B-open in Bergen: 130 artists open their studio doors — the Norwegian city turns into an open gallery

The Norwegian city of Bergen is opening a lesser-known side of its cultural landscape this weekend. On September 19 and 20, 2026, the annual B-open festival invites visitors inside the working studios of professional artists and craftspeople in the city and its surroundings.

The format turns places normally hidden from the public eye — industrial buildings, shared workshops, converted spaces — into temporary destinations for visitors. All studios and activities are free, with public hours 12:00–17:00 on both days: central studios open on Saturday, while venues outside the center — Askøy, Minde, Sandviksbodene, Laksevåg and Fana — open on Sunday.

The program covers visual arts, crafts, photography, installation, film and electronic work. Visitors can follow the artists’ directory on the official website b-open.no to plan their route by location and discipline.

Several partner venues add their own activities: the Bergen Center for Electronic Arts (BEK) runs an open-studios program with video and interactive installations; USF Verftet organizes a guided walking tour of the central studios on Saturday, departing from Kafé Kippers; Bergen Fellesverksted offers open days with workshops on Sunday.

B-open is no new experiment: according to the organizer, 130 artists took part in 2025 and 6,168 visitors came, making it a well-known part of Bergen’s autumn cultural calendar. The city, known for historic Bryggen and the fjords, thus adds a contemporary itinerary with local roots.

Source: Baltic Review

Photo: TimOve, CC BY, via Wikimedia Commons