🕯️13 December: Santa Lucia in kayaks – an evening for a short winter trip

On 13 December in Copenhagen, the city literally lines up along the water: hundreds of kayaks decorated with garlands and candles pass through the canals in honour of Santa Lucia. ✨ This is not a commercial show, but a living urban tradition that the residents sincerely ‘carry’ themselves — clubs, kayaking enthusiasts, local teams.

For tourists, this is a rare convenient case: there is a specific date, an understandable evening event, free viewing and a compact centre where everything is accessible on foot. The format is obvious: 2 days / 1–2 nights in Copenhagen, one evening for the parade, the second day for the lights, museums and walks.

Below is a structured guide: what this event is, where to stand, how to plan a route for 2 days, and what to consider in terms of weather and logistics so you don't freeze or get disappointed.

🎶 What is Santa Lucia in kayaks and what does it look like in practice?

Essentially, it is a Lucia procession on water: instead of people with candles in white clothes in the streets, there is a chain of kayaks and SUP boards decorated with lights, fir branches, and sometimes costumes and headdresses. Participants sing the hymn ‘Santa Lucia’ and Christmas carols, stopping at key points, while spectators accompany them along the embankments.

Usually, the parade:

• starts in the Kayak Bar / Kayak Republic area near the centre;
• passes through Nyhavn, the Christianshavn canals, and the area around BLOX / Gl. Strand / Højbro Plads;
• takes approximately 1.5–2 hours between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.;
• is free for spectators — you just take a seat by the water.

To get a better idea of the format, it is helpful to think of the event as an ‘evening slot with a clear structure’:

For kayakers, this is a pre-organised event; for spectators, it is a quiet evening on the waterfront with visually striking images and minimal logistics: everything is in the historic centre, within walking distance.

🗓️ 2-day itinerary: how to fit the parade into a short winter trip

🛬 Day 1: arrival and Santa Lucia evening

Morning/day

• Arrive by plane or train no later than midday.
• Check into a hotel/apartment in the central area (within walking distance of Rådhuspladsen, Kongens Nytorv, Nørreport).
• Explore the route: a short walk along Rådhuspladsen → Strøget → Nyhavn. This is important both for orientation and to ‘check’ the distances to future viewing points.

Late afternoon (3:00–5:00 p.m.)

• Early and hearty meal: café or smørrebrød near the future viewing location.
• This way, you avoid the scenario of ‘standing in a crowd, freezing and wondering where to eat after the parade.’

Evening (parade)

The basic logic: choose 1–2 viewing points and don't try to ‘chase’ the kayaks:

• Option 1: start at Nyhavn, then move to Højbro Plads / Gl. Strand, if time and the flow of people allow.
• Option 2: more intimate — choose Christianshavn, then return towards the centre via the bridges.

After the parade — a short walk along the illuminated canals, a hot drink and return to your accommodation on foot or by metro.

🌆 Day 2: lights, museums and ‘digesting impressions’

Morning

• A slow start: a bakery, a café, perhaps a view of the water during the day (the same canals where the parade took place the day before, but now in a calm mode).
• A good scenario — the area around Christiansborg, the canals and the embankments: you look at the same water ‘corridor’, but without the crowds.

Day

• 1–2 museums/sites depending on your interests and the weather: the classics: Nationalmuseet, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, SMK; alternatively: a walk around Nørrebro or Vesterbro with an emphasis on cafés and local shops.

Evening

• Dinner in the centre or by the water, then departure home/to the next stop on the itinerary.

🏨 1 night vs 2 nights: what to choose

• 1 night — the most intense scenario: arrival on the afternoon of the 13th → parade → departure on the 14th. Suitable for those who live nearby and are ready for a tight schedule.
• 2 nights — the comfortable scenario: arrival on the 12th → parade on the 13th → a full day in the city on the 14th → departure in the evening or morning of the 15th.

If you are a family with children or flying in winter with transfers, it is worth focusing on 2 nights: this reduces the risks of delays, fatigue and bad weather.

🌉 Where to watch the parade: viewing points, pros and cons

The organisers publish the route and exact timing closer to the date, but the set of ‘key points’ in the centre remains roughly the same. Below is a handy reference matrix.

