Unforgettable concerts, world-renowned artists and fun events, the Swedes have plenty to tempt with cultural highlights in the coming months. Visit this amazing country and join Sweden’s diverse cultural offerings! Find out more about the 8 cultural highlights in Sweden you don’t want to miss this summer.
This year, a lot is happening on the cultural front in Sweden. The world-renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei comes to Pilane Skulpturpark in Bohuslän, on Gotland there will be a medieval festival with games, markets and tournaments, Gothenburg celebrates 400 years as a city, and famous artists take stages all over the country. Here we list eight highlights:
1. World-renowned artist to the island of Tjörn
13 May – 24 Sep – Tjörn, Western Sweden
Øya Tjörn in Bohuslän, goes by the name “Island of art” for its diverse offer of art experiences. This year, the world-renowned artist Ai Weiwei is visiting the Pilane sculpture park on the island. Weiwei is exhibiting the exciting installation Roots – seven gigantic underground roots. The Pilane sculpture park is an eight-hectare cultural landscape that houses, among other things, the iconic work Anna by Jaume Plensa.
In addition to Weiwei, Charlotte Gyllenhammar, Tony Cragg, Maria Miesenberger, Hans Gothlin, Anna Fasshauer, Ingela Palmertz and Ingrid Ogenstedt also exhibit their works on the island in the North Sea. Close to the sculpture park is also the Nordic Watercolor Museum, which this year is showing the exhibition “Animal kingdom”, with works by 14 different artists from five different centuries. Together they shed light on the forces that shape the natural world and our perception of humans’ role in it.
A boat trip from Tjörn out into the sea gap awaits yet another unique experience. Out there you will find the award-winning hotel Pater Noster, an old lighthouse that has been transformed into a design hotel in a class of its own. This summer you can visit the exhibition “Guardian of water” out on the small island. The exhibition is a tribute to the sea and photographers Christy Lee Rogers and Zena Holloway are strongly engaged in issues surrounding biological diversity and life in the world’s oceans.
2. Anniversary celebration in Gothenburg
02.juni – 03. september
In 2021, Gothenburg turned 400 years old, and this year the city will be celebrated a couple of years late with a bang and a bang throughout the summer. There will be events, concerts and exhibitions all over the city and it will all end with the final weekend on 3 September, when the Kulturkalaset, the Ö-fest at Ringön, Frihamnsdagarna, the Göteborgsvarvet Marathon and the big Jubilee Parade will also take place. The Kulturkalaset will fill the city with music, dance, theater and art, the Öfest transforms Järnmalmsgata into a festive street party and the Jubilee Parade will be a party and celebration together.
3. Unforgettable concert with Gyllene Tider
01 – 08 July – Halmstad, Halland
Experience the Gyllene Tider (Golden Times) in its home county Halland this summer. The legendary Swedish group plays two concerts filled with joy, nostalgia and summer feeling at the beginning of July. For more than 40 years, the Halmstad group has delighted listeners with new and old songs, and in July they invite you to a sing-along and a fantastic concert experience in the summer town of Halmstad.
8 Cultural Highlights in Sweden You Don’t Want to Miss This Summer, the article continues below the image.
4. Midsummer celebration in Dalarna
Last week in June – Dalarna
Join the Swedes’ biggest celebration! The traditional midsummer celebration is a tribute to light and summer. On Midsummer’s Eve, which this year falls on Friday 23 June, Swedes dress up in bright summer clothes, decorate their hair with flowers and gather to eat good food, sing and dance around the Maypole. The celebration takes place all over the country, but the most traditional one can be found in Dalarna.
Here there will be a celebration with flower-decorated cornstalks, wreath-tying, dancing, music, food, parties and a good atmosphere. At Rättvik Gammelgård and Våmhus Gammelgård outside Mora you can experience authentic midsummer celebrations with fiddlers, while the biggest celebration takes place in Leksand, where more than 20,000 people gather each year.
Unique to Dalarna is that they don’t just celebrate on the 23rd, but both before and after the day itself. Every town and small town have its own celebration both days and weeks before and after Midsummer’s Eve itself. It is thus possible to join the midsummer celebration on several dates.
5. Concerts in the Gothenburg amusement park
Gotheburg’s Liseberg amusement park celebrates 100 years and dishes out an impressive festival program. This summer you can experience some of Sweden’s biggest artists and world-renowned bands on stage. Shake your rocking feet to artists like The Offspring, In Flames, Monica Mac and Sean Paul.
6. Gustav Vasa moves into Örebro Castle
June 6 – September 17 – Örebro
This year it is 500 years since Gustav Vasa was elected king of Sweden and it is marked, among other things, with a separate exhibition at Örebro Castle. The exhibition “Gustav Vasa speaks from his beard – an exhibition about power” is about power, manipulation and propaganda. The exhibition is curated by Kalmar Castle, Livrustkammeren (which also has an epic Instagram profile) and a creative team of designers, architects, historians, graphic artists and playwrights.
Challenge each other in the Vasakampen, join a guided tour of the Vasa Castle or let the children visit the ghost Laban. In addition to the Vasa exhibition, the castle also has an exhibition called Manga Royals, which combines royal history with manga drawings. This year it is 500 years since Gustav Vasa was elected king of Sweden and it is marked, among other things, with a separate exhibition at Örebro Castle. The exhibition “Gustav Vasa speaks from his beard – an exhibition about power” is about power, manipulation and propaganda. The exhibition is curated by Kalmar Castle, Livrustkammeren (which also has an epic Instagram profile) and a creative team of designers, architects, historians, graphic artists and playwrights. Challenge each other in the Vasakampen, join a guided tour of the Vasa Castle or let the children visit the ghost Laban. In addition to the Vasa exhibition, the castle also has an exhibition called Manga Royals, which combines royal history with manga drawings.
Concert Summer in Örebro
Sweden’s fourth largest city, Örebro, invites you to a number of exciting concerts this summer. At the luxury camping Gustavsvik you can experience Benjamin Ingrosso, Carola, Hooja, Miriam Bryant and Veronica Maggio, while Håkan Hellström occupies Brunnsparken in central Örebro.
7. Magical concert evenings in a disused quarry
In the Dalarna region, there will be concerts with international and national artists in a completely unique concert setting. Dalhalla is the concert stage located in a disused quarry and described as one of the most powerful and beautiful outdoor arenas in Europe. Artists such as The Hives, Bon Iver, First Aid Kit, Mamma Mia the musical and KISS themselves will come here this summer.
8. Medieval week on Gotland
August 6-13 – Visby, Gotland
In week 32 every year, a large-scale medieval festival is held in the middle of Visby on Gotland, and this year the Medieval Week celebrates 40 years. The historic houses in the town and the old ring wall form a perfect backdrop for a medieval festival, where people dress up in historical clothes and markets, performances, concerts and games are organized in authentic medieval style.
8 Cultural Highlights in Sweden You Don’t Want to Miss This Summer, a press release from Visit Sweden
Feature image (on top):Photo left: ROOTS Ai Weiwei Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery. Photo: Gao Yuan. Photo credit: Visit Dalarna