It’s a great way to spend time with family and friends in the beautiful Swedish nature and soak up as much of the short Swedish summer as possible.

Midsummer in Stockholm
 
One of the most beloved Swedish traditions is Midsummer. Every year Swedes and people visiting Sweden gather to celebrate this wonderful summer holiday. Midsummer is always celebrated on one of the longest Fridays of the year, when the sun hardly sets. This year it’s on June 21.
 
Traditional Swedish Midsummer
For Swedes, midsummer means the true beginning of summer, and for many the beginning of their annual summer holiday. It’s a great way to spend time with family and friends in the beautiful Swedish nature and soak up as much of the short Swedish summer as possible.
 
Midsummer’s Eve usually begins with picking flowers for the flower crowns and maypole. The maypole is raised in an open area with lots of room for dancing and singing around it. Swedes sing popular midsummer songs like Små grodorna, Little Frogs, and Räven raskar över isen, The Fox Runs Across the Ice.

 
The Midsummer buffet is filled with traditional Swedish food like pickled herring, salmon and new potatoes with fresh dill. For dessert, the first Swedish strawberries of the season are usually served with cream or vanilla ice cream. To accompany the food Swedes usually drink cold beer and spicy schnapps.
 
Legends surrounding Swedish Midsummer
There are many mysterious legends surrounding the Swedish Midsummer celebrations. One particularly popular is that girls and young women should pick seven different kinds of flowers before they go to bed at night and put them under their pillow. When they go to sleep they will dream about their future husband.

 
Celebrate Midsummer in the Archipelago
Popular among Stockholmers is to spend Midsummer in the archipelago. A lot of the bigger islands offer a traditional Midsummer’s Eve celebration with flower crowns, dancing around the maypole, and schnapps.
 
One of the most popular islands for Midsummer celebrations is Fjäderholmarna. From downtown Stockholm, you can get to Fjäderholmarna in about 20 minutes by boat. Other popular islands for midsummer celebrations are Sandhamn, Waxholm, Finnhamn, Möja, and Grinda.
 
Midsummer at Skansen
If you don’t feel like leaving the city, Skansen, the popular open-air museum, organizes a traditional Swedish Midsummer celebration.
 
A lot of people show up in the traditional Swedish national costume. They bind flower crowns, raise the maypole, dance, play games and enjoy traditional Swedish folk music and folk dance.

 
Celebrate Midsummer at a Restaurant
Many shops, stores, museums, and restaurants are closed during Midsummer’s Eve, and the day after, Midsummer’s Day.
 
But some restaurants do stay open and take the opportunity to offer traditional Midsummer food for people visiting or staying in the city during the weekend.
 
Stallmästaregården, on the shore of Brunnsviken lake in Stockholm, offers a traditional Midsummer buffé with everything you need to celebrate the summer holiday.
 
Fåfängan Restaurant and Café is a popular place for Swedes in Stockholm during the summer. The outdoor seating area has one of the most beautiful views in Stockholm, where you can see the sea, Djurgården, and the Old Town. At Midsummer’s Eve Fåfängan offer celebrations with a Midsummer brunch, Midsummer dinner, and song and dance around a maypole.