By SALINA POST
LINDSBORG - The premiere Kansas celebration of all things Swedish is coming up this month as Lindsborg welcomes the world to the Svensk Hyllningsfest.
The biennial celebration is scheduled for Oct. 13-14 and is packed full of food, fun, arts and crafts, and entertainment.
In a welcome on the Svensk Hyllningsfest website, festival co-chairs Jenell Hulse and Tessa Peters wrote, "Svensk Hyllningsfest (Swedish Honoring Festival) is celebrating our 82nd year of existence and continues to thrive as residents don Swedish costumes, perform Swedish folk dances, and honor those ancestors who settled in this area long ago. This unique festival is not only fun for visitors to get a taste of Sweden in the middle of Kansas, but allows for the community of Lindsborg to flourish and show off the charm and character that attracts so many."
Ever had the Swedish Folk Dancers’ famous Viking on a Stick? Well here's your chance! In addition to the wealth of food providers Lindsborg has to offer, 14 food trucks will be available in the Hungry Vikings Food Court from 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday.
Live entertainment will abound as well at multiple locations. And don't forget the Grand Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday.
To access the complete schedule of events (split into two days because it is so massive) and a map of the festival, parking, shuttle routes, etc., on the Svensk Hyllningsfest website click here.
Svensk Hyllningsfest 2023!
Swedestock: Where the Herd Gathers
October 13 & 14
Svensk Hyllningsfest 2023 has arrived! Lindborg's Swedish honoring festival occurs in October of odd number years, and this year's dates are October 13 and 14.
Lindsborg residents, in traditional Swedish folk costumes, welcome visitors to celebrate the Swedish pioneers who settled the Smoky Valley in 1868. The festival features art and crafts, special foods, ethnic music, and other special entertainment while Swedish folk dancers and musicians add to the flavor of the festival. Folk dancing and folk music lend a unique character and spirit to Svensk Hyllningsfest.
The festival includes a variety of activities for everyone:
- Kubb and other Viking yard games at Heritage Square!
- Children's Tent with a drum safari, puppets and more!
- Pickleball in Riverside Park!
- Folk Costumes of the Smoky Valley exhibit at Smoky Valley Arts and Folklife Center!
- Hungry Vikings Food Court!
- Various history presentations!
The parade at 10:00am on Saturday morning, features area marching bands, floats, antique cars, and other entries, a favorite event for many festival-goers. You can find the full 2-day Svensk Hyllningsfest schedule here. Shuttle busses will be running on a 15-minute schedule between parking stops at White's Foodliner, Fredrickson Fitness Park, the Sandzen Gallery, Smoky Valley High School, and downtown Lindsborg. Parking is encouraged at these stops.
Festival buttons are available for sale the day of the event, for $10 at the Hemslojd (201 N. Main Street), White's Foodliner (215 N. Harrison) and First Bank Kansas (118 N. Main Street). If you're able to get to Lindsborg before the festival, the buttons are $5, at those same locations. Buttons support the festival, but are not necessary to attend all festival events.
Friday and Saturday 5:00pm Smörgåsbord tickets are sold out, but Friday and Saturday 7:00pm Smörgåsbord tickets are available and can be purchased at here, but hurry--they are running low!
See you in Little Sweden, USA!