Festive December: Abundant Christmas and New Year’s Activities in Umeå City Center

Both Umeå residents and visiting tourists can look forward to a packed December month in Umeå city center. The event calendar offers everything from Christmas tree lighting and Santa disco to outdoor cinema and New Year’s fireworks.

First Advent Christmas Tree Lighting

During the first advent, there will be a Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Rådhustorget in central Umeå, featuring speeches and entertainment in collaboration with Umeå Municipality, Culture Department, and Parks and Streets Department. An outdoor cinema will also be screening films for movie enthusiasts of all ages, starting with children’s films like Petterson and Findus, followed by ”In Space, There Are No Feelings”.

”With our activities, we want to create more reasons to visit Umeå city center in December. We hope to spread warmth and Christmas spirit in the winter darkness,” says Elin Jonsson, center development manager at Visit Umeå.

Exciting December Events

The list of planned activities is extensive and includes:

Santa Disco
Santa Run
Lucia procession
And much more

The Christmas events in the city center will conclude on December 20th with an outdoor cinema for families, last-minute shoppers, and returning visitors.

New Year’s Celebrations

”After the Christmas celebrations, restaurants and hotels will open up various New Year’s offers. Those who are early can get the best spots to watch the fireworks, which are best viewed from Kajen, Rådhusparken, or Årstidernas park,” continues Elin Jonsson.

Martin Uddestrand, who has managed the New Year’s fireworks for the past 25 years, is looking forward to the celebration:

”It’s always exciting to drive this event every year. It’s a lovely way for Umeå residents to welcome the new year, and I take the task very seriously. The fireworks are managed by professional staff from Ön launch site and can be viewed from large parts of Umeå,” says Martin Uddestrand, project manager for Umeå’s New Year’s fireworks.