Events and venues
The University of Gothenburg is actively engaged in making research accessible to the public by participating in major events and venues such as the International Science Festival, Almedalen Week, and the Gothenburg Book Fair. As part of its outreach efforts, the university has also developed its own initiatives, including "After Work with Researchers", "Ett HUM om", Reväst, and many others.
After Work with Researchers
A public success that has attracted tens of thousands of Gothenburg residents to engage with fact-based knowledge since its launch in 2017. These interdisciplinary conversations focus on in-depth exploration of current issues — rather than debate. The event is held 3–5 times per semester and is organised by Folkuniversitetet and the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Gothenburg, in collaboration with Pustervik.
Upcoming events
Information about upcoming AW with researchers can be found in our calendar and on our social media.
Almedalen Week
Almedalen Week has been held annually in Visby at the end of June since the late 1960s. It is one of the world’s largest forums for dialogue on democracy and societal issues.
About the university’s Participation
University of Gothenburg takes part each year by presenting research that contributes to solving national and global challenges, while also highlighting issues that shape public opinion.
Dates
Almedalen Week 2026 will take place between June 22–26.
Program items
Program items that are being arranged and participated in will be updated continuously during the spring. The majority of the program items will be in Swedish. Some program items will be streamed.
A HUM about
A lecture series aimed at those interested in studying at the Faculty of Humanities — or anyone simply curious about our subjects.
During each semester, several talks are arranged at universities, cultural centers, libraries and other locations.
Angered Book Fair
The Angered Book Fair is held every year in the spring. The event is organized by Culture House Blå Stället and Angered Library.
About Angered Book Fair
At Angered Book Fair, you can experience literature and poetry from the suburbs and in languages other than Swedish. The fair was founded in 2018 and takes place at Culture House Blå Stället in Angered.
Angered Book Fair highlights literature and poetry from the suburbs. The fair reflects society's linguistic and cultural diversity. The goal is to inspire more people to write, give space to new stories and give authors and other literary actors the opportunity to reach a wider audience.
About the university's participation
The fair is an important platform for reaching out to society, disseminating research in current subject areas and contributing content to program items that are carried out during the event. Through its participation, the university is given the opportunity to make its activities visible and provide information about educational opportunities for relevant target groups.
Program items and activities are mainly in Swedish. Visit the fair's website for more information.
Date
May 8–9.
May 8
Program aimed at students in primary and secondary schools.
May 9
Program for the general public.
Program items
Saturday, May 9 at 15:00–15:45
Hårdare straff – men till vilket pris?
Existence
Broaden your horizons and deepen your knowledge of both current and eternal issues. The public conversations Existence on the staircase stage of the Museum of World Culture is similar to a talk show. In-depth and slightly more personal conversations between researchers, writers and journalists.
Organizers are the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Folkuniversitetet and the Museum of World Culture. Two - three conversations per semester. Often with the opportunity to mingle with the invited participants in the conversation afterwards.
European Researchers’ Night
The University of Gothenburg is a partner of European Researchers’ Night, which takes place annually at the end of September in various locations across Sweden. The aim is to make research accessible to the public and to inspire young people to pursue higher education.
In 2026, European Researchers’ Night will celebrate its 20th anniversary! Information about participating participants will be presented later this spring.
Dates
September 21-26, 2026.
Borrow a Researcher
In connection with European Researchers’ Night, the initiative Borrow a Researcher offers an easy way to connect with researchers and learn about their work. Schools, non-profits, or workplaces can "borrow" a researcher who visits — either in person or digitally — to talk about their field or what it's like to work in research. A dedicated booking platform makes it simple to find researchers by subject, availability, audience, and location.
Dates
September 21-26, 2026.
Researcher Grand Prix
The Researcher Grand Prix is Sweden’s largest competition in presentation skills for researchers. Participants are challenged to present their research in an engaging, clear, and inspiring way — in just four minutes.
Each year, several regional heats are held at universities around the country. The winners from each heat advance to the national final, held annually in Stockholm at the end of November.
In 2026, the University of Gothenburg hosted a regional heat together with Chalmers during the International Science Festival in April.
