Lofoten Handbook

Midnight sun in Lofoten

From late May to mid-July the sun stays above the horizon all night in Lofoten. The dates shift by a few days from place to place.

Last verified 16 September 2026

What the midnight sun is

Store norske leksikon defines the midnight sun as the sun staying above the horizon for the whole 24 hours. Refraction in the atmosphere lifts the sun's apparent position, so the effect reaches about 90 km south of the Arctic Circle. Lofoten, at around 68°N, is well inside that zone.

Dates in Lofoten

Visit Lofoten and Visit Norway both give 28 May to 14 July for Lofoten, and Visit Lofoten notes that exact dates vary from place to place. MET Norway's sunrise calculations for 2026 count the nights when the sun is above a flat sea horizon at midnight:

Place Sun above the horizon at midnight, 2026
Svolvær night of 25–26 May to night of 17–18 July
Leknes night of 25–26 May to night of 17–18 July
Reine night of 26–27 May to night of 15–16 July

For 2027 the calculation gives the same dates for Svolvær and Leknes, and one day later at each end for Reine. By the same calculation none of the three places has the midnight sun in August.

Mountains get in the way

Those figures ignore terrain. At midnight the sun is low in the northern sky, only about 1.7° above the horizon in Svolvær at the June solstice, so a mountain to the north can hide it. Visit Lofoten's FAQ explains that Svolvær lies south of high mountains that block the sun, and recommends the outer, northern coast or a mountain top instead. See where to see the midnight sun.

Weather

A clear horizon is not assured. In the 1991–2020 normals July is the warmest month, at 13.3 °C at Svolvær lufthavn, and June and July are the driest months at Leknes lufthavn, with 43 mm and 40 mm.

Sleeping in 24-hour light

Visit Lofoten notes that some visitors find it hard to sleep when it stays light, and suggests a sleep mask or covering the window. When booking, check whether rooms have blackout blinds or curtains.

The winter opposite

In December the pattern reverses. By MET Norway's calculation the sun does not rise in Svolvær from 7 December 2026 to 5 January 2027, from 8 December to 4 January in Leknes and from 10 December to 2 January in Reine. See Lofoten in winter.

More on the midnight sun

Midnight sun guides

Questions

When is the midnight sun in Lofoten?
Visit Lofoten and Visit Norway give 28 May to 14 July. MET Norway's flat-horizon calculation for 2026 gives the night of 25–26 May to the night of 17–18 July in Svolvær and Leknes, and 26–27 May to 15–16 July in Reine.
Can you see the midnight sun from Svolvær?
Not from the town itself. Visit Lofoten says Svolvær lies south of high mountains that block the sun, and suggests Laukvika or Hov on the outer coast, 20–30 minutes away by car.
Does the sun set at all in Lofoten in June?
Not by the astronomical calculation. In June 2026 the sun stays above a flat horizon all night at Svolvær, Leknes and Reine, though mountains can hide it from some places.
What is the difference between the midnight sun and polar night?
The midnight sun is the period when the sun stays above the horizon all day and night. Polar night (mørketid) is the period when it does not rise at all. In Svolvær, MET Norway's calculation gives polar night from 7 December 2026 to 5 January 2027.
Does the sun set in Lofoten in summer?
Not during the midnight sun season, about 28 May to 14 July by Visit Lofoten's dates, when the sun stays above the horizon around the clock. Mountains hide it in some places, including Svolvær and Leknes, so the outer coast and mountain tops are the usual viewpoints on clear nights.

Sources

Details last verified 16 September 2026.