What’s on in July and August in Gothenburg?

Festivals & concerts

Roxette, 9 July

Following several years away from the stage and the death of Marie Fredriksson, Per Gessle has brought Roxette’s catalogue back to the stage, now joined by Lena Philipsson and the classic Roxette band. Slottsskogsvallen sets the scene for a summer evening filled with timeless hits such as The Look, Joyride, Listen to Your Heart and It Must Have Been Love. The concert is Roxette’s only Swedish show of 2026.

Slakthuset Block Party, 16–18 July

Three days, two stages and Slakthusområdet packed with music – July brings the third edition of Slakthuset Block Party. Wine Mechanics hosts the party, keeps the glasses flowing and turns Slakthuset into Gamlestan’s very own neighbourhood festival: a three-day burst of flavours, live music and good-natured chaos.

The line-up includes Hurula, Shout Out Louds, José González, Augustine and The Soundtrack of Our Lives and many more. Come hungry, discover a new favourite wine and stay as the party carries on late into the night.

Way Out West, 13–15 August

For three days in August, Way Out West fills Slottsskogen City Park with music, film, food and festival crowds. The 2026 line-up brings together major international names and some of the most exciting artists around, including Lorde, Zara Larsson, The xx, The Cure, Gorillaz and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

Way Out West has established itself as one of Europe’s leading festivals for sustainability. The food is entirely vegetarian, single-use plastic plates and cutlery are off the menu, and the line-up follows a clear gender-balance policy. The festival is also LGBTQ-certified, combining major live music with a strong social and environmental focus.

Greentopia adds another layer to the weekend, bringing together artists, researchers and voices from the live-music industry for conversations about climate, culture and how festivals can help drive change.

When the park programme ends, Stay Out West keeps the festival going at clubs and venues across central Gothenburg late into the night.

Göteborg Brinner, 22 August

Göteborg Brinner brings In Flames back to the city where their music helped reshape metal worldwide. Alongside bands such as At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, they helped shape the melodic death metal that emerged from Gothenburg in the 1990s and became internationally known as “the Gothenburg sound”. In Flames have since become one of Sweden’s most successful metal exports, influencing generations of bands around the world.

For their only Swedish show of 2026, In Flames brings some of metal’s biggest names to Bananpiren. The two-stage line-up also features Avatar, Dark Tranquillity, Raised Fist, Napalm Death, Thrown and more. Against Frihamnen’s raw industrial backdrop, expect a full day of heavy riffs, explosive live sets and a new chapter in Gothenburg’s metal history.

Swedish House Mafia at Ullevi, 28–29 August

Few Swedish acts have changed global dance music quite like Swedish House Mafia. Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso turned tracks such as One, Save the World and Don’t You Worry Child into era-defining anthems, helping take electronic music from clubs to the world’s biggest arenas.

Now the trio returns home for the largest concerts of their career, taking over Ullevi for two monumental late-summer nights. For Swedish fans, this is far more than another stadium show: it is a long-awaited homecoming for three artists who became global superstars together. Expect a spectacular production, towering electronic anthems and tens of thousands of voices joining in beneath the Gothenburg sky.

Sport and activities

Swedish Boule Championships, 5–11 July

The metallic clink of boules, carefully judged throws and cheers around the centre court – for one full week, Frihamnen Arena becomes the heart of Swedish boule. Players of all ages compete in everything from singles and doubles to triples and precision shooting, with 61 Swedish champions crowned over the course of the event. Visitors can also have a go themselves and discover just how tricky it is to land a boule right beside the jack. The championships also mark the start of the countdown to the 2027 World Boule Championships at Scandinavium in Gothenburg.

O-Ringen, 19–25 July

The world’s largest orienteering event comes to Gothenburg, turning the entire region into a meeting place for elite athletes, recreational runners, beginners and competitors of all ages. Orienteering combines running with navigation: participants use a detailed map and compass to find a series of checkpoints as quickly as possible.

Over the course of the week, races take place in settings ranging from the forests of Vättlefjäll and Slottsskogen City Park to Hisingen and central Gothenburg, where the world’s best compete in an elite sprint.

The O-Ringen village at Stora Holm is the main hub for the week, but the event will be felt across the city. Expect racing, colourful club shirts and thousands of orienteers travelling between forests, urban courses and new challenges.

Gothia Cup, 12–18 July

During Gothia Cup, the whole of Gothenburg speaks football. The world’s largest and most international youth football tournament brings around 35,000 participants from across the globe to the city, along with almost as many accompanying visitors. For one week, team shirts, languages and cultures fill football pitches, squares, trams and streets, while new friendships form through a shared love of the game.

Matches are played across Gothenburg and the surrounding municipalities, with free admission to all games except the opening ceremony and the finals at Gamla Ullevi. Whether you are following a particular team or simply find yourself caught up in the atmosphere, Gothia Cup is one of those weeks when Gothenburg feels at its most international, youthful and alive.

World Cup screenings and football fever across Gothenburg

The World Cup continues to bring colour and excitement to Gothenburg well into July. Watch selected matches on big screens at venues across the city – and do not miss the World Cup final at Ullevi Plaza on 19 July. Families can also visit the free World Cup zones at Grönsakstorget and Plikta, with football games, have-a-go activities and appearances by local clubs. Our guide brings together all the screenings, activities and places where the World Cup atmosphere lives on.

