About Midsummer (Swedish Midsommar)
Midsummer — Midsommar in Swedish — is, after Christmas, the most beloved holiday of the year in Sweden, a joyful celebration of the summer solstice when the northern sun barely sets. Its roots reach back to pre-Christian times, when communities marked the longest, brightest days with feasting and fertility rites. For Swedes it is a collective exhale after the long, dark winter, and one of the few occasions when even secular families embrace old folk customs wholeheartedly.
The day is spent outdoors at lakesides, country cottages and village greens. A leaf-and-flower-wreathed maypole (midsommarstång) is raised, and people of all ages join hands for ring dances such as the famous "Små grodorna" (the little frogs). Revellers wear crowns of wild flowers and share long tables of pickled herring, new potatoes with dill, gravlax, strawberries and schnapps. Versions of Midsummer are also cherished in Finland, Norway, Denmark and the Baltic states.
Midsummer has no single fixed date: Midsummer Eve, the main day of celebration, always falls on the Friday between June 19 and 25, with Midsummer Day on the Saturday after. Because the date shifts each year with the calendar, the live counter above always targets the next Midsummer Eve. Add it to your own countdown page to count down the days to flower crowns and the longest day of the year.
Upcoming dates
| 2027 | Friday, June 25, 2027next |
| 2028 | Friday, June 23, 2028 |
| 2029 | Friday, June 22, 2029 |
| 2030 | Friday, June 21, 2030 |
FAQ
When is Midsummer?
Midsummer Eve always falls on the Friday between June 19 and 25, with Midsummer Day on the Saturday after. The countdown above shows the time until the next Midsummer Eve.
Why is Midsummer celebrated?
It marks the summer solstice and the longest days of the year, a tradition with pre-Christian roots that for Swedes celebrates light, nature and the arrival of summer.
How is Midsummer celebrated in Sweden?
With a flower-decked maypole, ring dances and songs, crowns of wild flowers, and feasts of pickled herring, new potatoes, strawberries and schnapps, usually outdoors in the countryside.
What is the Midsummer maypole?
The midsommarstång is a tall pole dressed in birch leaves and flowers, raised in a field or square; people dance around it in rings, most famously to the playful frog song "Små grodorna".