Holidays & Festivals
On holidays, shops are often closed or have reduced opening hours. Restaurants and tourist facilities remain open.
| Date | Holiday | Note |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Nyårsdagen (New Year) | Everything closed |
| January 6 | Trettondedag Jul (Epiphany) | Shops closed |
| Variable | Långfredagen (Good Friday) | Everything closed |
| Variable | Påskdagen (Easter Sunday & Monday) | Everything closed |
| April 30 | Valborgsmässoafton (Walpurgis Night) | Fire, singing, spring celebration — not an official holiday, but celebrated everywhere |
| May 1 | Första Maj (Labor Day) | Shops closed |
| June 6 | Nationaldagen (National Day) | Gustav Vasa's coronation day. Flags, celebrations, concerts |
| Fri. between June 19–25 | Midsommar | THE Swedish festival! → Society |
| Variable | Kristi Himmelsfärdsdag | Shops closed |
| Sat. between Oct. 31–Nov. 6 | Alla helgons dag (All Saints' Day) | Grave visits, candles |
| December 13 | Lucia | Festival of Lights — Lucia processions with candles and white gowns, Lussekatter pastries. Magical! |
| December 24 | Julafton (Christmas Eve) | THE Swedish Christmas day. Julbord, Donald Duck on TV at 3 PM (Kalle Anka — all of Sweden watches!) |
| December 25–26 | Juldagen (Christmas) | Everything closed |
💡 Tipp
Midsommar (end of June) and Lucia (December 13) are the most beautiful Swedish festivals — if you're in Sweden at one of these times, join the celebration! At Midsommar, almost all Stockholmers go to the countryside — the city is empty, but Skansen celebrates publicly. On Julafton, half the country actually watches the Donald Duck Christmas special on TV at 3 PM — a tradition since 1959.
