Pulse, 31.5.2009

1. The National Music Day is an annual music festival in more than a hundred countries. Traditionally, the festival is held on the 21st of June and the only requirement is that all music is performed outdoors and free of charge. Oslo has their own version of this festival, Musikkfest, and for practical reasons it is always held on the first saturday in June.
Next saturday is the first saturday in June, so cross your fingers for good weather and get outside next saturday to catch one or more of literally hundreds of concerts on more than 30 stages all over Oslo. For more information, go to www.musikkfest.no. The festival is, as mentioned, completely free of charge.

2. If you thirst for music now, today, and not the kind of music that rocks, but the kind that embraces you, soothes you and cures your hangover - head to Cafe Fiasco next to the Oslo Busterminal in Schweigaardsgate 4. The Oslo Radio Orchestra plays smooth jazz from the golden days of radio AND jazz, that's right, from the 20s and 30s. Oslo Radio Orchestra will take the stage today sunday between 3-6PM and the event is free of charge.

3. Would you imagine that nerds go to the opera? Next wednesday at 1.15PM the biggest nerd of them all, Bill Gates, visits the Oslo opera house to meet with Norway's prime minister Jens Stoltenberg. Together, they will discuss how business and government can work together to fight poverty and how the current financial crisis affects the global fight against poverty. Unbelievably, the event is free of charge, but you do need to register in advance. For more information, go to www.regjeringen.no/refleks. If you don't know how to spell that google "bill gates jens stoltenberg oslo". Once again, the place is the Oslo opera house and the time is wednesday 1.15PM and the event is free of charge.

4. After three events which are free of charge, here is one that may cost you a little; strictly speaking it's not an event at all, but whatever you invest in it, I promise it will be worth it. Here is the deal, summer has come to Norway, but in Norway, more so than in most other places, summer doesn't last all year. So go outside bask in the sun. Buy a day pass for the Oslo ferries and go island hopping. Go hiking in Nordmarka or gather your friends for a barbecue at Sognsvann. Summer days in Norway are sweet, but they are few and precious, so don't let them go to waste.