Twelfth Night at Berwaldhallen: The Epiphany Concert
The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Swedish Radio Choir mark the end of the Christmas season with their Epiphany Concert at Berwaldhallen, Stockholm's concert hall in the Östermalm district. In 2027 the performances fall on 8 January at 19:00 and 9 January at 15:00. The programme and tickets are released closer to the date, so if this is the anchor of your trip, sign up for the hall's announcements and book the moment seats open — the post-Christmas Epiphany concert is one of the city's established musical rituals, and the January dates fill the gap after the New Year crowds have gone home. Check berwaldhallen.se for the programme as it is confirmed.
Pair the concert with the rest of the season's calendar. Epiphany itself — Trettondedag jul, 6 January — is a public holiday in Sweden, which means the city keeps its holiday rhythm into the first week of the new year: shops on reduced hours, family gatherings winding down, and the last of the Christmas lights still up over the streets. Plan your days around the fact that the sixth is a day off, and that the concert weekend follows two days later.
Christmas Markets in Their Final Days
Stockholm's Christmas markets run through the Advent and Christmas weeks, and Epiphany week is when they close. The most central is the one on Stortorget, the square in Gamla Stan, the old town — wooden stalls packed into the smallest square in the city, ringed by the tall gabled houses. It is the market most visitors picture, and its last days are quieter and less rushed than December.
Elsewhere, look for the market at Kungsträdgården, the park in the middle of the city, which is also where the city's Christmas tree and light installations stand. Both are walkable from each other and from the central station, and both are best visited in the early dusk, when the light is gone by mid-afternoon and the stalls are lit.
- Stortorget, Gamla Stan — the classic old-town market
- Kungsträdgården — central park market with the city's Christmas lighting
Go before the sixth if you want the markets at full strength; after Trettondedag jul, expect stalls to be packing up.
What to Eat While the Season Lasts
Epiphany week is the tail end of the Swedish Christmas table, and the food is still on menus. Look for julbord — the Christmas buffet of herring in several marinades, cured and smoked salmon, ham, meatballs, sausages, and Janssons frestelse, the potato and anchovy gratin — served at restaurants and at the city's food halls. Östermalms Saluhall, the historic market hall in Östermalm, is the place to assemble the same things by the piece: cheeses, smoked fish, bread, and sweets.
For the sweet side, seek out lussekatter, the saffron buns tied to Lucia in December but still sold into January, and pepparkakor, the thin ginger biscuits that keep through the whole season. Glögg — mulled wine with spices, often with almonds and raisins — is poured at market stalls and cafés, and it is what you want in your hands at an outdoor stall in the dark at three in the afternoon.
- Julbord at restaurants and food halls — herring, salmon, ham, meatballs, Janssons frestelse
- Östermalms Saluhall — cheeses, smoked fish, bread and sweets to take away
- Lussekatter, pepparkakor and glögg from market stalls and cafés
Gamla Stan on Foot, and the Water Around It
Base yourself in Gamla Stan and you can do the season on foot. From Stortorget, walk the lanes down to the Royal Palace and the cathedral, then along the water to the quays where the ferries leave for Djurgården. In January the light is short — expect it to be dark by mid-afternoon — so build your day around a late morning start and an early dusk, and treat the dark as the point rather than the problem.
Djurgården, the island of parkland and museums east of the centre, is a short ferry or tram ride from the old town and gives you a winter walk along the water with the city skyline behind you. This is also the neighbourhood to keep in mind if you want to stretch the trip beyond the Epiphany dates: the museums and the park are open through the winter, and the island is quiet in a way it never is in summer.
- Gamla Stan lanes: Stortorget, the Royal Palace, the cathedral, the quays
- Ferry or tram to Djurgården for a waterside winter walk
When to Go
Epiphany — 6 January — is the pivot. If you want markets, glögg and the full Christmas table, arrive in the days before it. If you want the concert, plan around 8 and 9 January 2027, when the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir perform at Berwaldhallen. The days between give you both: markets winding down, the holiday still in the cafés, and the city at its least crowded.
Book Berwaldhallen as soon as tickets are released, and treat the sixth as a fixed point around which to arrange everything else. With the concert dates confirmed and the rest of the season running on its usual annual rhythm, the first week of January is the moment to start planning — pick your accommodation near Gamla Stan or Östermalm, and let the short daylight hours set the shape of your days.