Midsummer

When: Midsummer is celebrated in June; Midsummer Eve falls on the Friday between 19 and 25 June each year.

Where: Across Sweden, from village greens and countryside farms to city parks and the archipelago.

Cost: Public maypole dances and many community events are free, but restaurants, boat trips and private celebrations normally cost extra.

Don’t miss: The maypole (majstång), making flower crowns, fresh new potatoes with pickled herring and the traditional snapsvisor (drinking songs).

Midsummer is Sweden’s biggest seasonal celebration, with roots in pre-Christian solstice rites and later nineteenth-century folk revivals that fixed many of the customs you see today.

The day is informal and outdoorsy: communities raise and decorate a maypole, people sing and perform simple ring dances, and families picnic on a spread of new potatoes, pickled herring, sour cream, strawberries and aquavit. Celebrations are strongest in rural locations and coastal islands, with popular destinations including Dalarna for traditional pageantry and the Stockholm archipelago for boat-based gatherings, while every town and parish usually has its own event.

Sweden celebrates Midsummer around the astronomical summer solstice in June; the public focus is Midsummer Eve, observed on the Friday between 19 and 25 June, with the following Saturday known as Midsummer Day.

Most major events and family getaways happen on Friday evening into Saturday, so expect workplaces to empty and transport and accommodation demand to surge from late Thursday onward.

Sweden’s main international gateway is Stockholm Arlanda Airport; from there regional trains and buses connect to towns and ferries depart to the archipelago, while rental cars are useful for reaching villages and lakesides (for example in Dalarna). Aim to arrive at least the day before Midsummer Eve and book accommodation, trains and any island ferries well in advance.

• In Sweden many Midsummer celebrations are family or community events - ask before joining a private party and stick to organised public dances if unsure.
• Bring a waterproof layer and warm mid layers; June weather is changeable and evenings can be cool even with long daylight.
• Pack insect repellent if you head to lakes or forests - mosquitoes can be persistent in rural spots.
• Expect reduced shop opening hours and limited public transport on the holiday; buy essentials and prescriptions before the holiday weekend.
• Book accommodation, restaurants and ferries weeks (or months) ahead for popular rural and island locations.
• If invited to a home, a small gift (flowers or a local tipple) is appreciated and be ready to join in simple songs and dances.