Torvet at Noon on the First Sunday of Advent
The Christmas market stalls on Torvet open at 12:00, and by half past the square is shoulder to shoulder: wooden huts strung with lights, the smell of roasted almonds and warm waffles drifting between them, the city's giant Christmas bauble glowing above the crowd. This is the day Kristiansand switches on its season in earnest — the market opens, the ice rink beside it opens the following day, and for the next three weeks the square is the centre of everything. Come for the opening hour, stay until the light goes blue, and let the cold do the rest.
Skate, Browse and Eat Your Way Around Torvet
- Christmas Market at Torvet — open 12:00–18:00 daily from the First Sunday of Advent through the last Saturday before Christmas. Stalls for gifts, crafts and hot food; this is the city's main seasonal gathering point.
- Ice Rink Kompis, Torvet — opens the following day, 30 November, and runs 09:00–22:00 daily. Skates on, then back out into the market for something warm.
- The Christmas City Sausage Stand, Torvet — 12:00–19:00 on the opening weekend and again on 6–7 December. A sausage in a bun, eaten standing up, is the correct move here.
- Historic Christmas Tree Exhibition, Rådhuskvartalet — 1–8 December, hours vary between 08:30–15:00 and 08:30–21:00. An art market and exhibition runs alongside it 6–7 December, 12:00–18:00.
- Sunday open shops — 7 and 14 December, so you can combine market browsing with actual shopping.
Carols in a Cathedral, Concerts in a Concert Hall
Kristiansand's December is unusually musical. Domkirken, the cathedral at the top of the square, hosts Händel's Messiah on 3 December and "Silent Night, Holy Night" on 14 December, with the Kilden Vocal Ensemble appearing on 10 and 17 December. Christmas services follow on 24 December at 14:00 and 16:00, 25 December at 11:00, 26 December at 12:00, and 31 December at 23:00.
Over at Kilden, the waterfront concert house, the run includes "The Perfect Christmas Concert" on 28 November, Stjernenatt with Odd René Andersen on 29 November, "Christmas is Here" with Alexandra Rotan and Tom Hugo on 2 December, Bugge Wesseltoft and Hilde Hefte on 4 December, the Oslo Gospel Choir and Ole Edvard Antonsen on 5 December, Ingebjørg Bratland on 13 December and Christel Alsos on 19 December. Teateret goes bigger and louder: film scores in concert — The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, The Lion King, Hans Zimmer — across mid-November, plus the Voulez Vous ABBA Christmas Show on 22 November and Spoonful of Blues on 5 December.
Elsewhere, look for the Erik Faber and Stein Roger Sordal Christmas concert at Posebyhaven on 28 November, Hygge on the Pier at Hartmanns Brygge on 1 December at 18:00, and family puppet theatre at Kilden with Baldrian and Musa on 29 November. For younger children, "Snøsøstera" plays at Kilden repeatedly from 15 November to 23 December, mostly at 17:30.
The Lucia Parade and the Fiskebrygga Lights
On 13 December at 12:00, the Lucia Parade fills Torvet — white gowns, candle crowns, singing, and one of the most photographed hours of the Kristiansand year. Arrive early enough to stand near the front.
The season actually starts earlier, in mid-November, with two anchor evenings worth planning around. On the Thursday of the opening week, the Pre-Christmas Evening in the City runs 16:00–19:00: a free gingerbread workshop, mulled wine and gingerbread at Sandens, Santa and the Christmas tree lighting at 17:00, then the city's winter lights and the Christmas bauble at Torvet switched on at 18:00. Two days later, Fiskebrygga — the fish quay on the eastern side of the harbour — holds its own Christmas market from 14:00 to 17:00, with tastings and entertainment, before the lights go on at 17:00.
Where to Warm Up, and How to End the Year
- Spiren Kafé and Barrikaden are among the venues carrying seasonal programming alongside the main stages.
- Hotel Norge hosts a Christmas buffet and show on 7 December.
- Kick Kulturhus and Bare Studenthus pick up the later, louder end of the calendar.
- New Year's Eve: midnight service at Domkirken at 23:00, then fireworks from Tangen at 24:00. If you're still in town, that's where to be.
Some events are free — the gingerbread workshop, and plant-based cooking classes on 19 and 27 November — while most concerts and shows are ticketed. The programme runs from mid-November to 1 January, spread across Torvet, Fiskebrygga, Rådhuskvartalet, Kilden, Teateret, Domkirken, Hotel Norge, Posebyhaven, Bare Studenthus, KRS Live, Barrikaden and Spiren Kafé.
Book your concert tickets before you book your flights — the Advent and pre-Christmas dates at Kilden and Domkirken are the ones that fill first — then plan your days around the square, the quay and the cathedral, and let the short daylight hours do the rest. Start with the market's opening Sunday and work outward from there.