This Week in Scandinavia · 22–28 September 2026
This Week in Scandinavia — 22–28 September
Late September has a particular kind of clarity. The summer crowds have gone, the light sits lower across the water, and the cultural calendar suddenly feels full again. This week, Stockholm turns to the sea, Malmö opens its galleries late into the evening, Göteborg fills with books and ideas, and Copenhagen offers one last chance to see an important exhibition.
The Week Ahead
Stockholm · Nationalmuseum · From Thursday 24 September
To the Sea! (Till havet!)
Nationalmuseum's new exhibition looks at how coastal and beach tourism developed from the 1870s to the mid-20th century. Around 200 paintings, photographs, posters and pieces of historic swimwear trace the changing idea of life by the water. It opens on Thursday and runs until 7 February, which makes it a good reason to plan an autumn visit rather than rush.
Stockholm · Moderna Museet · Final Sunday for Anna Casparsson
Anna Casparsson: The Isle of Bliss
Anna Casparsson's exhibition is on view through Sunday 27 September at Moderna Museet. While you are on Skeppsholmen, leave time for Brassaï: The Secret Signs of Paris, which continues through 4 October. It is an unusually satisfying double visit: textile work and colour upstairs, Paris after dark downstairs.
Malmö · Friday 25–Sunday 27 September
Malmö Gallery Weekend
Malmö Gallery Weekend brings institutions, galleries and independent initiatives together for three days. On Friday, Form/Design Center at Lilla Torg stays open until 23:00, with Imperfect Assemblies and the 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture among the exhibitions. Inter Arts Center on Bergsgatan is also open until 23:00, with a programme of performance, sound and artistic research. Start with one and allow the evening to unfold.
Göteborg · Thursday 24–Sunday 27 September
Göteborg Book Fair
The Göteborg Book Fair returns to The Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre for four days of books, debate and ideas. This year's themes are Popular Adult Education and Games, with Québec as Guest of Honour. It is a large programme, so choose one or two conversations you genuinely want to hear and leave room for the pleasure of wandering.
Göteborg · Röhsska Museum · Through 4 October
We Will Survive: The Prepper Movement and Design
At Röhsska Museum, this short-run exhibition explores how people prepare for an uncertain future, from individual prepping to civil contingency planning. Design, historical material and more than 200 objects give the subject a surprisingly broad frame. It is an intelligent addition to a Book Fair weekend, and closes on 4 October.
Copenhagen · Den Frie · Through Sunday 27 September
Senga Nengudi: Sand and Water
Senga Nengudi's exhibition at Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art reaches its final weekend. Her work moves between sculpture, performance, dance and language, and Den Frie's distinctive building beside Østerbro makes a fine setting for an unhurried afternoon. Check the venue's visitor information before travelling, as access to the OSLO space is currently affected by lift works.
On the Radar
Copenhagen Culture Night — Friday 9 October
Put it in the diary now. More than 200 cultural institutions across Copenhagen and Frederiksberg take part in Culture Night, with the main programme running from 18:00 to midnight. A DKK 125 Culture Pass also covers the holder and up to two children under 12, as well as bus, train and Metro travel in zones 1–99 from 16:00 to 04:00. The best approach is not to attempt everything: choose a neighbourhood, two or three places and a good supper in between.
Hidden Gem of the Week
Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm — newly reopened
The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities on Skeppsholmen reopened on 19 September after a two-year renovation. Its collections from Japan, China and Korea are back on display alongside the new exhibition In Our Lives — Asian Cultural Heritage in Motion. If you are already visiting Moderna Museet, this is the kind of nearby detour that makes an island afternoon feel more complete.
Scandibound Private Days
A private day, shaped around you
The best days are rarely a checklist of the obvious. I host private days around the food, art, design, neighbourhoods and everyday texture that genuinely interest you — in Malmö or Lund, across Malmö and Copenhagen, or on a longer day in Skåne.
For one or two guests, choose a city introduction, a Malmö–Copenhagen Øresund day or a longer Skåne day. Copenhagen-only days and more specific requests can be arranged individually. Companies can also arrange a private day as part of a welcome or relocation experience.
Explore Private Days →Gabrielle's Pick
Friday evening at Malmö Gallery Weekend
If I could be in one place this Friday evening, it would be Malmö. I would begin at Inter Arts Center for the early performance, then make my way towards Lilla Torg and Form/Design Center before the evening closes. Gallery Weekend is one of those occasions when Malmö feels especially open: a city where institutions, artist-led spaces and the walk between them all become part of the experience.
— Gabrielle
Enjoy the last of the golden light. This is a very good week to make an evening of something.
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