counter-Strike, the first one where all Nordic national teams participate.
New Year Celebrations
If you’re in Gothenburg over the New Year and want to celebrate with a New Year’s Eve dinner, fireworks, or a show, we’ve put together a guide to the New Year’s festivities
