After over a year and a half of being shuttered due to restrictions set forth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Norway’s nightlife industry is open once again. Nightclubs had been closed for 561 days – but on Saturday, the Norwegian government saw fit to lift all limits on social gatherings.
In celebration, 23-year-old Oslo venue Blå held a reopening party the same night, an apparent success judging from their recent Instagram post. Other local clubs like Jaeger had already been open for some time, but also joined in on the festivities, hosting their own parties to mark the occasion.
“It’s been a trying year for everybody in our efforts to find some median between these arbitrary restrictions and the essence of what Jaeger is, and it brings us great pleasure and relief to finally be able to do away with these rules,” the club said in a statement.
Still other venue operators have opted to set back their reopening dates, favoring a more planned approach. The Villa will host a grand reopening on October 15th, nearly three weeks after Norway’s restrictions were lifted.
Without the COVID-19 prevention measures in place, all venues and social spaces will be allowed to operate at full capacity without social distancing measures.
