Polar night in Tromsø 2026-27

When is the polar night in Tromsø in 2026-27?

From about 27 November 2026 to 15 January 2027. The last sunrise is on 26 November and the first on 16 January.

Visit Tromsø gives "approximately from 27 November to 15 January" and adds that the day the sun becomes visible again depends on where you stand. Mountains ring the town, so in the centre you wait a few days longer than the flat-horizon dates.

We calculated the times below for Tromsø centre in local time. Civil twilight is light enough to walk without a torch; nautical dusk is when the sky turns properly dark for the aurora.

What does the polar night look like during the day?

Blue and pink, not black. Around midday the sun is just below the horizon, and on a clear day the sky glows for a few hours.

Visit Tromsø describes days that are "short, they are full of colour, with the sky shifting between soft shades of pink and purple and deep blue hues." On a cloudy day it is grey and over by two. Plan outdoor sightseeing for late morning and keep the afternoons for a museum or a nap before the chase.

The cold is milder than people expect on the coast. Inland, where the chases often end up, it is a lot colder, so read what to wear on a tour before you pack.

Do northern lights tours run during the polar night?

Yes, every night. The darkness starts in mid afternoon, but the tours still leave in the early evening and come back after midnight.

The aurora is most active between about 20:00 and 02:00, according to Visit Tromsø, so the chases keep their usual times. The Chasing Lights minibus picks up at 17:20. It runs in all weather and is back between midnight and 03:00.

A long dark afternoon has one bonus: on a strong night the lights can show before dinner. Keep an eye on the sky once it is dark, from about 16:00. The best spots in town are a short bus ride away.

Is there a full moon at Christmas 2026?

Yes. The moon is full on 24 December 2026, Christmas Eve, so the Christmas week has bright nights. The darkest skies of the polar night come around the new moon on 9 December.

Dates from the U.S. Naval Observatory, in Norwegian time: full moon on 24 November and 24 December 2026, new moon on 9 December 2026 and 7 January 2027. Under a full moon, faint aurora gets harder to see. A strong one is still obvious, and the snow lit by the moon looks great in photos.

The holiday week, about 21 December to 2 January, is also the busiest of the polar night. Small groups like Greenlander fill first. If you have a choice, the week around 9 December is darker and quieter.

When does the sun come back to Tromsø?

The sun is above the horizon again from 16 January, but the town celebrates its return on 21 January, Soldagen.

According to Visit Northern Norway, "in Tromsø, the day is always celebrated on the 21st of January, be it clear, a blizzard or heavy rain", with solboller, sun buns, from bakeries that work through the night. The same week the Tromsø International Film Festival runs from 18 to 24 January 2027.

After that the light comes back quickly: a sunrise at 09:26 on 1 February and nearly seven and a half hours of sun by mid month, with nights still long enough for a chase. The season post has the month-by-month dark hours.

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