New government to present budget, dark evenings and winter tyres and three different festivals are among the changes in events in Norway this October.
Norway’s budget for 2026 to be presented by the government
The government will present its proposed budget for 2026 on October 15th. This will be the first budget presented by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s government since it won a second term in office in the election in September.
Usually, the initial proposal will be discussed and negotiated with other parties who will look to have some of their own policies considered or demands met in return for voting the budget through parliament.
Because the new government needs support from each of the other four left-leaning parties to pass the budget, there could be some grappling over areas including oil, energy prices and tax cuts, media in Norway have reported ahead of the budget proposal.
Time to think about switching to winter tyres
Every year, drivers in Norway switch over to their winter treads. During the winter, tyres must have a minimum pattern millimetre depth of 3mm.
The winter tyre season in the north begins on October 16th before commencing on November 1st in the rest of the country.
You should usually consider putting the tyres on a good deal of time before the deadline, though.
Another factor to consider in Norway is that drivers are required to drive according to the conditions.
This means the police can assign responsibility for an accident to you if you are on the wrong tyres for the weather. You can be on the wrong tyres for the weather, even if the deadline to switch tyres hasn’t passed yet.
Finally, booking early is better as slots closer to the season start can be hard to find.
READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about winter tyres in Norway
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Clocks go back
Daylight saving time ends in Norway on Sunday, 26 October 2025 at 3am.
This means the clocks will go back by an hour and the evenings will be even darker than they are already getting.
Clocks go forward again on March 30th next year.
READ ALSO: ‘Special time of year’: How you can learn to enjoy Norway’s darkness
Seasonal vaccinations to get underway
The national vaccination programme against Covid-19 and influenza begins in full at the beginning of October.
Adults over the age of 65 and children and younger adults in risk groups in all Norwegian municipalities will be offered the vaccines.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) states that respiratory infections are currently rising, as is expected at this time of year.
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Everyone over the age of 65 is recommended to get a flu jab annually, as well as care home residents, women who are more than 12 weeks pregnant (or those in the first trimester that belong to a risk group), and premature babies born before week 32 of pregnancy aged between 6 months to 5 years.
Children and adults with chronic diseases and compromised immune systems are also recommended to get a jab.
If you don’t belong to a risk group but would want a flu jab, they are available at pharmacies.
Bergen International Film Festival
BIFF, better known as the Bergen International Film Festival, will be held between October 15th and 23rd.
The celebration of film, the one with the broadest scope in Norway, will be held at several venues throughout the city.
More than 120 films and documentaries will be shown this year, and visitors can either buy individual tickets for specific films or clip cards that allow them to see numerous films.
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Oslo World music festival
October has an international theme, as the Oslo World festival will showcase music from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
The festival, which is now in its 31st year, runs from October 28th until November 2nd.
In addition to the music, there will be seminars, art exhibitions and other events. More information on performers and tickets can be found on the festival’s website.
Lillehammer Jazz Festival
One of Norway’s longest-running jazz festivals returns between October 16th and October 19th.
The event will feature established acts, but also have events for and run by young people.
Visitors can buy festival passes or tickets for individual events. More info can be found (in Norwegian) on the event’s website.
Digital Security Act comes into force
The Norwegian Digital Security Act comes into force on October 1st, implementing the EU’s NIS2 security directive.
The directive will require all mid-sized and larger companies providing essential services such as energy, transport, health, water supply, banking, financial market infrastructure, and digital infrastructure, to put in place adequate security against cyber attacks and hacking and also requires them to provide a report whenever such an attack takes place.
The act also covers digital service providers such as online marketplaces, search engines, and cloud services.
New residency and commuting rules for MPs
From October 1st, new rules will come into force on the tax rules for MPs, Ministers, state secretaties and government special advisors who live away from parliament and need to commute.
The new special rules require that the home residence must be a fullverdig bolig (full-value residence) and be located at least 50 kilometres from the workplace, it must be acquired through a real ownership or lease agreement on ordinary terms.
The new law extends the right to class trips home as yrkesreiser (business trips) to all political personnel. The Prime Minister’s private use of his official residence is made tax-free, regardless of whether they maintain an additional private home.