📍 Comparison of locations for spectators

💡 Practical tip: choose one main spot (e.g. Nyhavn) and one backup (Gl. Strand / Højbro Plads). If you see that Nyhavn is already overcrowded, calmly move to a more spacious embankment — the view will be slightly less ‘picture-perfect’, but you will be more comfortable.

🧣 Warmth, comfort and safety: how not to freeze by the water

Even with ‘mild’ Danish temperatures (+1...+5 °C), an evening by the water in December feels completely different: wind + humidity = rapid cooling.

🧥 Equipment for spectators

Minimum working set:

• layering: thermal underwear or warm base layer + jumper/fleece + windproof jacket or parka;
• warm waterproof shoes with good soles (steps and stones by the canal can be wet and slippery);
• hat, gloves, scarf or buff;
• thermos with a hot drink (tea, cocoa) and, if desired, chemical hand warmers.

🧊 Managing your ‘heat resources’

The ‘stand still for 2 hours’ approach in winter almost always ends in disappointment. It is better to work in blocks:

20-30 minutes in the fresh air → 10-15 minutes in a warm room → back outside.

Mark out ‘warming points’ in advance: cafes, bars, bakeries within a 5-7 minute radius of your chosen location. This is critical if you are with children or people who are sensitive to the cold.

🚸 Safety near water and in crowds

• Do not go down wet steps to the water's edge for the sake of the ‘perfect shot’.
• with children, stay one step further from the edge than you think is ‘sufficient’;
• agree on a meeting point in advance in case someone gets lost in the crowd (for example, at a specific statue or sign).

🏙️ Where to stay: area, logistics and night return

For the ‘2 days / Santa Lucia in kayaks in the centre’ format, a compact triangle works best:

• around Kongens Nytorv;
• around Nørreport / Rådhuspladsen;
• along the embankments within walking distance of Nyhavn and Christianshavn.

This way, you:

• can reach the viewing points on foot or 1-2 metro stops away 🚇;
• can return to your hotel/apartment in 10-20 minutes after the parade without complicated night-time logistics;
• minimise your dependence on buses and possible delays.

If your budget is limited, you can look at options a little further away, but near a metro station (for example, closer to Islands Brygge or in an area with a direct train/metro connection to Nørreport). In December, it is not so much the ‘prettiest street outside your window’ that matters, but rather a simple and predictable route to warmth after the evening's events.

📌 How to incorporate Santa Lucia into a wider itinerary in Denmark

For expats and tourists who are considering more than just Copenhagen, Santa Lucia in kayaks can be:

• the starting point for the winter season: 13 December — parade; then — a trip to Aarhus, Odense or smaller towns for a more relaxed format;
• or a logical element of a longer programme: a few days of Christmas markets and museums; a short trip to the sea or to historic towns; return to the capital for the parade.

Practical model:

1. Fix 13 December in the evening as a ‘fixed point’ in the itinerary.
2. Arrange flights/trains so that you don't arrive late in the evening on the 13th and don't leave very early in the morning on the 14th.
3. Consider Santa Lucia as the ‘anchor’ and everything else as variable (museums, shopping, trips to other cities).

✅ A quick checklist for those planning a trip to Santa Lucia in kayaks

• 🔁 Date: aim for 13 December, check the parade time closer to your trip.
• 📍 Accommodation: centre/near the metro, within walking distance of the canals (Nyhavn, Christianshavn, Gl. Strand).
• 🧥 Clothing: layers, windproof jacket, warm shoes, hat, gloves.
• ☕ Breaks: plan 1-2 warm places (café/bar) within 5-10 minutes of your chosen viewing spot.
• 🕒 Timing: be at the water's edge 20-40 minutes before the kayaks pass by, don't plan a busy schedule after 7 p.m.
• 🚇 Logistics: plan your route to/from the location (underground, walking route), especially if you have children with you.
• 🎯 Expectations: this is an intimate, ‘human’ event, not a fireworks show; it is the combination of water, lights and the city atmosphere that is so valuable.

If you are looking for a short but memorable winter reason to visit Denmark, Santa Lucia in kayaks is just the occasion when it makes sense to plan your entire weekend around a single date: minimum logistics, maximum atmosphere and the feeling that you have ‘immersed’ yourself in a local tradition, rather than just a tourist attraction.