Stockholm Events

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Midsummers Eve

Sweden’s most beloved of festivals, Midsummer, is a national holiday celebrated around the country with great gusto. In Stockholm thousands enjoy the festivities laid on at the Skansen open-air museum, which centre around the raising of a garlanded maypole. Dancing and singing around the maypole is spurred on by the consumption of plenty of schnapps and beer. The festival has its roots in ancient pagan fertility rituals but for modern Swedes it is an excuse to enjoy a wild party as they emerge from the long, dark winter.

Nobel Prize © flickr: jamieca

Nobel Prize Day

Although it is not open to the general public, Nobel Prize Day in Stockholm has the eyes of the world on this northern city when the highly prestigious awards for medicine, literature, physics, chemistry and economics (the coveted Peace Prize is presented in Oslo, Norway) are presented each year by the King at the Stockholm Concert Hall, followed by the lavish Nobel Prize Banquet at the City Hall. The Nobel Prize is the legacy of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist and the inventor of dynamite, who left his huge fortune as a prize-fund to reward those who improve human life through contributions to science or humanitarianism. The award winners are announced in October and the presentation takes place on the anniversary of Nobel’s death.

Venue: Stockholm Concert Hall
Date: 10 December 2008
Website: www.nobel.se

Skansen Christmas market © Marie Andersson

Skansen Christmas Market

The ideal place to do your Christmas shopping and imbibe some true traditional Scandinavian Christmas spirit is the huge Skansen Christmas market, which draws about 25,000 visitors every weekend in the run-up to the festive season. The historic houses and homesteads that make up the outdoor museum radiate music and warmth while revellers admire craft products, sample the traditional Swedish Christmas brew called ‘glõgg’, and dance around the Christmas tree. Shops and stores are packed with gift ideas, ornaments, tempting sweets and Christmas fare.

Venue: Skansen Outdoor Museum, Djurgarden
Date: 29 November to 14 December 2008
Time: weekends only
Website: www.skansen.se

Dizzy Gillespie © Polar Music Prize

Polar Music Prize Days

Each year the world's most prestigious music award is made in Stockholm, preceded by several days of activities such as live performances, workshops, seminars, film shows and exhibitions at various locations around the city. The city comes alive with the celebration of music in this event founded in 1989 by the late Stig Anderson, manager of Scandinavian supergroup, ABBA. The prize is administered by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and has been won over the years by the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan and B.B. King.

Venue: Prize ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall; allied events at various venues around the city
Date: May 2009, TBC
Website: www.polarmusicprize.com

Stockholm Jazz Festival

After more than 20 years the Stockholm Jazz Festival has earned a reputation for becoming one of the biggest and best events of its kind in Europe. Top international and local jazz, blues, soul, funk and Latin stars perform over the five-day festival on the island of Skeppsholmen.

Venue: Main venue: Museum of Modern Art, Skeppsholmen
Date: 16 - 19 July 2009
Website: www.stockholmjazz.com

Stockholm Pride

The largest Pride celebration in Scandinavia is the week-long rainbow carnival that turns Stockholm into a free zone for the gay and lesbian community. The action is centred on the largest island, Södermalm, where the Pride Park arena is set up at Tantolunden featuring a stage, restaurants, shops and varied attractions. Highlight of the festival week is the spectacular, colourful parade through the city starting at 3pm on the Saturday.

Venue: Pride Park (Tantolunden), Pride House (Medborgarplatsen) and various other venues around the city. The parade starts at Blasieholmskajen next to the Grand Hotel and the National Art Museum and ends at Pride Park
Date: July to August 2009
Time: Parade: 3pm
Website: www.stockholmpride.org

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