Experience Overview
Celebrate New Year's Eve on 31 December 2026 at Aurora River Camp, near Kiruna, with a shared small-group evening that brings together Arctic food, a winter night drive and a midnight toast. Start beside an open fire with your choice of Arctic char, reindeer or a pre-arranged vegetarian main course, then venture out in a heated minibus to look for the Northern Lights.
Back at camp, welcome 2027 with champagne or an alcohol-free sparkling drink. The plan is to celebrate on the frozen river if the ice is safe; otherwise the countdown takes place at another suitable camp location. Fireworks depend on weather, safety conditions and applicable restrictions.
A Kiruna New Year's Eve Shaped by Arctic Conditions
A winter night in the Kiruna region can bring shifting cloud cover, biting cold and difficult road conditions. Rather than promising a fixed Northern Lights viewpoint, the local guide adapts the driving route to the conditions and uses the heated minibus as a place to warm up between outdoor stops.
At Aurora River Camp, the fire shelter has high timber walls that break the wind but no roof: guests remain outdoors under the open sky. The river is part of the planned midnight setting only after ice conditions have been checked. These decisions are practical parts of celebrating New Year's Eve safely in Swedish Lapland, not guarantees of clear skies or access to the ice.
Experience Itinerary
Pickup in Kiruna
Meet your guide at your selected pickup location and travel in our heated minibus to Aurora River Camp.
Arrival at Aurora River Camp
Arrive at our reserved open-air fire shelter at Aurora River Camp, change into the provided thermal winter clothing and settle onto reindeer hides beside the fire with a hot welcome drink.
Arctic New Year's Eve Dinner
Enjoy a New Year's Eve dinner prepared directly over the guide's separate cooking fire. Choose between fire-cooked Arctic char or fire-seared reindeer, with a vegetarian option available when requested in advance, followed by an Arctic-inspired dessert and hot drinks.
Into the Arctic Night
Leave Aurora River Camp in our heated minibus. Your guide monitors weather, cloud cover and Northern Lights conditions and chooses the route according to the best available conditions that evening.
Northern Lights Search & Warming Stops
Travel through the Kiruna region and stop at selected dark locations when conditions are suitable. Between outdoor stops, return to the heated minibus to warm up comfortably before continuing the search.
Return to Aurora River Camp
Return to the open-air fire shelter at Aurora River Camp and gather around the fire again with a hot drink as the final moments of the year approach.
Champagne & Midnight Walk
Champagne and an alcohol-free sparkling alternative are prepared for the midnight toast before we make the short walk from the camp towards the frozen river.
Onto the Frozen River
When ice conditions are confirmed safe, walk onto the frozen river and gather beneath the open Arctic sky for the final countdown of the year.
Happy New Year
Raise your glass and welcome the New Year as fireworks light up the winter sky above Aurora River Camp.
Warm Up & Return Journey
Walk back from the river and warm up in the heated minibus before beginning the return journey towards Kiruna.
Drop-off in Kiruna
Return to your selected drop-off location after celebrating New Year's Eve at Aurora River Camp.
🎒 What's included
- Pickup and drop-off from selected locations in Kiruna
- Small-group New Year's Eve experience – maximum 8 guests
- Reserved access to our open-air fire shelter at Aurora River Camp
- Arctic New Year's Eve dinner cooked over an open fire
- Choice of Arctic char, reindeer or vegetarian main course
- Arctic-inspired dessert
- Hot welcome drink and warm drinks during the evening
- Thermal winter overall
- Insulated winter boots
- Warm gloves and hat
- Heated minibus throughout the Northern Lights drive
- Northern Lights search based on weather and cloud conditions
- Local guide
- Champagne for the midnight toast
- Alcohol-free sparkling alternative
- New Year's Eve countdown
- Midnight fireworks, subject to weather and safety conditions
📌 Good to know
- This experience operates only on 31 December 2026.
- Maximum group size is 8 guests.
- This is a shared small-group experience, not a private tour.
- The open-air fire shelter at Aurora River Camp has wind-protecting wooden walls and no roof.
- Snowfall and very low Arctic temperatures can be part of the experience.
- The evening combines outdoor activities with warming periods in our heated minibus.
- Thermal overalls, winter boots, gloves and hats are provided. Please wear warm base layers and thick socks underneath.
- Please select Arctic char, reindeer or vegetarian main course when booking.
- Please inform us in advance about allergies or dietary requirements.
- The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and cannot be guaranteed.
- The driving route may change according to weather, cloud cover and road conditions.
- The midnight celebration is planned to take place on the frozen river when ice conditions are confirmed safe.