Frihamnen Days
Since 2021, Frihamnen Days has served as an event and meeting place for dialogue on democracy, sustainability, and societal development. Held annually at the end of August at Bananpiren in central Gothenburg, the event is free and open to the public as well as to professionals interested in discussing issues of public value.
About the university’s Participation
The University of Gothenburg has been a partner of Frihamnen Days since its inception. The event serves as a strategic platform for collaboration, dissemination of research, and dialogue with upper secondary school students. The university’s participation supports its goal of strengthening its role as a relevant social actor and collaborative partner.
Theme
Different voices – Common future.
Dates
Thursday, August 27 to Saturday, August 29.
Program items
Activities and program items the university organizes and participates in are regularly updated.
Gothenburg Book Fair
Since 1985, the Gothenburg Book Fair has been held annually at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and has grown to become the largest meeting place in the Nordic region for literature, cultural debate, and the arts. Each year, the event gathers thousands of participants — including authors, researchers, comic artists, politicians, journalists, and other prominent cultural figures — who engage in conversations, debates, and a wide range of programme activities.
The Book Fair attracts both industry professionals and the culture-interested public, serving as a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange, inspiration, and social reflection.
Date
24–26 September.
Theme Popular Adult Education
The theme at the Book Fair highlights the power of Popular Education to unite, inspire, and foster participation, while reminding us of Bildung’s role as a cornerstone of an open and democratic society. It is presented in collaboration with the Swedish National Council of Adult Education, the Swedish Academy, the University of Gothenburg together with Folkuniversitetet, and the Swedish Bible Society.
This year's two other themes at the Book Fair are Games and Guest of Honour 2026: Québec.
About the university's participation
The University of Gothenburg has a prominent role during the fair and annually arranges around 100 program items – from lectures and panel discussions to debates – where research meets the big questions of today.
You can listen to more in-depth conversations at the Freedom of Expression Stage where the university, via Jonsereds Herrgård, is a partner together with the Book Fair, the City of Gothenburg's Cultural Administration, Hanaholmen - Cultural Center for Sweden and Finland, ICORN, the Swedish Academy, Voksenåsen - Cultural Center for Swedish-Norwegian Cooperation and the WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award.
In our stand, which is made in collaboration with Folkuniversitet, you can listen lectures, shorter and longer talks.
In addition to this, the university also participates in several program items, both in the seminar program (which requires a seminar card) and other stages.
Program
The university's program items in the seminar program, on the Popular Adult Education stage, Freedom of Expression stage, in the booth and on other stages are presented continuously during the spring and until the Book Fair starts.
Jonsereds Manor
The Jonsereds activities at the University of Gothenburg – which emerged from Jonsereds Herrgård starting in 2004 – are a strategic tool for the university's collaborative work. It is an academic activity that is conducted on behalf of the rector and forms part of the university's overall work with collaboration. With its new home in Vasaparken (from autumn 2026), it is made clear how the activities contribute to the university's central mission: to develop knowledge in dialogue with the surrounding society.
The activities consist of seminars, collaboration, program development and method support. The central part of the program activities consists of the Jonseredsseminariet's expanded roundtable discussions, more open Vasaparks seminars and other collaboration-mobilizing programs as well as associated public public education programs.
Based on research and education, the activities bring together academia, practitioners and civil society with the ambition to jointly work constructively and critically on contemporary challenges.
This also includes cultural collaboration and forms of meetings between art and science.
More information
Pint of Science
Pint of Science is held annually for three days at the end of May at bars around the world. Just as the name suggests, it is about research in a bar environment. In a relaxed atmosphere, researchers and doctoral students in various fields hold lectures and discussions while you as a visitor can sit back and have something good to drink and eat.
Pint of Science is organized in collaboration with Chalmers.
People and culture
One of Sweden's leading meeting places for issues related to culture, democracy and social development.
Vision
Together we create Sweden's leading convention and meeting place where the importance of art and culture in democratic and social development is in focus.
About the university's participation
The University of Gothenburg participates annually in conversations, debates and lectures during the event.
Date
10–13 February 2027
Program items
Program items the university arranges and participates in will be presented at the beginning of 2027.
