A queer guide to Oslo
Oslo has nightlife, shopping, restaurants, great nature and a varied culture programme, in addition to an open and lively queer scene.
Queer events
Events that shine a light on the LGBTQI+ community.
Queer bars and clubs
Oslo’s queer scene is very diverse and well integrated in the rest of society. You will soon notice that many bars and clubs are popular among queer and straight people alike. That makes it a bit more difficult to find dedicated queer spaces, so we have collected the most important queer clubs and bars here for you.
Queer club nights
The following club nights are fixtures in Oslo’s queer nightlife. Most of them move from venue to venue, so we recommend that you check their Facebook pages for updated information and upcoming events.
- DRAMAqueen: Inclusive, unprejudiced and non-discriminatory queer nights with hip-hop, electro and hits. Some evenings are for women and non-binary people only.
- Fire Oslo: Fire Oslo host queer nights at the best clubs in town, among them The Villa and Oslo Camping.
- Indieseksuell: Club with alternative, queer music. Indieseksuell defines itself as a counterpoint to the established queer bars.
- Karmaklubb*: Nomadic, queer club for everyone who identifies as female or non-binary and their friends. In addition to club nights, Karmaklubb* hosts debates, film screenings and other events.
- Open Drag Stage: Queer nights with drag shows, burlesque, voguing and dancing into the small hours.
- Score: Queer club nights with pop, disco, house, dance and techno.
Other meeting points
The organisation FRI (= "Free") works for LGBT rights and organises activities though different groups:
The groups Homser i dagslys ("Daytime gays") and Lesber i dagslys ("Daytime dikes") meet during the day for cultural and social activities, such as museum tours or café visits. Other activity groups in FRI are orchestra, choir, jogging group, floorball, senior group etc.
At Oslo Tango Queer you can challenge the gender roles of traditional Argentine tango. The group offers open practice evnings and advanced classes.
The open church group "Skeivt kristent nettverk" is a Christian fellowship for lesbians and gays. They host open masses and social events, usually on the first Friday of every month.
Bamseklubben / Norway Bears was founded based on the concept of 'bears'. The club hosts pub meetings, bowling nights, theme parties and excursions.
Queer literature
You will find excellent queer literature for adults and children in most bookshops in Oslo, but for a truly exhaustive and well thought-out selection, check out Tronsmo, an independent bookshop in the city centre that has offered excellent literary experiences to the people of Oslo since 1973.
Outland, a niche book and game shop beloved by all sorts of nerds in Oslo, is also a good place to go for queer literature.
Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and boys and girls who love each other. Norwegians believe in God, Allah, everything and nothing …
In other words: you are Norway. We are Norway.
Hear the whole speech in the video below (with English subtitles):