What is Midsummer?

Are you ready to dance around the Maypole? The longest day of the year in Sweden is coming up, and will be celebrated all around the country. It’s the biggest celebration in Sweden, full of traditional food, dance and rituals.When is Midsummer? Every year it is celebrated on a Friday, and it’s a national holiday. This year Midsummer’s eve is on the 20th of June, and we’ll help you out with what it is, what to do and where to go in Stockholm.

The origins of midsommar, midsummer celebrations in Sweden, are a bit unclear. Some evidence states that it is a pagan holiday, celebrated since way before the arrival of Christianity in Sweden. Midsummer bonfires have been a tradition all over Europe dating back to the 6th century B.C., but there are no written sources about its specific origins in Sweden. Another explanation says it is related to the Christian celebration of John the Baptist’s birthday, but nowadays Sweden’s midsummer celebrations have little to do with the church, and are more focused on local traditions, food and schnapps.

What do people do on Midsummer’s eve?

Midsummer’s eve is a popular celebration among the Swedes, and comes with many traditions. The most important part is of course gathering, it’s usually a celebration with friends, or public events in bigger crowds, but with family is of course also an option. The most famous tradition is of course dancing around the maypole, a wooden pole covered in flowers, grains and weeds that stands several meters tall wherever the festivities take place. Several dances are performed, often by people dressed in traditional clothing, and the pole is the centre of the celebrations. And aside from traditional clothing, an important piece of ‘clothing’ for Midsummer is the flower crown, a wreath made from freshly picked spring flowers. Many girls will wear one, and flowers play an important role in all of midsummer’s celebrations.

Next to the dancing, people often play games that differ from region to region and group to group. Many celebrations host a femkamp, five playful games and challenges, which often include sack races, blindfolded games, and Kubb, a game in which players try to knock over wooden blocks with sticks.

Food and drinks

Next to the dancing and playing, and maybe more important, is the food of Midsummer’s eve. No celebration is complete without a delightful meal of seasonal products, to celebrate the harvest and catch. A meal often includes: pickled, herring, rye bread, cheese, potatoes, and of course gravlax, smoked salmon, and several other Swedish delicacies. And to finish it off, dessert is almost always prepared with the season’s freshest strawberries, either straight from the bush with cream or in pies, cakes and pastries. Strawberries are at their best around midsummer, and according to the Swedish, they taste the best in Sweden!

Midsummer’s eve is your chance to learn Swedish! A midsummer’s dinner is usually served with schnapps, Scandinavia’s famous alcohol. And the schnapps are served with singing! With each round of schnapps everyone has to join in singing a drinking song. The most famous one is Helan Går, which translates to ‘the whole goes down’, the whole glass. We have the lyrics here so you can practice:

Helan går, sjung hopp faderallanlej
Helan går, sjung hopp faderallanlej
Och den som inte helan tar
han heller inte halvan får
Helan går, sjung hopp faderallanlej

Where to celebrate Midsummer in Stockholm?

If you’re in Stockholm, the best place to celebrate is Skansen. The giant open air museum already has a lot of Swedish culture on display, but during Midsummer’s Eve they go all out. Skansen is filled with traditional and contemporary music, from maypole dancing to folk music, and even DJ sets, so you can dance anywhere. Activities include the making of your own flower crown and listening to Swedish fairytales, and there will of course be a market full of food and drinks. At Skansen celebrations last a whole three days, so make sure to visit the biggest celebrations of the city while you’re there.

Other than that, many celebrations are in public parks, in people’s backyards, and all around the archipelago. Many islands further out on the archipelago have their own public celebrations, and many locals leave the inner city for these areas, to celebrate midsummer closer to nature. Nature in Stockholm is never far away, and while we cannot drop you off in the middle of a party, we offer a beautiful boat tour through the archipelago, so you can pick your perfect spot for a Midsummer’s Eve party.

What to do in Stockholm during Midsummer?

Visiting Stockholm for the weekend? Midsummer is an official national holiday, so keep in mind that not everything will be open on the 20th, and some things are closed on June 21th as well. The state licensed alcohol stores are closed on Midsummer, so buy the day before if you plan on having schnapps. Want to explore the city? Some attractions and museums are closed, so check in advance. Skansen will of course be open, so do not skip it. And if you plan on exploring the city before or after the festivities, the Royal Armoury is open all day, as well as the Viking Museum and Vasa Museum and Museum of Wrecks. And for easy travelling, the hop-on hop-off buses and boats are running at their usual hours, including to Skansen and other places.

Ready for the longest day of the year? Pick your flowers, grab your schnapps, and prepare for the ultimate midsummer experience. Join the Swedes for an unforgettable experience in this beautiful city, and enjoy the extra long summer day with all the festivities and food Sweden has to offer!