How is Midsummer Celebrated in Sweden? A Complete Guide for First-Timers
There are certain celebrations around the world that make you feel like you’ve stepped into another world entirely, and the Midsummer solstice in Sweden is absolutely one of them. Maypoles draped in Midsummer flowers, flower crowns woven from wildflowers, long tables of herring and strawberries, and an entire country dancing and celebrating the longest day of the year. It is truly something else.
We experienced it firsthand in 2023, and we’ll be honest, we showed up without nearly enough preparation. This guide exists so you don’t make the same mistakes we did.
Whether you are looking for the most traditional village celebration or a lively coastal party with young Swedes, there is a version of Midsummer for everyone. Here is everything you need to know before you go.
The Scoop
Entry Requirements
Language, Currency & Outlets
What To Eat
Getting There
Things To Do
How To Dress, Weather, & Packing
Move Around
Safety
Where To Stay
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Midsummer Solstice: What it is & Where it’s Celebrated
Before diving into where to go and what to expect, here are a few key things to understand about what Midsummer actually is, when it’s celebrated, and why Sweden is the best place in the world to experience it.
👀 What is Midsummer Solstice?
The Midsummer solstice marks the longest day of the year and the official arrival of summer. It is Sweden’s biggest annual celebration, and the traditions around it have been kept alive for centuries!
Think maypoles draped in Midsummer flowers, flower crowns woven from wildflowers, long lunches of herring and fresh strawberries, Aquavit, and dancing until the sun barely sets. It is unlike anything else we have ever experienced, and it is certainly one for the bucket list.
📆 When is Midsummer?
Midsummer falls on June 21st each year. In Sweden, the celebration takes place on the weekend on or after the solstice, running from Midsummer Eve on Friday evening through Sunday. Saturday is officially Midsummer Day and is when the main events take place.
In 2026, Midsummer Eve falls on Friday June 19th and Midsummer Day on Saturday June 20th. We recommend arriving by Friday at the latest so you don’t miss a thing.
📍 Where is the Best Place to Go For Midsummer?
Midsummer is celebrated all over the Nordics, mostly in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland. The biggest Midsummer celebrations are in Sweden, and this is the number one place to go to experience Midsummer. It is celebrated all over the country, which means you have plenty of options depending on the kind of experience you are looking for. More on that below!
Midsummer Solstice in Sweden
Midsummer is celebrated all over Sweden, but some places do it better than others. Since you will really only be able to experience one destination for the weekend, it is important to decide in advance what kind of celebration you are looking for.
🌼 Dalarna
If you’re looking for the most traditional Midsummer solstice in Sweden, then you’ll definitely want to head to Dalarna, a county in Central Sweden.
When we first decided to go to Dalarna, we felt extremely lost on which town to go. There are actually quite a few towns that have big celebrations, and the most popular ones are Mora, Leksand, and Rattvik, all of which are along the shores of Lake Siljan.
We chose to celebrate Midsummer in Leksand, and highly recommend it as we had an incredible time.
🌇 Stockholm
Stockholm is certainly one of the most popular cities in Sweden, and the easiest for tourists to flock to.
While tourists may come to the city, the true Swedish way is to head to one of the many islands surrounding Stockholm.
We visited Stockholm the Friday of Midsummer weekend and all of the docks were full of groups of families and friends lined up to sail to the nearby islands for their Midsummer celebrations.
🏙 Gothenburg
Gothenburg is another popular city destination for Midsummer celebrated in Sweden.
For inside the city, there are large parties in Slottsskogen, Gunnebo Castle, and Tjolöholm castle, and outside the city you can celebrate on one of the several beautiful islands of the Gothenburg archipelago.
⛵️ Smogen
On our way back from Dalarna we decided to stop by Smogen, an adorable seaside town on the west coast. The popular summer destination has colorful houses, chic seafood restaurants, and boats lined up playing music.
