The City of Oslo got lots of criticism for deciding to expand opening hours on Norway’s biggest holiday of the year on the 17th of May. As it turned out, there was little interest in being served alcohol as early as 8am, and some bars didn’t open in the morning at all.
“We never expected that there would be lots of partying in the morning because of earlier pouring,” Jens Thorgaard of Rekom Group told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN). Rekom owns several bars in downtown Oslo including Heidi’s and Proud Mary and nonetheless welcomed the ability to open and serve when they chose.
While there were no big morning crowds, there was quite a bit of partying throughout the afternoon and evening on the 17th, which fell on a Saturday this year. Police who had reported an unusually quiet night before the 17th had their hands full on Saturday night, and well into the early morning hours of Sunday.
NewsinEnglish.no staff