Quick Takes
- 🔥 When: The Saturday closest to June 23 (Midsummer / Summer Solstice).
- 📍 Where: Ålesund, Norway — best viewed at Slinningsbålet Point (Hessa).
- 🚗 Getting there: Drive if you can — street parking near the point was easier than expected; buses back were packed.
- 🕘 Timing: Arrive by 8:00 PM. Lighting is ~9:00 PM; collapse closer to 11:00 PM.
- 🧺 Bring: Drinks, snacks, layers, and a blanket/chair — it’s basically a giant Norwegian picnic.
- 🇳🇴 Vibe: Teen builders, death metal, huge flames, minimal fuss .
What is Slinningsbålet?
If you’ve never heard of Slinningsbålet (and honestly, I hadn’t until I started researching this trip), imagine a 130-foot-tall wooden tower built by local teenagers, and then set ablaze as the entire town gathers to watch.
Every year, Ålesund celebrates Midsummer Night (St. John’s Eve) by lighting this massive bonfire to mark the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. It’s part tradition, part chaos, and one of the most unforgettable local experiences you can have in Norway.
We chose to visit Ålesund for Midsummer specifically to see the bonfire, but there are Midsummer celebrations all over Norway. Still, this one’s the biggest, it even holds the Guinness World Record. If your trip timing allows, go during the solstice. The energy, the light (the sun basically never sets), and the community vibe make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
When is it?
Date: The bonfire is lit annually on the Saturday closest to June 23rd
When we went it was held on June 21st.
Where to Watch It From
There’s surprisingly little guidance online about where to actually watch Slinningsbålet, so here’s the truth from experience:
Locals will tell you there are three main viewpoints:
Aksla Viewpoint – stunning aerial view, but the bonfire will look like a flickering matchstick.
Voldsdalsberga – another solid option if you want to avoid crowds.
Slinningsbålet Point (the grassy area at the end of the island) – where the real experience happens.
We almost went with the viewpoint to “avoid the chaos” , but then decided we were only going to be here once. And let me tell you, Norwegians have clearly never been to Disney World. The crowd at the point was more like a giant community picnic, people on blankets, kids selling lemonade, teenagers blasting music, everyone just… vibing.
If you want the full experience, go to the point. You’ll feel the heat, hear the music, and be close enough to see the builders light it. The atmosphere there is incredible.
How to Get There
We debated whether to take the bus or drive, since parking sounded impossible from the locals.
Here’s what we learned:
🚌 The bus runs once per hour and gets packed , think sardines in a tin can. Coming back after the event is even worse.
🚕 Taxis are limited, especially at night in Ålesund. Don’t count on one being available.
🚗 Driving ended up being the move. We found street parking about a 15-minute walk away from the point. Honestly, we could’ve parked even closer, locals were parking on all the residential streets near the point and no one cared.
If you’re not planning to drink, drive. It’ll save you a lot of frustration getting home later.
What Time to Arrive + What to Bring
Here’s how the night unfolded, times included so you can plan your own arrival:
7:45 PM – Parked.
We found parking about a 15-minute walk from the point. There was plenty of street parking, and we easily could’ve parked closer, locals were parked everywhere and no one seemed to care.
8:00 PM – Arrived at the Point.
This was the perfect time to get there. The crowd was starting to gather, but it still felt relaxed, families with blankets, people chatting, kids selling snacks. Think summer picnic, not wild music festival.
8:15 PM – The Walk Out
Out of nowhere, death metal music started blasting and the crowd began cheering. Matt turned to me and joked, “I bet that’s the group that built the bonfire.”
He was 100% right. A few minutes later, a group of teenage boys — the builders — marched down from a nearby house, carrying torches, chugging beers, and hyping up the crowd.
Led by the “Bonfire Boss,” I kid you not that is what they called him, they rowed out to the little island, peed on the tower (apparently a thing) and hung around and took photos with friends.
9:00 PM – The Lighting.
Led by the “Bonfire Boss,” the boys scaled the 130-foot tower, harnesses and all (thank goodness). They climbed all the way to the top and lit it from above. I was terrified, convinced it was going to instantly burst into flames, and watched in panic as they scurried back down.
Turns out, I was completely wrong, and they know what they are doing. It took quite a while for the fire to catch, which gave everyone plenty of time to breathe (and grab another beer).
9:30–10:45 PM – The Burn.
The fire started slowly, glowing red against the sky. It took nearly two and a half hours for the whole tower to finally collapse — when it did, everyone cheered.
🔥 Bring:
Drinks + snacks (there are a few kid-run stands, but not much else)
A blanket or camping chair
Layers, its on a point and gets chilly
Patience, it takes hours to watch the full burn
Overall Thoughts
Honestly, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, one of those nights that makes you feel like you truly experienced Norwegian culture.
It was fascinating to see how the whole community came together: there were fire marshals around, but no one seemed overly worried about safety. In the U.S., this would’ve been a fenced-off, heavily supervised event with a dozen safety briefings. In Ålesund? It looked like a 16-year-old “Bonfire Boss” and his crew were fully in charge, and everyone trusted them.
Watching the teenagers celebrate, the girls in miniskirts (in freezing weather!), parents chatting, kids running around, it just felt so local, authentic, and joyful. For one night, we felt like we were part of the community.
Oh, and below is a photo with a cruise ship passing behind the bonfire, just to give you an idea of how massive the tower really is. It absolutely dwarfed the ship!
