Theaters

As usual this summer is packed with wonderful entertainment for free! Check out Parkteatern’s homepage for dates.

You can see theatre, dance, music and other performances all summer, yes, for free. Best and cheapest happening every summer in parks with big stages.

Parkteatern has invited people since 1942! Last year they had 104 performances at 21 different locations.

Just be sure to come early, these events are very popular. I’m always there at least one hour before to make sure I’ll get a seat. For popular events I come even earlier. The benches aren’t the comfiest; bring something to sit on! People bring blankets, picnic baskets, their dogs, their friends, books to read while waiting for the performance to begin… It’s a wonderful place mixing all sorts of people.

You feel like doing something, seeing something, feel a bit cultural? Kulturhuset is the place to get inspired or just to wander around. There’s always something going on for everyone.

The bottom floor welcomes you with a café and nice library with lots of comfy sofas, here you can hang for hours.

This place really makes me happy, the exhibitions are cheap or for free and they always have interesting activities going on. They have several exhibitions, theatres, a cinema, cafés, music performances, an impressive library with lots of art-books and newspapers from all over the world, an unique library for comics, a large imaginative place for children, a creative place for teenagers called LAVA, they arrange meetings with writers and much more…

This is a big bubbling place that wants everyone to get inspired, to think for themselves and to share their big and small thoughts with each other; or just to sit down, play some chess and drink coffee.

Stockholm’s House of Dance is the place if you enjoy contemporary art forms and want to see something live. You can enjoy it (or hate it) without knowing a word of Swedish.

Dansens Hus has a bunch of interesting performances every season; at least 35 every year.

I guess I really started going to Dansens Hus after seeing Virpi Pahkinen dancing for free at Parkteatern a couple of years ago. She totally blew me away. I looked her up and discovered that she usually presented her work at Dansens Hus. I’ve been going there regularly since then.

Other performances at Dansens Hus that I’ve really enjoyed are by Dorte Olesen, Cullbergbaletten; and DV8. DV8 was truly outstanding a couple of years ago, got standing ovations and left the audience clapping for 10 minutes.

Dansens Hus was founded in 1991 and has two stages, the prices are low; especially if you’re a student or below 26. They also arrange lectures, workshops and show movies; often for free.

This is my favorite cultural scene in Stockholm. Bio Rio is one of Stockholm’s oldest cinemas from the 1940′s and offers various entertainments such as a filmcafé, alternative films, film clubs, 3D films and live performances on stage.

Two years ago I spent most of my Tuesdays here watching films with my, then 6 months old, son. They offer Baby Bio where you are allowed to bring your child and even the stroller. The salon is packed with mums and dads on parental leave sipping a coffee and enjoying movies and each others’ company. It’s a great concept and I think unique to Sweden.

Bio Rio often hosts overseas film festivals and most films are in English, although the subtitles are in Swedish.

Next door to Bio Rio is Cafe Copacabana. They serve delicious sandwiches and snacks and offer free wi-fi, perfect when you are traveling overseas and need to catch up on plans or do some research. This is a great place to have a chat with a local in order to get tips on where to go around Stockholm.