Creative camps in Oslo: art, coding and cooking

Hele Oslo

The City of Oslo's free summer school for all pupils in grades 1-10 living in Oslo, with around 15,000 places across nearly 80 different courses - from science and coding to outdoor life, sports and creative subjects. Courses run for a full week and fill the days with learning and experiences alongside peers from across the city. Registration opens in March and places go fast, so set up your wish list early.

Flere steder i Oslo

A five-day science course for children in grades 4-6, running daytime for a full week of the summer holidays. The children experiment their way through themes like 'Our magical planet', building solar cookers, creating aliens and investigating mysterious soil samples - real science disguised as play. Courses run at several locations in Oslo, and registration opens in early March; the most popular venues fill quickly.

Vulkan 5, 0178 Oslo

Geitmyra food culture centre for children runs a free cooking school for teenagers aged 14 to 19 in the school holidays, at their kitchen in Mathallen at Vulkan. Participants learn knife skills, kitchen hygiene and cooking methods from frying to fermenting, make sustainable food and end each day with a shared meal. At the farm itself in Sagene they also offer a free after-school programme for ages 10 to 13 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Oslo (og digitalt)

A coding camp in the summer holidays for children and teens aged 7 to 16, where participants learn programming through Minecraft, Roblox, Python and AI - in person in Oslo or digitally from home. Small groups with young instructors and level-adjusted tracks mean both curious beginners and experienced young developers get a full week of creative screen time - the good kind.

Sonja Henies vei 31, 1311 Høvikodden

A five-day art and activity week at the Henie Onstad Art Center at Høvikodden, for children aged 7-12 (in groups of 7-9 and 10-12). The first half of each day the children explore the exhibitions and experiment with artistic techniques in the workshop; the second half is outdoor activities on sea and land right by the fjord. The week ends with its own exhibition opening where the children's work is shown to family and friends.

Nordstrand

POPrommet at Nordstrand fills several summer weeks (typically weeks 26, 32 and 33) with courses in musical theatre, singing, dance and drama for children aged 8 to 14, split into groups for ages 8-10 and 11-14. Each day combines singing, dancing and acting with rehearsals towards a small Friday performance for family and friends. A creative holiday week for children who love the stage - or want to try it for the first time.

Bjølsen (og Fornebu)

West End Dance and Musical Theatre School at Bjølsen runs summer courses in several holiday weeks, both in Oslo and at Fornebu: a dance workshop with ballet, jazz, hip hop and contemporary, a musical theatre summer school with dance, singing, drama and tap, and a dedicated musical camp for children in grades 1-4. The weeks end with a small performance for the family. For dance-loving children and teens at all levels.

Kulturstasjoner flere steder i Oslo

Oslo's municipal school of culture runs dedicated summer holiday courses for children and youth at culture stations around the city, with week-long daytime courses in dance, theatre, drawing, music and more, taught by the school's own teachers. A great way to explore a new art form without committing to a full school year. The programme varies from year to year - see the city's website for this year's courses and registration.

Sagene samfunnshus, Sagene

A creative summer school at Sagene community house under Oslo Kunstakademi, led by artist Maike Sjåfjell, for children aged 8 to 12 (younger and older by arrangement). Over five days the children work with drawing, watercolour, acrylic painting on canvas and sculpture, with all materials included - from canvases and brushes to modelling clay. A calm, creative holiday week for children who love to draw and paint.

Nydalsveien 30C, 0484 Oslo

A drawing course for teenagers aged 13-17 at Nydalen Art School, scheduled at the end of the summer holidays (after the main holiday period, before school starts). A full course week in a real studio environment, where teenagers immerse themselves in drawing under the guidance of the school's artists - and they can also join the school's other drawing and painting courses. For teenagers who want to take their drawing seriously.

Brenneriveien 9, 0182 Oslo

AKKS Oslo's band camps in the school holidays, in their rooms by the Akerselva river: a summer camp plus autumn and winter break camps for children and youth aged 9-15 (the autumn LOUD also has a programme for ages 7-12). Participants form bands, learn instruments and play real songs together through the week - no experience needed. A rare chance to stand in a rehearsal room with your own band before the week is out.

Sørbyhaugen 33, 0379 Oslo

Kirkenær Ballettskole at Smestad runs its DanseCamp for children aged 6 to 11 in several school holidays, including the autumn break. The autumn camp runs Monday to Wednesday from 08:30 to 15:30, with classical ballet, jazz, creative dance, theatre and drawing, a shared lunch and free outdoor play in between. The week ends with a performance for family and friends. You can book all three days or just one or two.

Midtoddveien 12

The culture house at Kjelsås stays open for much of the summer for young people from year 8, with outings and activities in the building, all free and with no registration. Younger children get their own weeks of theatre courses, gaming and music production with ordinary sign-up, and the house also runs a winter camp in February and opens over Easter. This is one of the few places in the city where the holiday programme doesn't stop when summer does.

Veitvetveien 8

A circus camp at Kulturhuset Veitvet with aerial acrobatics, juggling, dance and music production, running both as a shorter mini-camp and a full week in summer, with its own programme in the autumn break. It is free but reserved for children in Bydel Bjerke, and registration goes through a form or the district's own app. This is something other than the usual ball sports, and suits children who would rather climb a rope than kick a ball.

Tokeruddalen 105

A city-wide music house with free holiday programmes in the winter break, Easter and summer, and worth noting that it is open to the whole city, not only the district. All activities are free and require no prior experience; the summer opening is pure drop-in, while some courses have their own registration. Studio time is booked by text message or email.