Midsummer 2027
The longest day, spent almost entirely outdoors.
Countdown to Midsummer 2027
Dates
When is Midsummer?
Midsummer 2027 falls from Friday, 25 June 2027 to Saturday, 26 June 2027.
Midsummer Eve falls on Friday 25 June, Midsummer Day on Saturday 26 June.
Date checked against timeanddate.com
| Year | Dates | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 – 20 June 2026Fri – Sat | 2 days | Past |
| 2027 | 25 – 26 June 2027Fri – Sat | 2 days | Confirmed |
See every festival by date in the 2026 festival calendar and 2027 festival calendar.
The story
What it is, and why it matters
- Type
- Nature & Season
- Tradition
- Secular & Civic
- Where
- Dalarna, Central Sweden
- Crowd
- The whole country
- UNESCO
- Not inscribed
In June the Swedish north does not get dark. The maypole is raised in the afternoon and the dancing continues into a night that never quite arrives.
Midsummer is celebrated on the Friday between 19 and 25 June. In Stockholm the sun sets around 10pm and rises before 3:30am; above the Arctic Circle it does not set at all.
The day is a sequence of obligations: pick flowers in the morning, raise and decorate the midsommarstång, eat three separate courses, sing snapsvisor, and dance around the pole while a live band plays.
Culture
Traditions, food and music of Midsummer
Traditions
What actually happens
- Picking seven wildflowers to place under the pillow at night.
- Raising the maypole, then the frog dance around it.
- Flower crowns worn by almost everyone, of any age.
- Snapsvisor — a drinking song before every single toast, without exception.
Food
The table, widened
- Sill och potatis: herring, new potatoes and chives, with sour cream.
- The first strawberries of the year, then Jordgubbstartårta with cream.
Music
Sound of the crowd
A live accordion-and-fiddle band, or a speaker playing 'Små grodorna'. The snapsvisor repertoire is genuinely large and sung badly by everybody, which is the point.
Religion
Why this date
Originally a solstice rite to St John the Baptist, Christianised in the eleventh century and then largely secularised. What is left is a pre-Christian seasonal structure with Christian dating.
History
How it survived
The maypole tradition arrived in Sweden from Germany in the late medieval period and was combined with older solstice bonfire customs. It became the country's most widely observed non-religious holiday in the twentieth century, and effectively closes the country for a weekend.
History
How it got here
The maypole tradition arrived in Sweden from Germany in the late medieval period and was combined with older solstice bonfire customs. It became the country's most widely observed non-religious holiday in the twentieth century, and effectively closes the country for a weekend.
c. 1100
St John's eve
The solstice is fixed to the feast of John the Baptist in Sweden.
1500s
The maypole
The midsommarstång arrives from Germany and merges with solstice bonfires.
1950s
Public holiday
Midsummer's eve becomes effectively the country's national summer holiday.
Today
White nights
Above the Arctic Circle the sun does not set at all during the festival.
Travel & practical
Visiting Dalarna for Midsummer
Getting there
Stockholm or Mora, then a bus into the countryside. Trains are full on the eve itself.
Where to go
Dalarna for the traditional version; Skansen in Stockholm for the public, ticketed one.
Practical notes
Almost everything closes from Thursday afternoon to Tuesday. Buy food on Wednesday.
Plan the trip with free AltFTool tools
FAQ
Midsummer: common questions
Straight answers to what people ask most about Midsummer.
Is anything open?
Very little. Treat the whole weekend as a national shutdown and stock up beforehand.
Can visitors join?
Yes, at public celebrations like Skansen's. Small village festivities are usually private.
How light does it get?
In Stockholm, dusk lasts for hours without becoming night. In Kiruna, the sun never sets.
Also in June 2027
You might also like
Other nature & season and secular & civic festivals.
Run a festival site or travel blog?
Find places to list your event and earn links in our free backlinks directory.