08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Local Sweden
Top tips: Sweden's three biggest cities host free culture festivals
Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö all have free culture festivals coming up in the next few weeks. Here we pick out a few of the highlights from this year's bulging schedules.
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Malmö
Malmöfestivalen celebrates its 40th anniversary this year as the city boasts more than 1,000 free activities running over eight days from August 8th to 15th.
Check out the festival website here to browse through the programme, locate all the venues and find the best places to eat.
Here are a few of the events that jumped out at us when looking through the schedule.
Event: Crayfish party
Date: August 8th, 18:05-19:30
Location: Main stage, Stortorget 1
Info: Singer Miriam Aïda gets the festival off to a flying start as she hosts a crayfish party set against a backdrop of Caribbean sounds and Swedish drinking songs.
Event: Bob Hund, Timbuktu
Date: August 8th, 20:30-22:00, 23:00-00:30
Location: Main stage, Stortorget 1
Info: Two of Skåne's best-loved musical sons ensure an electric opening night. This is one of the last-ever chances to see Bob Hund's charismatic frontman Thomas Öberg in action – after more than 30 years in perpetual motion, the band play their final concert in Stockholm on August 30th. They'll also be at the Gothenburg culture festival on August 28th.
Twenty years on from his iconic album 'Alla vill till himmelen men ingen vill dö', Timbuktu breathes fresh life into classics of Swedish hip hop in collaboration with the Harlem-based Rakiem Walker Project.
Event: Nancy Ajram
Date: August 10th, 19:30-20:30
Location: Main stage, Stortorget 1
Info: One of the absolute superstars of Arabic pop, Lebanon's multiple award-winning Nancy Ajram is sure to draw a huge crowd to the main stage.
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Stockholm
Kulturfestivalen has become a real fixture in the capital's cultural calendar since its inauguration back in 2005. Like the equivalent events in Malmö and Gothenburg, the festival offers tons of fun activities for children and families as well as attracting a high caliber of artists and performers.
Here are just a few highlights:
Event: Silent disco
Date: August 13th-17th, 18:00-00:00
Location: Strömgatan
Info: If you've never experienced the weird wonder of a silent disco, now's your chance to grab a set of headphones and dance in the open air with strangers on the same wavelength.
Event: Open-air cinema
Date: August 13th, 16:00-19:30
Location: Sjöhistoriska museet (National Maritime Museum)
Info: Make your way to the lovely waterside surroundings of the National Maritime Museum for an afternoon and evening of cinema, concluding with 'Att angöra en brygga', a classic film from 1965 by legendary comedy duo Hasse Alfredson and Tage Danielsson.
Event: Dina Ögon
Date: August 13th, 22:30-00:00
Location: Gustav Adolfs torg
Info: The Stockholm-based Dina Ögon have fast become one of Sweden's most popular live acts, and for good reason! Their gigs sell out quickly so this is an excellent opportunity to catch a band who describe themselves as "a love child of Fleetwood Mac, Khruangbin and obscure Motown b-sides."
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Gothenburg
Gothenburg promises to be a hive of activity from August 28th to 30th with its focus on street food, music, and tons of family-friendly activities. Have a look through the programme to see what what most appeals to you. Here are a few suggestions.
Event: Silvana Imam
Date: August 30th, 21:45.22:45
Location: Kungstorget, main stage
Info: One of the biggest names in Swedish hip hop and an excellent live performer, Silvana Imam returned this year with a new album, 'Tro', after a six year hiatus.
Event: Street food festival
Date: August 28th-30th
Location: Multiple locations, see link above
Info: All over central Gothenburg you'll find food trucks featuring cuisine from all over the world, as well as bars selling local craft beers and other drinks. There's also a competitive edge as chefs vie for prizes in the national street food awards.
Event: Free entry to Sjöfartsmuseet Akvariet
Date: August 30th, 10:00-17:00
Location: Karl Johansgatan 1-3
Info: Gothenburg has a proud maritime history and the Maritime Museum and Aquarium is one of the city's best museums, with exhibitions that appeal to adults and children alike.
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