Stockholm Culture Festival & We are STHLM, 14-18th of August 2018

Enjoy Stockholm Culture Festival & We Are STHLM between the 14-18th of August 2018 with lots of activities and performances. It’s an annual festival with over 600 program items revolving around anything that falls under the category culture, music, art, photography, acting, etc. Last year over 750 000 visitors came to the festival and the turn out this year is expected to be the same. Here’s what you need to know!

What’s On?

The Stockholm Culture Festival, and it’s youth-orientated sister-festival We Are STHLM, offers over 600 program items throughout the five-day duration of the festival. Guided tours, classes, entertainment, performances, art shows and more are provided throughout the festival. The theme of this year’s festival is Canada.
We Are STHLM is situated in the King’s Garden, Kungsträdgården, and there are lots of activities to do here during the days and live performances during the evenings.

Instead of listing 600+ items for you to read through, here’s a link that will take you to their official website on which you can easily navigate through the different events, CLICK HERE. (You can switch between languages if you click “Meny” at the top right and then click the Globe where it says “Språk”)

Pricing and Location

The festival is covering the whole downtown of Stockholm, but the main venues for the Stockholm Culture Festival are:
(all of the listed items are links which will take you to their location on Google Maps)

• Gustav Adolf Square
• Charles XII’s Square (dance floor)
• Skeppsbron
• St. Jacobs Church
• A family area on the North Bridge
• Kungsträdgården (the King’s Garden) – We Are STHLM

The Stockholm Culture Festival and We Are STHLM are both free festivals, with the exception of guided tours which will cost you. They are however cheap, most of the guided tours will only run you 30 kr per person.

So, enjoy the festival and make sure you visit the official website for more information regarding the festival. Have an amazing week!

EuroPride 2018, Stockholm Pride – All you need to know!

Stockholm is currently covered with rainbow colors, EuroPride 2018 is here – the largest Pride festival in Scandinavia, filled with events, parties, and activities!
Thousands upon thousands of people are in Stockholm for the Pride festival to support the LGBTIQ-community this week. Let’s go through the schedule, so you don’t miss out on the best events! 

Let’s break it down

Stockholm Pride is organizing EuroPride 2018. The whole city is decorated with rainbow flags, but there are three significant attractions you want to keep track off:

• EuroPride House (30/7 to 3/8) – Held at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern at Sergels Torg. Here you can attend plays at the theatre, art, debates, presentations, seminars, and exhibitions, as well as the Human Rights Conference on Friday the 3rd of August. More info here!
• EuroPride Park (1/8 to 5/8) – Situated at Östermalms IP. With 90 stalls and 14 restaurants and bars, this park will be filled with activities from the afternoon into the night. This is also where you’ll find the Kinky Quarters and the Rainbow Stage. More info here!
• EuroPride Parade (4/8) – Starting at Kungsholmstorg at 1 pm, 13.00, and marches through the city, a 4,5 km walk, to Östermalms IP. It’s the same route as last year and will take approximately 2 hours. About 60 000 participants are expected this year. More info here!

When & Where? – the Program

A lot is going on all over the city during EuroPride 2018 in Stockholm, too much to concentrate into one list. So, the best way to navigate through all of the events and decide which ones you’d like to attend, is to have a look through the complete program here. There, everything is listed, and it’s easy to see when and where to go, as well as what kind of pass is required for each particular event.

Why EuroPride?

Pride is here to raise awareness about the LGBTIQ-community. For far too long, people from the LGBTIQ-community have suffered from oppression and segregation, and every year we remind everyone of this world to show their respect and acceptance towards everyone, no matter what their sexual orientation is. It’s not up to anyone else but ourselves to decide what we like and how we want to live.

So, go and explore EuroPride 2018 in Stockholm and show that you care for your values and respect others!

Where can I watch the World Cup in Stockholm?

The FIFA World Cup is running at the moment, and bars and other venues all over Stockholm are showing the games on large monitors, here are our favorite places to enjoy the games!

Go BIG or go home

If the title appeals to you, you only have one place to watch the games – Tele2 Arena. The games with Sweden in it are shown at Tele2 Arena on Europes biggest screen. It’s 800 square meters large and the entry is free! It’s located here!

I want food & drinks while watching

If you’re going to find somewhere to eat while watching the games, you’ve got several options, but might have to book in advance to get a good spot or even a guaranteed seat. Here are our favorite places to watch the games during dinner:
(The names listed below are links to their website, go there for more information)

• Gården – Supper – A spacious venue with amazing tapas, great drinks and a massive screen for watching the games.
• O’Learys – A restaurant chain dedicated to sports with multiple restaurants all over the city.
• STHLM Under Stjärnorna – A fantastic 1200-square-meter-rooftop with a large screen and contemporary, exciting food & drinks.
• Sjöcafeet – A beautiful outdoor seating restaurant with a large screen, tasty food, drinks and a great view!
• Mr. French – A modern, relaxed venue with spacious outdoor seating in Old Town.
• Humlan – An outdoor restaurant and bar in the park Humlegården with tapas and great drinks.
• Urban Deli Nytorget – The alternative way of watching the World Cup on Södermalm with top food and drinks!

The Capital of Stockholm’s Archipelago, Vaxholm

The ‘Capital of Stockholm’s Archipelago,’ Vaxholm, is the perfect place to get the full archipelago experience conveniently when in Stockholm. With multiple boats and buses departing daily, it’s easy to get to and very rewarding once there. Here are our top picks on what to do while in Vaxholm!

