Winter Events
Winter in Luleå comes alive with vibrant events that turn the cold and snow into part of the experience. In the city park, the sparkling Advent calendar and the traditional Christmas market await, filled with scents, lights, and local crafts. You can also enjoy the international skating competition Schaatsen Luleå and the thrilling Sea Ice Marathon across the frozen landscape. Don’t miss the Luleå On Ice festival, where the entire city gathers to celebrate the magic of winter. Together, these events create a truly unique atmosphere that can only be found here in Luleå.
The Advent calendar in stadsparken
On December 1, something happens that the locals look forward to every year. The opening of the Advent calendar in stadsparken (Luleå’s city park). The show – which is new every year – with theatre, song and music is performed every day until Christmas Eve. Lule Stassteater started the Christmas calendar tradition back in 1995 and it has become a must for the whole family.
Schaatsen Luleå – an international skating competition
Every year in February since 2017, we welcome hundreds of skaters to the ice track encircling central Luleå. They come here to take part in Schaatsen Luleå, a skating competition in the marathon category where natural ice is the prerequisite. Organised by the Dutch Skating Association, the competition consists of a series of races spanning between 30 and 200 kilometres. Grand Prix for the professional skaters and Sea Ice Classic for the amateur skaters.
The festival Luleå On Ice
Luleå council holds a festival at Södra hamnplan and the ice track, during a weekend in February. The event attracts large numbers of visitors to the area, where activities such as dog sledding and trying out curling coincide with the Winter Classic – an ice hockey tournament for the younger children, sales of food and locally produced crafts, and snow sculptures created by Sunderbyn community college.
Sea Ice Marathon
In February/March, runners from all over the world gather to take part in the Sea Ice Marathon, which takes place on the ice track surrounding central Luleå. Participants can choose to run 42 km, 21 km, 10 km, or 5 km on natural ice. The marathon is part of the program for the Schaatsen Luleå event, organized in collaboration with the local company Explore Luleå. The Sea Ice Marathon is a popular race that attracts runners from across the globe. In 2025, nearly 600 participants from 33 countries lined up at the start!
Traditional Christmas market
During the second weekend of Advent, the annual Christmas market is held, attracting thousands of visitors to the open-air museum Hägnan, adjacent to the world heritage site of Gammelstad’s church town. The Advent candles shine through the old windows of the church cottages, the mediaeval stone church comes to life and the market traders are ready to greet visitors with tables filled with crafts and goodies. Go on a sleigh ride with a horse in a wintery, beautiful church town and take the opportunity to say Merry Christmas to Santa Claus and reindeer who are visiting during the market weekend. Welcome to a traditional Christmas market with a guaranteed Christmas atmosphere.