A lot of Swedes head here for the entire weekend, and we found people still celebrating on Sunday when we went there. They also have a massive concert with a foam party Sunday morning, which we ended up just missing!
Smogen is the perfect place for those that want a cool party atmosphere with a lot of young Swedes.
How is Midsummer Celebrated in Sweden?
Now that you have some options for where to go for Midsummer, we’re going to share our experience of Midsummer celebrated in Sweden.
We wanted the most authentic experience of Midsummer celebrated in Sweden, so we decided to make the trip to Dalarna. Each town has their own celebrations, but we’re going to share about our particular experience in Leksand.
The easiest way to get to Dalarna is to rent a car and drive. Stockholm is a little over 3 hours from where Midsummer in Dalarna is, and Gothenburg is about 5 1/2 hours driving.
🌼 Midsummer in Dalarna
When we first arrived to Lake Siljan, we stopped at a supermarket to speak with some locals about where to go. There are various towns around the lake, but we were suggested to go to Leksand, which ended up being a great choice!
Originally we were recommended to head to a camping area, but it seemed if there were any parties there we clearly had missed them.
The beach at Leksand
We were told Friday night is a big night out for Midsummer Eve, but just got to celebrate Midsummer Day. Midsummer Eve is also when all of the leaves and flowers are picked by all of the ladies to decorate the maypole.
☀️ Midsummer Day in Dalarna
The morning of Midsummer is when the maypole is decorated, which is a tradition in each village. During the daytime families and friends gather to have a large lunch of traditional foods such as herring, potatoes, and salmon, finished off with fresh strawberries and cream, and drinking Aquavit.
⭐️ The Midsummer Maypole Ceremony
In the late afternoon is when everyone starts to gather around the maypole.
Everyone sits on the grass (we suggest bringing a blanket), while local musicians play, and there are speakers presenting the ceremony. Little by little the crowd cheers and the maypole is slowly lifted a little every few minutes.
Once the maypole is lifted everyone gets up and dances around it. They hop around, sing, and dance to songs about little frogs, and everyone is laughing and stumbling around from being a bit tipsy.
🎉 The Midsummer After Party
Dancing around the maypole is really only 15-30 minutes, and after you’ll see crowds of people buying food and drinks from the stalls nearby, and lining up for the long lines for the portapotties.
As the sun starts to set you’ll find people pretty inebriated by this point, and also a lot of young people with very old cars that look like they came from MTV’s Pimp My Ride blasting music and driving slowly around the streets. (This was definitely one of the weirder moments for us).
This is because the cars are very sought after there, and because there are very few months they can enjoy the good weather, especially the convertibles!
The evening is then time for the big festival, where you can find a carnival outside (games, rides, and food stalls), and a concert inside of many local djs and artists performing.
This is a paid event, but definitely worth it in our opinion. it goes all hours of the night, and was definitely the wildest part of Midsummer celebrated in Sweden.
🌊 Midsummer Solstice in Smogen
On Sunday morning we left Dalarna early and headed towards Smogen.
We assumed all of the celebrations were over, but decided to go to Smogen to see the cute and colorful houses on the water.
Little did we know that this was an epic location to celebrate Midsummer, and was full of fun acitivities going on.
🧼 Smogen’s Foam Party
On Sunday from 2-8 is a wild foam party concert in Smogen for 800 kroner. It was coming to an end by the time we arrived unfortunately, but Smogen is certainly on our future Midsummer bucket list!
Smogen has a lot of parties during Midsummer.
How Much Does Midsummer in Sweden Cost?
Midummer can be celebrated completely for free! The maypole ceremony is open to the public, and parks and other public spaces are open for people to gather and enjoy.
That being said, Midsummer has a lot of concerts and afterparties worth experiencing, and despite some of them being a bit pricey (ours was a little more than $60 USD), it’s worth splurging a bit when it’s during such a bucket list celebration.
Accommodation is definitely very pricey during Midsummer, so you’ll certainly want to book everything as early as possible to cut costs.
