Latest news with #Skansen
Time Out
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Let Me Tell You—How to celebrate the summer solstice, the best day of the year
There's a line in The Great Gatsby that inevitably pops into my mind at this time of year as the sun lingers in the sky. "Do you ever wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it?" Daisy Buchanan asks in the book. "I always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it!" Daisy's line, of course, symbolizes much more than sunny evenings, but it serves as my annual reminder to savor the summer solstice—my favorite day of the year. For me, the solstice is a holiday on par with New Year's Eve. I see it as a reset, a chance to prepare for the second half of the year, and a reminder not to squander nature's fleeting joys. I invite you to join me this year in these June 20 rituals, so let me tell you about a bunch of great ways to celebrate around the city. Swedish Midsummer Festival I'm so solstice obsessed that I traveled to Sweden a few years ago to attend their renowned summer solstice celebrations. During a solstice party at the open-air museum Skansen, I made a flower crown, danced around a maypole and tried to sing along with Swedish folk songs. But this year, you can do all of that without taking a long flight to Stockholm. A free Swedish Midsummer Festival popping up in Rockefeller Park features all the midsummer necessities. The event is hosted by the Consulate General of Sweden, New York—so you know it's going to be as authentic as possible. Events run from 5pm–9pm on Friday, June 20. Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga On the summer solstice in 2003, three people did yoga at sunrise in Times Square. After that, two of them co-founded a solstice yoga in Times Square event that now draws thousands of yogis. Officially called Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga, this all-day yoga festival turns the hectic streets of Times Square into an oasis of calm. This year, the event runs from 7:30am to 8:30pm on Friday, June 20 at the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue between 43rd and 48th Streets. Classes are free to attend; just be sure to register in advance here. Free yoga mats will be provided to registered attendees while supplies last; be sure to bring your own water bottle. Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Summer Solstice Celebration Brooklyn Botanic Garden will celebrate sunrise and sunset on the longest day of the year with special performances. One ticket ($24/adult) gets you access to both the morning and the night performance on Friday, June 20. At sunrise, the day begins with a guided musical meditation by composer/saxophonist Matthew Evan Taylor, accompanied by Metropolis Ensemble's chamber orchestra. The show explores the profound connection between breath, sound and Black identity, inviting participants to become part of a communal soundscape. As the day comes to a close, enjoy Taylor's Afropneuma, then let the energy build as Erik Hall's visionary reimagining of Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians takes you on a hypnotic journey with electric guitars, basses, synths and voices. Coney Island Fireworks Though it's not an official summer solstice event, the weekly Coney Island fireworks series kicks off on Friday, June 20—and that would make for a magical way to celebrate the solstice. Fireworks begin at approximately 9:45pm and typically launch from the beach at West 12th Street, providing a breathtaking backdrop to the iconic boardwalk and amusement parks. I'd recommend getting to the beach early (Summer Fridays, anyone?) to enjoy the sun and surf. When you get hungry, grab some dinner at one of the Coney Island's best restaurants. Then settle back onto the sand to watch the sun dip behind the horizon before the fireworks light up the night sky. A DIY celebration
Local Sweden
03-06-2025
- General
- Local Sweden
Where can you celebrate Sweden's National Day on June 6th?
Swedish national day is celebrated on June 6th each year, with local municipalities holding events to welcome new Swedish citizens. Where are the best events taking place in 2025? Advertisement Stockholm The most well-known National Day event – which may even be the event where the whole celebration originated – is at the Skansen open-air museum in Stockholm. READ ALSO: Why does Sweden celebrate National Day on June 6th? This is a very family-friendly event, with crafts, traditional folk dance and music and a national day market. The evening is rounded off with a national day concert on the Solliden stage, which is attended by the Swedish royals. If you can't make it to the concert, don't worry – it's also broadcast live by SVT. If you live in Stockholm municipality and have been lucky enough to become a Swedish citizen during the past year (congrats!), then you should have received an invitation in the post to attend a citizenship ceremony in Stockholm City Hall. And yes, that's the same city hall where the Nobel Prize banquet takes place. This citizenship ceremony is optional, so you won't lose your Swedish citizenship if you can't be there. There are also National Day events taking place at Saltsjöbaden, where you can visit Villa Baggås for music, an exhibition and fika, the Royal Palace, where you can watch a coronation and find out more about Sweden's history, and Hagaparken, where the Royal Swedish Opera will hold a concert. Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are expected to attend this year for the first time since 2019. You can find a full list of events in Stockholm on Visit Stockholm's website. Gothenburg New citizens in Gothenburg should head to Slottsskogen, where the city's main national day event is taking place. The park will be open from 11am to 5pm, with activities for new citizens between noon and 3.30pm. The citizenship ceremony will start at 1pm, and will be followed by a concert by Dream Orchestra, a youth orchestra with members from more than 18 different countries, as well as a performance by Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Aside from the main event in Slottsskogen, there will be a number of other musical celebrations. World Music Culture Club will perform on Hammarkulletorget, Gothenburg Wind Orchestra will play in Flunsåsparken and there will be choir performances in Gothenburg Cathedral. Here's a list from Gothenburg City Council with more details of those events. Earlier in the morning, there will also be a joint Eid and National Day celebration in Slottsskogen with the prayer starting at 9.30am (both holidays fall on the same day this year). Advertisement Skåne In Malmö, the new citizen event takes place on Stortorget and is relatively short at just two hours, from noon to 2pm. It will feature a speech by Skåne's regional governor Anneli Hulthén and musical performances by opera singers Rickard Söderberg and Negar Zarassi, Malmö's Fire Brigade Orchestra (Brandkårens Orkester) and the city's academic choir. The Malmöflickorna dance group will perform before a speech by council chair Carina Nilsson. You can also head to Folkets Park for an unofficial national day celebration where students from Kulturskolan will perform music – everything from jazz to rock, pop, Balkan sounds and classical drum marches – and host creative workshops. Kulturen in Lund – an open-air museum similar to Skansen in Stockholm – will have free entry on national day, as it hosts Lund municipality's official celebration. You can spend the day looking around their exhibitions and historical buildings or listen to some of their concerts – Lund's student choir will sing at 2pm, with Mimi Terris Septett kicking off a lively swing jazz concert at 2.30. There will also be a joint Eid and National Day celebration in Stadsparken hosted by Destination Lund (both holidays fall on June 6th this year), with music, dance, food and drinks and an obstacle course for children. Advertisement Elsewhere in Sweden Swedish municipalities must by law hold a ceremony to welcome new citizens once a year, with most of them choosing to hold this event on June 6th. You should have received a letter from your local municipality if you gained citizenship within the past year inviting you to your local event, although these are almost always open to the public too. This means that, wherever you live, there should be something happening in your local area. You can search nationaldagsfirande or svenska flaggans dag plus the name of your city or municipality to find an event near you.
