Gladmat

Gladmat has run since 1998 and takes over the harbour and squares of central Stavanger for four days in late July, with several hundred stalls and stands: regional producers from Rogaland and across Norway, chefs cooking on outdoor stages, competitions including the Norwegian championship for young chefs, and a programme of talks and demonstrations. Attendance runs into the hundreds of thousands, which makes it the largest food festival in the Nordic countries. Entry is free and visitors pay for what they eat, usually in small portions designed for grazing. Rogaland is one of the more productive agricultural regions in Norway, which gives the local producers something substantial to show.

What you actually see

• The harbour stalls - several hundred producer and restaurant stands.
• The cooking stages - chefs and competitions in the open air.
• The regional producers - Rogaland farms, dairies and fisheries.
• The small portions - food designed for grazing across many stands.

When to go

Late July, the fixed festival dates, usually spanning a Wednesday to Saturday; the programme is published in early summer. Stavanger weather in July is variable and the festival runs in rain.

Honest expectations

Crowds are dense and queues at popular stands are long, particularly on the Friday and Saturday. Accommodation in Stavanger is scarce that week. Portions are small and costs mount up quickly.

Nearby

Gamle Stavanger and Ovre Holmegate are minutes away; the Petroleum Museum is on the harbour.