- If river conditions are not safe, the midnight celebration will take place at another suitable location at Aurora River Camp.
- Fireworks are subject to weather, safety conditions and applicable restrictions.
- Recommended minimum age is 12 years. Please contact us before booking for younger children.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the New Year's Eve celebration a private event?
No. It is a shared tour for up to 8 guests. The open-air fire shelter is reserved for the tour group, but accommodation guests may be elsewhere at Aurora River Camp.
What food can I choose for dinner?
Choose Arctic char or reindeer when booking. A vegetarian main course is available if requested in advance. Dinner also includes seasonal accompaniments, an Arctic-inspired dessert and hot drinks.
Is the dinner shelter indoors or roofed?
No. The fire shelter has high wooden walls for wind protection but no roof. You dine outdoors beside an open fire, so cold or snowfall is possible.
What happens during the Northern Lights drive?
The local guide selects a flexible route according to weather, cloud and road conditions. The group may stop at dark locations when suitable and return to the heated minibus between stops. Northern Lights sightings cannot be guaranteed.
Where does the midnight countdown take place?
The planned location is the frozen river by Aurora River Camp, but only when the ice has been confirmed safe. Otherwise the celebration takes place at another suitable location at the camp.
Are fireworks guaranteed at midnight?
Fireworks are planned and included, but they depend on weather, safety conditions and applicable restrictions.
Is champagne included?
Yes. Champagne is included for the midnight toast, and an alcohol-free sparkling alternative is available.
What winter clothing is provided?
Thermal overalls, insulated winter boots, gloves and warm hats are provided. Wear thermal base layers, a warm mid-layer and thick socks underneath.
Where and when is pickup, and when do we return?
Pickup is from selected locations in Kiruna, with the first pickup planned for approximately 19:15 on 31 December 2026. Return is around 00:45 on 1 January 2027; actual times vary by location and conditions.
Can I bring children?
The recommended minimum age is 12 years. Contact Kiruna Tours before booking if travelling with younger children.
Can dietary requirements and allergies be accommodated?
Many requirements can be accommodated when provided in advance. Share all allergies and dietary needs before the event; last-minute changes may not be possible.
What if the weather is very cold or roads are difficult?
The guide may adjust the programme, route or outdoor stopping times to conditions. The heated minibus provides warming breaks during the night drive.
Discover the Full Arctic Experience
An Arctic New Year's Eve Beyond a Standard Night Out
This evening combines a hosted dinner beside an outdoor fire with a guided Northern Lights search and a New Year countdown at Aurora River Camp. It is a shared experience rather than a private event; the reserved fire shelter is for the tour group, while accommodation guests may be elsewhere at the camp.
Dinner by the Open Fire
Settle on reindeer hides in the wind-sheltered, roofless timber structure with a hot welcome drink. Your main course is finished over the guide's separate cooking fire at the camp. Select your meal when booking: Arctic char with crushed butter potatoes, roasted root vegetables, lemon-dill butter, pickled cucumber and dill; or reindeer with crushed butter potatoes, roasted root vegetables, juniper sauce, lingonberries and crispy onions. A vegetarian main course is available when requested in advance. The meal finishes with an Arctic-inspired dessert and hot drinks.
Because the dining space is open to the sky, snow and cold may be part of the atmosphere. The provided thermal outerwear helps you enjoy the fire-side setting; warm base layers and thick socks are still important.
A Northern Lights Search, Not a Sighting Promise
After dinner, the group travels into the Kiruna night in a heated minibus. Your guide checks the weather and cloud cover and selects suitable dark stopping places if conditions allow. There is no guaranteed route or guaranteed aurora display. Outdoor stops can be adapted to temperature, wind and road conditions, with warming breaks inside the vehicle.
Midnight at Aurora River Camp
Return to the fire shelter before midnight, then gather for a toast and the countdown. If the frozen river is confirmed safe, the celebration moves onto the ice; if not, the group celebrates at another suitable location at Aurora River Camp. Champagne and an alcohol-free sparkling alternative are available. Fireworks are planned for midnight, subject to weather, safety conditions and applicable restrictions.
Is This the Right Celebration for You?
Choose this experience if you want an intimate shared New Year's Eve programme that includes outdoor fire-side dining and time in the Arctic winter landscape, rather than an indoor party or a dedicated aurora-only tour. Be prepared for time outdoors in potentially severe cold, even with the supplied winter clothing. The recommended minimum age is 12; contact the booking team before reserving for younger children. Choose your meal and disclose dietary requirements in advance.
The evening is operated by Aurora River Camp and booked through Kiruna Tours. The existing booking panel provides the reservation details for the single 31 December 2026 event.