Other Things to Keep in Mind for Midsummer Celebrated in Sweden
Now you know almost everything to expect for Midsummer celebrated in Sweden. But before you go, here are a few other things to keep in mind.
☀️ Weather in Sweden
Sweden expperiences four seasons, and is one of the countries that has the coldest and darkest winters.
Summers in Sweden are mild and sunny, and there is 24 hours of sunlight in certain hours, and just a few hours of darkness per day in the south of Sweden.
🤔 Is Midsummer a Good Time to Visit Sweden?
Midsummer is arguably the best time to visit Sweden! It’s the perfect kick off to summer, and is a special experience to see the country celebrating their biggest tradition.
If you like bucket list experiences and learning about different cultures, we highly recommend experiencing Midsummer celebrated in Sweden.
Midsumer is one of the best times to visit Sweden.
👗 What to Wear to Swedish Midsummer
Midsummer is celebrated with beautiful white clothing. Women typically wear long white dresses or skirts with flower crowns in their hair, and men wear nice button ups or business casual attire.
It’s important to note that as it’s the beginning of summer, so it may get a bit chilly at night, so we suggest bringing a light jacket, sweater, or some kind of layer for the evening.
👑 Flower Crowns for Midsummer
You won’t find flower crowns being sold in stores though, as this is something usually handmade by the locals.
We found a big group of ladies making flower crowns for each other, and I asked for help from them to show me how to make mine. They were so sweet, and ended up making me one right on the spot!
🧳 How to Prepare for Midsummer Celebrated in Sweden
When we showed up for Midsummer in Sweden, we really didn’t know what to expect! The good thing is that you won’t have to prepare too much.
You’ll need to get any tickets in advance to whatever activities, so we suggest checking local websites for Midsummer in the destination of your choice, and you can also find a lot of information on the local town’s social media channels.
A lot of shops will be closed on Saturday, so if you want to get alcohol, flowers, or anything else for Midsummer, we definitely suggest doing your shopping on Thursday or Friday.
🎒 Packing List for Midsummer in Sweden
Here is a list of the things we suggest bringing to a trip to Sweden for Midsummer:
- Reusable Water Bottle (we use this water bottle from Cafago because it holds the temperature well)
- White Outfit
- Sunglasses
- Light blanket for the Maypole ceremony
- Light Jacketor Sweater for the evening
- Zippered Bag or Backpack – take a look at these backpacks for travelers!
- Power Bank (we use Anker power banks, as they are super long lasting and sturdy)
- Action Camera (we use the Insta 360 X3 because it’s small & waterproof)
- Travel Adapter (we use Insignia travel adapters as they are affordable and reliable)
- Travel toiletries (our favorites are from Sheer Alternatives because they’re all natural and 100ml)
Is Sweden Safe During Midsummer?
Scandinavian countries are some of the safest countries in the world!
That being said, there is a big problem in Sweden with immigration. As they are a very welcoming country, in the past few years there has been a big influx of immigrants who have brought quite some crime to Sweden.
We were speaking with the police, and they were explaining to us that they felt pretty helpless at times. It’s a sad situation, and while we felt really safe the entire time, it’s always good to be cautious.
👮🏻♀️ Safety During Midsummer in Sweden
In Dalarna there were police officers all over the streets, making sure that people were safe during their Midsummer celebrations.
We felt very safe while we celebrated Midsummer, and overall the vibe was very fun and welcoming for tourists.
Tips for Experiencing Midsummer in Sweden
- Book your accommodation in advance.
- Rent a car if you plan on visiting Dalarna or Smogen
- Bring something white to wear.
- Buy alcohol before Saturday.
- When booking flights, look up you city to everywhere, and see which airport is the most convenient or affordable to fly into.
Are you ready for Midsummer celebrated in Sweden? We hope this guide helps you plan the most epic weekend, and inspires you to experience this special festival.
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