Dance Around the Midsummer Pole

Midsummer in the Heart of Roslagen

Around the midsummer pole, to accordion music and in the company of neighbors and visitors – this is how midsummer is celebrated in Roslagen just as in many other parts of Sweden. But here comes the distinctive character of the archipelago: soft summer evening light, boats in the harbor and a sense that summer has truly burst into full bloom.

Public Celebrations in Roslagen

Every year, locals and associations arrange public midsummer celebrations at several places in Roslagen. In Norrtälje, people traditionally gather at Färsna gård. In Östhammar municipality, celebrations are held at Gammelhus in Östhammar with dancing and games around the midsummer pole, sausages and a fishing game. In southern Roslagen, celebrations take place in places such as Åkersberga and on Ljusterö.

The Midsummer Pole and the Games

Raising the midsummer pole is the heart of the celebration. The pole is decorated with leaves and flowers and raised together – then ring dances and traditional games for children and adults follow. Accordion music and singing are part of it, as are coffee and semla buns or strawberries with cream.

Midsummer in the Archipelago

Many choose to celebrate midsummer out in the archipelago – either on one of the inhabited islands or by boat in a sheltered cove. It is an experience that is hard to beat: bright nights, mirror-calm sea coves and glowing birch leaves against a faint twilight that never quite becomes dark.