Scandinavian Midsummer Festival in 2025

Metro Vancouver’s Scandinavian Midsummer Festival is a Northern European cultural event at Burnaby‘s Scandinavian Community Centre.

The festival celebrates its 29th year on June 20th and 21st in 2026.

See the official Scandinavian Midsummer Festival website for full details about this event.

This article contains the following information about the Scandinavian Festival:

Where, When and How Much | About the Scandinavian Festival | Schedule | Festival Video | Other Information

Vancouver Scandinavian Festival

The festival features a Viking Village with characters in period costume and live entertainment, including folk dancing. There is also a marketplace with vendors selling all kinds of Nordic foods and goods. Countries showcased at the event include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

The Scandinavian Midsummer Festival is also the only place in the entire Lower Mainland where you can enter a wife-carrying contest (which usually takes place on the Sunday).

Where, When and How Much

The Scandinavian Midsummer Festival takes place at the Scandinavian Community Centre at 6540 Thomas Street which is about a block or so west of Burnaby Lake just off Kensington Avenue.

In 2026 the festival happens on the Saturday and Sunday of June 20th and 21st. It runs from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturday and from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday.

Admission to the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival at the gate is $20 for Saturday and $15 for Sunday. Children under age 16 are admitted free of charge. Parking is free when available. Tickets can only be purchased at the gate.

See the scandinavianmidsummerfestival.com website for full details about this event.

Viking Costume Opportunity

About the Scandinavian Festival

The Scandinavian Midsummer Festival has been celebrating and showcasing Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish cultures for nearly 30 years.

The festival includes live music, Scandinavian dancing, cultural displays, food, kids’ activities, a marketplace with over 50 vendors, carnival games, a Troll Forest and a Viking Village. The Midsummer Pole raising and dancing take place on Saturday afternoon. The Wife Carrying Contest takes place on Sunday afternoon.

For children, there are dancing around the May Pole, sword fighting, and Viking raids to participate in, as well as storytelling and an “Amazing Nordic Race Passport” to get stamped in different countries.

Also, at the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival, there is an “authentic” Viking Village where visitors can learn about Viking history and culture. In the village, there are people wearing period costumes, demonstrations around weaving and blacksmithing, and various Viking games.

What Else to Expect

Food at the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival includes barbecued salmon, Danish sandwiches, hot dogs, Swedish meatballs (of course) and pastries. Guests can enjoy a variety of Scandinavian dishes and treats throughout the festival, including sandwiches such as roast beef, smoked salmon, and shrimp & egg.

Other food options at the festival include Swedish or Finnish meatball dinners for $10 and the BBQ salmon dinner with sides for $25. Norwegian waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream for $6 or sweet baked goods for $3.50 each. Drinks like coffee, juice, pop and water are available starting at $2.50 with many more Nordic bites to discover across multiple food booths.

Live entertainment at the festival features all kinds of Scandinavian dance and musical groups, as well as the occasional non-Scandinavian performance.

TIP: Wife-carrying races are fun to watch but aren’t recommended for everyone. Carry your wife (or your husband) at your own risk!

See the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival website for full details about this event.

Wife Carrying at Scandanavian Festival — The Wife-Carrying Contest

Festival Schedule

Below is the schedule of events for the 2026 festival on the Main Stage and Field. Details are subject to change.

Saturday, June 20th, 2026

10:00 am – Festival opens
10:00 am – Galiano Trio performance
11:15 am – Vancouver Dorfmusik performance
12:00 pm – Opening Ceremony
12:30 pm – Opening Ceremony with national anthems
1:00 pm – Midsummer Parade, Midsummer Pole raising and dancing
2:00 pm – Hobby Horse Steeplechase Races
2:00 pm – The Coveralls performance
3:30 pm – Deep Cove Big Band performance
6:00 pm – Tents close

Note: The main festival runs until 6:00 pm on Saturday. After that, the Beer Garden has evening entertainment.

Evening Entertainment in the Beer Garden

5:00 pm – Jazz Vikings performance
6:30 pm – Cat Toren Trio performance
8:00 pm – The Beagles performance

Sunday, June 21st, 2026

10:00 am – Festival opens. Pancake Breakfast takes place in the Beer Garden and South Vancouver Big Band performs
12:30 pm – Ti Meter I Taket perform
1:30 pm – Midsummer Spelmanslag perform on the field stage
2:00 pm – Wife Carrying Contest
2:30 pm – Royal City Concert Band perform
3:30 pm – Midsummer Pole Traditions
4:00 pm – 50/50 Raffle winner announced from the main stage
4:00 pm – Festival ends

See the scandinavianmidsummerfestival.com website for full details about this event.

Festival Video

Watch the video below for an idea of what to expect at the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival. The video shows footage from the 2022 event. As you can see, the country tents were quite big, and cars were also on display.