17 May in Oslo with children
Oslo's children's parade is the largest of its kind in the world, and it takes over three hours for everyone to pass. Here are the times, and what decides whether the day works with small children.
The parade hour by hour
With small children
Fifty to sixty minutes, without a break
That is how long each school takes from start to finish. It is the number that decides whether your child can manage to walk in the parade, and it is worth knowing before you are standing in the line-up. With a first-year it is usually fine; with a younger sibling in tow it is not.
Watching is a completely different day from walking
With children below school age it is usually better to watch the parade than walk in it. Then you can arrive when you like, stand where there is room, and go home when it is enough. The parade is long — it takes over three hours for everyone to pass — so you do not have to be there on the dot.
A pram in the centre that day is hard work
Karl Johan and the area around the Palace are packed, streets are closed, and places you can get into with a pram are few and far between. Standing further along the route gives both more room and an easier escape when someone needs to go home and sleep.
May in Oslo is not summer
17 May can be twenty degrees and sunny, and it can be eight degrees and raining. National dress and best clothes cope badly with both, so bring an extra layer and something waterproof — especially if you will be standing still for three hours.
Celebrating in your own neighbourhood instead? Most schools hold morning events with games and hot dogs, and that is often what suits the youngest best. The city's programme has the details for the year:
The times are the city's own and repeat from year to year, checked on 12 August 2026. Check the city's programme for the year before planning to the minute.