Westcoast Equestrian Week, 21–26 July

Showjumping under the floodlights, high-energy evening shows and a festival atmosphere around the arena – as Westcoast Equestrian Week celebrates its fifth anniversary, the equestrian event at Åby Arena is stepping things up. The week brings together young horses, pony riders, amateurs and elite competitors, culminating in Sunday’s Grand Prix.

You do not need to be a dedicated equestrian fan to enjoy it. Between the classes, there will be a food market, shopping and family activities, while the atmosphere rises after dark with the spectacular In the Lights evening showjumping. A lively summer mix of sport, entertainment and festival fun for equestrian fans and curious visitors alike.

Volleyball: European Championship, 21–27 August

From 21–27 August, Gothenburg hosts a full week of top-level international volleyball. A total of 15 matches will be played in the city, five of them featuring Sweden – and for the first time, the Swedish women’s national team will compete in a major championship on home soil.

One of the biggest highlights will be Sweden’s match against Italy on 23 August. The reigning world and Olympic champions are one of the strongest teams in international volleyball. Sweden will also face Montenegro, Slovakia, Croatia and France. Expect fast-paced action, packed stands and a sea of blue and yellow as the European Volleyball Championship takes over Gothenburg.

Sweden is one of four host nations for the tournament, alongside Türkiye, Czechia and Azerbaijan.

Art and Culture

Göteborg Film Festival Open Air, 21–22 August

Göteborg Film Festival Open Air is expanding this year from a series of individual outdoor screenings into a free two-day festival at Stigbergets Bryggan on Ringön. Over two late-summer evenings, film and music come together in one of the city’s most atmospheric harbourside settings.

The programme features three films – Sirāt, Hamnet and the documentary It Pays to Belong – alongside music and DJ sets.

Admission to all screenings and concerts is free, but complimentary tickets must be booked in advance from 12 August via goteborgfilmfestival.se.

Gothenburg’s City Festival 27–30 August

A major stage at Götaplatsen, a dance floor in Bältespännarparken, more food than ever – and even more of Gothenburg. The popular city festival is stepping things up this year and even reclaiming the city’s main boulevard. For a few late-summer days, central Gothenburg fills with free concerts, dance, circus, street food and surprises around every corner. The best part is that there is no need to plan too much: simply drop by, stop at a stage, grab something good to eat and follow the festivities through the city.

The main stage will be at Götaplatsen, while the festival spreads along Avenyn, where parts of the street will be closed to traffic and filled instead with outdoor dining, music and crowds. The celebrations continue at Kungstorget and Grönsakstorget, in Bältespännarparken and through Kungsparken.

The line-up includes Miriam Bryant, Teddybears, Sahara Hotnights, Yukimi, A*Teens and Sarah Klang performing with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Add dance, workshops, circus, local artists and plenty of food, and you have a large-scale Gothenburg street festival – open to everyone and completely free.

Gothenburg Fringe Festival, 28 August–6 September

For the eleventh time, Gothenburg will experience an “explosion of creativity” as Gothenburg Fringe Festival turns the entire city into a stage. From 28 August to 6 September, around 150 performances will span everything from comedy and theatre to dance, music, circus and spoken word – at both established venues and more unexpected locations across the city. The festival brings together artists from Sweden and around the world and is ideal for anyone looking to discover something new, intimate and often surprising.

Fun for the whole family

Summer brings a range of family-friendly events for all ages. Lilla Live at Liseberg features concerts by Medina & Brandsta City Släckers and Smash Into Pieces, while the Gothenburg Natural History Museum invites families to discover the city’s hidden wildlife in Animals in the City, an exhibition based on Sarah Sheppard’s popular children’s book. And the ParaPuls festival gives children and adults the chance to try different sports on their own terms.

Summer hangouts

Some summer days are best left unplanned. Across Gothenburg, courtyards, waterfront venues, park terraces and historic verandas invite you to stay a little longer. Here are a few spots worth checking out if you feel like wandering through Gothenburg on a summer evening and seeing where the day – and perhaps the night – takes you:

Nefertiti’s Summer Garden fills its city-centre courtyard with food, DJs, games and spontaneous happenings, while Bryggan on Ringön combines concerts with a relaxed harbourside setting. At Kajskjul 8, the Sommarkajen events bring music, entertainment and food to the waterfront. Villa Belparc pairs its garden terrace in Slottsskogen City Park with a lively summer concert programme, and at Hotel Eggers, live music takes over the veranda in the heart of the city. Choose a spot, settle in and let the summer evenings unfold.

Summer evenings at Gunnebo, 1 July–14 August

A new summer restaurant in the kitchen garden, concerts among the greenery and open-air theatre – this year, there are plenty of reasons to stay at Gunnebo as the day turns into evening. At this historic estate just outside Gothenburg, 18th-century gardens meet organic growing and culinary craftsmanship. Freshly harvested local produce is cooked over an open fire and served with artisan wines, right beside the garden beds where many of the ingredients were grown. The summer restaurant is open Wednesdays to Fridays from 17:00 until late, from 1 July to 14 August.

The nearby outdoor stage hosts four concert evenings featuring Daniel Lemma, Kerstin Ljungström, Clara Mae and Jesper Lindell. Come for the food or music and stay for a long summer evening surrounded by gardens, history and greenery.