How do I get there?

There are several ways to get out to Vaxholm from Stockholm. You can go by public transport if that’s what you prefer, catch the subway to Tekniska Högskolan and then bus 670 out to Vaxholm. The most enjoyable way to get out there, however, would be to get on the boat that leaves from Kajplats 14 on Strandvägen which will take you there in about 50 minutes. You buy the tickets on the ferry itself, no pre-booking required!

What to see

Vaxholm has got a lot to offer, here’s the list of things we recommend doing:

• Vaxholm Fortress Museum – Built in the 16th-century, on a separate island. Guided tours are available. For more information, have a look at their website here.
• Bogesunds Castle – A castle from the 17th-century with a stunning garden with old artifacts such as runestones. Public tours are offered at the castle on Saturdays and Sunday at 2 pm, June through to August.
• Nature – There’s beautiful nature all over Vaxholm. If you’re into nature and want to stay active, walk around the island for some lovely views and fresh air. There are beautiful trails that will take you through the forest as well as along the shorelines.
• The City Center – It’s a very cozy, picturesque town where you’ll find café’s, restaurants, hotels, shops and more.

I’m hungry & thirsty

If you’re in the Archipelago of Stockholm, give a prawn sandwich or toast Skagen a shot! It’s a traditional meal for the Swedes, and absolutely delicious and very recommended with a glass of white, or rosé, wine!
There are several cafés and restaurants on the island that will serve you great, authentic Swedish food along with other options. Here are the ones we like!

• Vaxholm Hotel – a lovely hotel with delicious food of all kinds, although it’s quite pricey. Indoor and outdoor seating.
• Bistro Magasinet – A fantastic restaurant with a great view, authentic food, and a bit lower prices. They’ve got a scrumptious Toast Skagen that will fill you up for sure while soaking up the sun in their outdoor seating.
• Vaxholms Hembygdgårds Café – Idyllic café with outdoor seating in their garden, right by the water.
• Melanders Vaxholm – A cozy fish restaurant with top quality seafood for a decent price! They’ve also got outdoor seating.

Midsummer Traditions & Celebrations in Stockholm 2018 | OURWAY Tours

Where can you celebrate Midsummer in Stockholm 2018? We’ve listed where you can get the full Midsummer experience in Stockholm, traditional and alternative celebrations are all over the city, where will you celebrate? 

The Traditional way – Skansen

If you’re going for a traditional celebration, the open-air museum of Skansen is the way to go! With Midsummer celebrations lasting throughout the weekend, this is the perfect place to get the full, traditional experience. There are a plethora of activities on for the weekend, such as helping to raise the leafy maypole (midsummers eve at 2 pm), bind traditional birch wreaths‚ dancing and play games around the maypole‚ folk music, folk dance and more. There will also be dance floors with both new and old music to dance your way into the, surprisingly bright, night! For more information, ticket prices and opening hours, have a look here on their website.

Local Celebrations

In most parks within and around the city, people will celebrate Midsummer by raising maypoles, dancing around it, along with other activities. Mitt i Stockholm have provided a reasonably comprehensive guide to the celebrations all over town, which you can find here, it’s in Swedish but can easily be translated if necessary. Good to know is that most maypoles are raised around between 12-2 pm, which we’d recommend not to miss!

I’m alternative

Södra Teatern welcomes people of all ages to celebrate Midsummer on their terrace. Located just above Slussen, you’ve got a great view of the city, and it’s easy to get to. They’ve focused only on the best parts of the Midsummer celebrations with their some twists, according to themselves. To host their party, they’ve got drag queen Miss Inga as well as their CEO and Artistic Director Ingmari “Helga” Pagenkemper. If you wish to know more about the event, have a look here.

National Day of Sweden – What to do in Stockholm?

National Day of Sweden is on June 6th, but how do the Swedes celebrate their National Day? What is there to do in Stockholm? The story of the National Day of Sweden, June 6th, dates all the way back to 1523, but wasn’t the official National Day until 1983 and was made a public holiday in 2005. Here’s the story!

June 6th

June 6th is a date that is significant to Sweden. On June 6th 1523, Gustav Vasa was crowned king and thus laid the foundation of Sweden as an independent state. The date also has a connection to the year 1809 when on June 6th a new, important constitution was adopted. It’s believed that the day was celebrated as early as in the 1800s and was named “the Swedish Flag’s Day” in 1916, up until 1983 when it became the official National Day of Sweden. In 2005 June 6th was made a public holiday after a parliament vote in 2004.

What to do in Stockholm?

There are several ways to enjoy the day off and celebrate the National Day, here are our top picks:

The Royal Palace 10-17.00 – The west gates will opened by the Royal Family for the public to enter, free of charge.

Skansen 11-19.30 – On the National Day of Sweden, there are lots of activities for children all over Skansen. The Royal Family will also get escorted from the Royal Palace to Solliden, Skansen to deliver a speech at 17.55. Ticket prices HERE:

Gärdet 11.30-16.30 – Nationaldagsgaloppen will organize a folk-fest at Gärdet with activities for children as well as the annual National Day horse racing. Free of Charge.

Mosquito Beach Party 13-19.00 – A picnic-party will fill the grass of Rålambshovsparken with music and a good mood. Free of charge.

Ballet in Hagaparken 11-16.00 – A Ballet show, picnic, music and more. Here you can relax in the park and enjoy your day. Free of charge.