Programme for 17 may 2024

Norwegian Church, 1 St Olav’s Square

Free attendance

11.00 Church Service

12.15 Coffee, waffles and refreshments

12.30 Wreath laying at the King Haakon Statue, music by Regent Brass

12.45 Departure for Southwark Park

Church is open until 16:00

Southwark Park by the Band Stand

Admission Adult 17+ years: £7
Admission Student 17+ years: £5
Admission Child 6-16 years: £3
Admission Child 0-5 years: Free

11:00 Park and event open 

12:00 Music and entertainment: Fugitive Orchestra

12:30 Music and entertainment: Monica MacLeod

13:00 Official welcome by Kåre Sivertsen, 17. mai London Committee

13:05 National Anthem «Ja vi elsker», Regent Brass and Olavskoret

13:15 17. mai procession around Southwark Park, start and finish by the Band Stand

14:00 Music «Norge i rødt, hvitt og blått», Regent Brass and Olavskoret

14:05 Main speech by Tore Hattrem, Ambassador of Norway to the United Kingdom

14:15 Music, entertainment and speeches by The Norwegian School in London

14:30 Traditional 17. mai-games

14:30 Music and entertainment: Aron

15:00 Soccer Aid. 17 minutes of 5-aside football for UNICEF

15:00 Music and entertainment: Tim Voilhat

17:00 Event closes

Den Norske Klub, Evening Event

4 St James Square, London SW1Y 4JU

Time: 18:30
Dress code: Black tie/bunad
Three course dinner + Champagne
Attendance open for all. £100 per person.
Email to reserve a spot by 15 May

Food vendors

KFUK & Norwegian Church

Proud to serve probably the best waffles in the world, try them for yourself, with or without the brown cheese. And there wouldn’t really be a 17 May without the hot-dogs with ketchup and mustard, chocolate & lots of other Norwegian snacks.

Ekte / Goosebox

With two celebrated restaurants under their belt Ekte Nordic Kitchen in the Bloomberg Arcade and the City institution 1 Lombard Street , we’re delighted to welcome them in Southwark Park on 17 May. Enjoy their freshly prepared sandwiches and healthy salads, with all drinks from 1 Lombard Street & food from Goose Box catering.

Norwegian Bakers

Jessika and her daughter Anna are the bakers and hail from Ålesund, where Jessika trained to the highest standards following timeless traditional methods of baking. You can be sure of tasting the most perfect skoleboller, the kanelboller is as light as air and they bake the most immaculate eplekake, together with a range of savoury swirls with equally delicious results.

A brown Espresso Vibes trailer with the hatch open ready to sell coffee

Espresso vibes

Norwegians love a good cup of coffee and we’re delighted to welcome a healthy dose of espresso vibes to our event. Not only quality coffee, but all the material they use are biodegradable and compostable; furthermore, they offer alternative plant-based oat milk and have a number of syrups that can be added to the coffee (vanilla, hazelnut and caramel and much more). What’s not to love ?

Mr Whippe

Enjoy their large menu of ice creams, toppings, lollies and sauces. Served the way you like it in a tub or waffle cone and they can also cater for vegans and vegetarians. Oh and they have a kids favourite, slushie too!

Dookies Grill

Offering Jerk Chicken Box, Wrap, and Burgers, Dookies Grill will be at this year’s celebration in Southwark Park to deliver the tastiest chicken treats you might want on a day like this.

Choir and band

Olavskoret

Olavskoret, the Choir of the Norwegian Church in London, was established in 2012 to enhance the regular worship at the church. Around 16 regular members meet two or three times a month to rehearse a repertoire of SATB anthems, carols and national songs depending on the season. Over the years, the choir has attracted keen amateur, professional and semi-professional singers who are either Norwegian or have a strong interest in Norway.

Olavskoret aims to sing for one service a month at the Norwegian Church and has also performed in Westminster Abbey, St Martin-in-the-Fields Church and with Sissel Kyrkjebø for the ‘baptism’ of MS Viking Sea. The choir is delighted, once again, to be invited to sing in Southwark Park for the 17th May celebrations!

Image of the band members standing with their instruments in their hands

Regent Brass

Regent Brass is a 28-piece brass band based in Chalk Farm, North London. Founded in 1985 to cater for young brass players in Brent that had left the youth set-up, the band has since risen to the upper levels of the brass band scene, currently under Musical Director Alan Duguid, and performing regular concerts of innovative, exciting modern brass band repertoire. The organisation also incorporates Regent Community Brass which was formed in 2012 to provide an outlet for local musicians, both young and old, to get involved with playing with a brass band.