Reväst
Reväst is a collaborative body and a platform for exchange of knowledge between the public sector, academia and business around regional development in Western Sweden. The purpose is to strengthen the links between the various actors through seminars and conferences and to enhance knowledge about the society and sustainable development, particularly focused on western Sweden.
The International Science Festival
The festival has been held in Gothenburg since 1997 and the University of Gothenburg co-founded the event, which over the years has grown into one of Europe's leading popular science events. The festival, which takes place annually sometime between April and May, is aimed at both primary schools and the general public and is a meeting place for knowledge, inspiration and new perspectives.
Upcoming festival
Information about dates, themes and other practical matters related to the 2027 Science Festival will be presented in the autumn.
About the university's participation
The University of Gothenburg is one of the main partners of the festival and participates annually through lectures, debates, coffee breaks with researchers and other activities in both the school and general public programs.
School program
The festival's interdisciplinary School Program runs for two weeks every year and offers hundreds of exciting, fun and educational activity opportunities. Some activities are offered on site, around Gothenburg, and others take place online. All schools in Sweden and abroad can participate.
Public program
The program for the general public runs for three days around Gothenburg at libraries, cafes, bars, museums and in the university's own buildings. The festival's annual main arena is Nordstan, where there is a large interactive area with several exhibitors and a stage.
Theme
Information about the theme for the 2027 festival will be presented in the fall.
Program items
Program items the university arranges and participates in will be presented in February 2027.
West Pride
West Pride is an art and culture festival that creates safe spaces for LGBTQI individuals and highlights issues of norm criticism and the life situation of LGBTQI people. The festival is free to attend and is primarily aimed at LGBTQI people in Gothenburg and Västra Götaland, but it also attracts a broader national and international audience.
Dates
West Pride is arranged between June 8–14.
About the University’s Participation
The University of Gothenburg has been a partner of West Pride for several years, demonstrating its commitment to norm criticism, equality, and the life situation of LGBTQI individuals. The university shows its involvement by displaying Pride flags on its buildings and participating in and organizing discussions and lectures related to research on norm criticism, equality, and LGBTQI issues.
Information about program items and activities the university arranges and participates in will be presented during the spring.
Program items
Utanför planen – om HBTQIA+ inom idrottsrörelsen
Date and time: Tuesday, June 9th 12:00–12:45
Location: Trappscenen
Language: Swedish
Våldsutsatthet och ohälsa bland HBTQI-elever
Date and time: Tuesday, June 9th at 13:00–13:45
Location: Trappscenen
Language: Swedish
Guess Who Almost Came to Dinner: Coming to Terms with the Coming Out Prank on Social Media
Date and time: Tuesday, June 9th, 15:15–16:00
Location: Hörsalen
Language: English
HBTQI på den politiska agendan – inför och efter valet
Date and time: Wednesday, June 10th at 19:00–19:45
Location: Trappscenen
Language: Swedish
Academic Pride
Since 2024, the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology have jointly organized Academic Pride – a recurring event that aims to deepen knowledge about inclusion, norm criticism and LGBTQIA+ perspectives in academia among students and employees at both universities.
Academic Pride is a meeting place for knowledge, conversation and reflection. Through lectures, panel discussions, workshops and other program items, current issues about diversity, rights and LGBTQIA+ perspectives are raised, as well as the role of culture in issues of identity, norms and representation. Together, the program highlights how we can contribute to a more inclusive study and work environment.
The event creates space for both learning and dialogue and aims to strengthen the understanding of how norms affect people's conditions in academia and in society at large.
Academic Pride 2026
Work in progress. Information about the program and registration will be published in the spring.
Program items will be presented in both Swedish and English.
Date
October 6.
Other events and venues
In addition to these platforms, events, and concepts, the university organizes hundreds of discussions, lectures, and other activities both within the university's buildings and at libraries, cultural centers, and other public spaces. The university also participates in various other festivals and events aimed at children and young people, the general public, students, professionals, decision-makers, and other target groups.
For professionals and decision-makers, there are also opportunities to meet researchers and staff from the University of Gothenburg at conferences and other meeting places. The calendar is regularly updated with new activities for those interested.
