Five fun festivals to get you partying in Sweden
Sweden is gearing up for a number of great festivals this week. Check out our favourite five picks as well as a handy interactive guide to all of Sweden's best events.
1. Stockholm Pride Week (July 27th – August 1st)
If you live in Stockholm you can't have missed the capital's famous Gay Pride festival, which kicked off this week. The biggest of its kind in Scandinavia, it draws crowds from all around Europe. A number of internationally well-known acts are performing at the festival this year, including Sweden's very own Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw and DJ duo Rebecca and Fiona.
The week-long celebrations are, as usual, set to culminate in a parade through Stockholm on Saturday, August 1st. The bright, bold and glamorous march regularly attracts some 400,000 spectators lining the streets of the Swedish capital to watch 45,000 participants walk in the parade. Organizers told The Local last week that they have their eyes set on an equally good turnout on Saturday.
Stockholm Pride Week last year. Photo: Annika af Klercker/TT
2. Storsjöyran (31 july – 1 august)
Storsjöyran (refer to it only as 'Yran' if you want to seem like you're in the know) is one of Sweden's oldest festivals, tracing its lineage all the way back to 1963.
After a long hiatus it was reborn in 1983 to much delight. It's held in the town centre of Östersund in northern Sweden and has welcomed millions of visitors since the start. More than 26,000 people watched Lady Gaga perform there in 2009.
This year, some of the biggest names will be Sting - who we think requires no further introduction - and Swedish favourites Seinabo Sey and Tove Styrke. Tickets are on the pricey side (1,195 kronor for a two-day pass) but it looks like it could just be well worth it.
Seinabo Sey is set to perform at Storsjöyran. Photo: Annika af Klercker/TT
3. Stockholm Music & Arts (August 1st – 2nd)
Held on the Skeppsholmen island in central Stockholm against the backdrop of the capital's summer greenery and Lake Mälaren's deep blue water, Stockholm Music and Arts benefits from one of the most beautiful festival locations in Sweden.
The music event aims to provide a diverse programme that doesn't only attract the big names to the capital, but also more unknown artists. The line-up this year consists of singer and bands like Tori Amos, Hello Saferide and Van Morrison. Various art projects and installations will also be on show.
The Stockholm Music & Arts Festival. Photo: Erik Mårtensson/SCANPIX
4. Medieval Week on Gotland (August 2nd – 9th)
Put on your hobbit feet and throw on your medieval robes – the Medieval Week on the island of Gotland is back in full swing for its 32nd year, with everything from fire shows to bagpipe tutorials.
Unique for this year is a behind-the-scenes look at fantasy series 'Game of Thrones', where visitors will be given the chance to sit on the Iron Throne (don't pretend you're too cool to know what we're talking about), made famous by the television adaptation.
The Medieval Week is a major tourist attraction for Gotland, second only to the Almedalen political week in July, and attracts thousands of role-players, re-enacters and simply curious tourists every year. Ticket prices vary depending on which events you choose to take part in, but the Medieval Market is free and open to all.
The Medieval Week on Gotland. Photo: Bo-Göran Kristoffersson/Medeltidsveckan
5. Thai festival at Kungsträdgården (July 31st – August 2nd)
Kungsträdgården is a beautiful park in the middle of the Swedish capital, but for two days this weekend you will be forgiven if you think you have been transported to the Far East.
Hosted by the Thai Embassy in Stockholm, a festival celebrating all things Thailand is set to kick off on Friday, with cooking demonstrations and live music on offer. If you have got some Swedish kronor to spare, unique Thai arts and handicraft will be available to snap up. Or why not try your hand at Thai boxing, enjoy a puppet show or chat to the Thai Ambassador, Kiattikhun Chartprasert, himself?
Kungsträdgården in central Stockholm. Photo: Hasse Holmberg/SCANPIX
Looking for more events in Sweden? Check out our interactive guide below.
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1. Stockholm Pride Week (July 27th – August 1st)
If you live in Stockholm you can't have missed the capital's famous Gay Pride festival, which kicked off this week. The biggest of its kind in Scandinavia, it draws crowds from all around Europe. A number of internationally well-known acts are performing at the festival this year, including Sweden's very own Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw and DJ duo Rebecca and Fiona.
The week-long celebrations are, as usual, set to culminate in a parade through Stockholm on Saturday, August 1st. The bright, bold and glamorous march regularly attracts some 400,000 spectators lining the streets of the Swedish capital to watch 45,000 participants walk in the parade. Organizers told The Local last week that they have their eyes set on an equally good turnout on Saturday.
Stockholm Pride Week last year. Photo: Annika af Klercker/TT
2. Storsjöyran (31 july – 1 august)
Storsjöyran (refer to it only as 'Yran' if you want to seem like you're in the know) is one of Sweden's oldest festivals, tracing its lineage all the way back to 1963.
After a long hiatus it was reborn in 1983 to much delight. It's held in the town centre of Östersund in northern Sweden and has welcomed millions of visitors since the start. More than 26,000 people watched Lady Gaga perform there in 2009.
This year, some of the biggest names will be Sting - who we think requires no further introduction - and Swedish favourites Seinabo Sey and Tove Styrke. Tickets are on the pricey side (1,195 kronor for a two-day pass) but it looks like it could just be well worth it.
Seinabo Sey is set to perform at Storsjöyran. Photo: Annika af Klercker/TT
3. Stockholm Music & Arts (August 1st – 2nd)
Held on the Skeppsholmen island in central Stockholm against the backdrop of the capital's summer greenery and Lake Mälaren's deep blue water, Stockholm Music and Arts benefits from one of the most beautiful festival locations in Sweden.
The music event aims to provide a diverse programme that doesn't only attract the big names to the capital, but also more unknown artists. The line-up this year consists of singer and bands like Tori Amos, Hello Saferide and Van Morrison. Various art projects and installations will also be on show.
The Stockholm Music & Arts Festival. Photo: Erik Mårtensson/SCANPIX
4. Medieval Week on Gotland (August 2nd – 9th)
Put on your hobbit feet and throw on your medieval robes – the Medieval Week on the island of Gotland is back in full swing for its 32nd year, with everything from fire shows to bagpipe tutorials.
Unique for this year is a behind-the-scenes look at fantasy series 'Game of Thrones', where visitors will be given the chance to sit on the Iron Throne (don't pretend you're too cool to know what we're talking about), made famous by the television adaptation.
The Medieval Week is a major tourist attraction for Gotland, second only to the Almedalen political week in July, and attracts thousands of role-players, re-enacters and simply curious tourists every year. Ticket prices vary depending on which events you choose to take part in, but the Medieval Market is free and open to all.
The Medieval Week on Gotland. Photo: Bo-Göran Kristoffersson/Medeltidsveckan
5. Thai festival at Kungsträdgården (July 31st – August 2nd)
Kungsträdgården is a beautiful park in the middle of the Swedish capital, but for two days this weekend you will be forgiven if you think you have been transported to the Far East.
Hosted by the Thai Embassy in Stockholm, a festival celebrating all things Thailand is set to kick off on Friday, with cooking demonstrations and live music on offer. If you have got some Swedish kronor to spare, unique Thai arts and handicraft will be available to snap up. Or why not try your hand at Thai boxing, enjoy a puppet show or chat to the Thai Ambassador, Kiattikhun Chartprasert, himself?
Kungsträdgården in central Stockholm. Photo: Hasse Holmberg/SCANPIX
Looking for more events in Sweden? Check out our interactive guide below.
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