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The Local’s Quick Guide to Stockholm’s Culture Festival 2011

As the Stockholm Culture Festival gets set to kick on Tuesday, The Local's Caroline Bursell offers up a few suggestions to help visitors get the most out of the Swedish capital's annual cultural odessy.

Published: 15 August 2011 21:05 CEST
The Local’s Quick Guide to Stockholm's Culture Festival 2011
Karin Nilsson; Stockholms Kulturfestival; Thomas Karlsson;

Six days, 300,000 visitors, over 500 acts and 250 artists: this is the magnitude and diversity of Stockholm’s sixth annual Culture Festival, which kicks off on Tuesday, August 16th.

The week offers entertainment at its finest in the form of global music styles, stand-up comedy, street art, drama, discussion, dance, and more, including offbeat specials like the world’s longest book table.

The festival is spread over four main venues right in the heart of the city.

At Gustav Adolf’s Torg, visitors can enjoy five nights of international performances, an adventure oasis for kids, as well and musical Mecca for adults.

Other venues include Brunkebergstorg outside the Riksbank, which is just a short walk from lively and central Sergel’s Torg, another one of the festival’s main sites.

And don’t forget the rooftop of Kulturhuset where each evening features a tribute to the best of Norwegian film, literature and debate.

All of this is free except for the City Walks and Stockholm’s Stadsteater theatre performances which require reservation fees.

The Stockholm Culture Festival has a lot on offer, so visitors should feel free to let their cultural compasses wander.

Many of the performances will be held on multiple days throughout the week, so there are plenty of opportunities to see a wide range of events, even if they occur at the same time on some days.

While the full programme can be viewed on the official festival website (see below), here are The Local’s picks of a few standout events.

Tuesday

Start your festival experience off with a humorous bang at noon, at the “beating heart of the festival” Sergel’s Torg, with variety show ‘Kate Wright: Ding dong Meet Yvonne! An Aussie beautician on a mission.’ This cheesy combo of circus and comedy, coupled with some juggling and hula-hooping experimentation, is sure to get you smiling.

At 7.30pm head to musical stage Gustav Adolf’s Torg to check out Motown legends Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, then stick around for Peter Jöback and Cookies’n’beans at 9.45pm. Though you will be offered neither cookies nor beans at the latter, prepare yourself for a generous serving of contemporary Swedish music.

Wednesday

Warm up your evening with live cooking, wine tasting and music – this hour-long sensation of taste takes place at Sergel’s Torg at 5pm every day of the festival.

American jazz singer Elisabeth Kontomanou performs at 6pm at Brunkebergstorg, and Dansens hus celebrates 20 years of dance with a performance at Gustav Adolf’s Torg including the Opera Ballet and Soul Sweat, among others.

Thursday

Get interactive on Thursday at Sergel’s Torg with “Ljud group: The Invasion.” This variety show with fully pink alien species invites you to play with extraterrestrials and engage in “interplanetary” dialogue – an experience in limbo between reality and fantasy you won’t want to miss.

At 9pm circus duo Jenifur and Beatrix pick a fight with your eating habits using Pilates balls, gaffer tape, bullwhips and more in their display of utter hatred for fat and carbs.

Friday

Friday’s highlights hinge on the beat of an exotic drum. African dance and fun at 4pm hosted by Dansmuseet gets children aged 4-10 on their feet, and if you fancy having a go yourself the museum welcomes adults to West African dance at 6pm.

At 7.30pm, Södra Teatern On The Run proudly presents Afro Cubism, a colourful collaboration of musicians from Mali and Cuba, at Gustav Adolf’s Torg.

Saturday

Take your pick of more vibrant music and dance on Saturday, from the oriental dance party “Re:Orient Halay!” at Brunkebergstorg starting at 6pm, to Gustav Adolf’s Torg’s final evening celebration with The Royal Opera at 8pm.

Throw in dance phenomenon Mechanical Trio & Heroes Part Two choreographed by international successes Yossi Berg and Oded Graf (10.30pm at Sergel’s Torg), and your last night of the festival will be anything but boring.

Sunday

On Sunday it’s time to wind down and get your fill of assorted literature along the world’s longest book table on Drottninggatan, a popular finish to the week’s festivities.

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READER INSIGHTS

‘Benny is always very kind’: Foreigners’ top encounters with Swedish celebrities

We asked The Local's readers to tell us of a time they met a Swedish celebrity. Here are their best stories.

Published: 16 April 2024 11:10 CEST
Updated: 16 April 2024 14:27 CEST
'Benny is always very kind': Foreigners' top encounters with Swedish celebrities

Some readers shared stories of encounters with Swedes who are also global stars, such as Abba or the King and Queen of Sweden, others spoke of meeting national celebrities who had helped them get to know their new home country.

Anne Foo from Malaysia is a fan of the Sällskapsresan movies by Lasse Åberg, who plays the kind but hapless Stig Helmer.

“It was one of the first Swedish films I watched when I first moved to Sweden that I could understand without needing to be fluent. It helped me understand the Swedish psyche and their humour and Swedish people in general,” she said.

Multi-talented artist Åberg is also known for his sketches of Mickey Mouse, as well as Trazan & Banarne, one of Sweden’s most famous children’s shows, and his band Electric Banana Band. Anne met him when she visited his museum, Åbergs Museum, outside of Stockholm.

“We were not expecting to see him there but we kind of heard he pops by the museum often to help out. We bought tickets for the guided tour and lucky us the guide fell sick (sorry guide!) and Lasse, who happened to pop by just then, took over and gave us a personal guided tour of his museum. He is just as he was as Stig Helmer. Has a down-to-earth humour, very intelligent and humble.”

Another reader, Doug, met Swedish singer Lisa Nilsson when she was performing the lead role in the musical Next to Normal at Stockholm’s Stadsteater, a performance she got rave reviews for.

“I have loved Lisa Nilsson for years, ever since Himlen runt hörnet was required listening in my Swedish class,” he wrote on The Local’s Facebook page.

“After the performance I waited by the stage door to see if I could meet her. Many people came out, but not her – until finally she exited, alone. I approached her and she was not just gracious – she seemed genuinely excited to meet an American fan. We stood (in the rain, no less) and spoke for a while. I came away feeling that my adoration was well-placed: talented, beautiful, and so down to earth. A wonderful entertainer and an extraordinary human being.”

Some readers also shared pictures of themselves running into a Swedish celebrity.

Benjamin Dyke met football coach Sven-Göran Eriksson in Torsby, where Eriksson grew up, at the opening ceremony of the Svennis Cup, a youth football competition held every year in his honour.

Eriksson, more known by his nickname Svennis in Sweden, during his long career coached teams such as Lazio in Italy and brought England, as coach, to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. Earlier this year he disclosed he had been diagnosed with fatal pancreatic cancer.

Dyke’s encounter with Eriksson happened a few years ago, and he walked up to the Swede to thank him for his time as England manager and the two chatted for a while about that.

“He asked where I came from in England and I answered that all my family come from Liverpool. His eyes lit up (I now know he supported Liverpool all his life, as did his dad) but when I explained that I was an Everton fan (the other Liverpool team…) he quickly shut down the conversation and walked away,” said Dyke.

Sven-Göran Eriksson, left, and Benjamin Dyke in 2018. Photo: Private

Readers also shared their stories on The Local’s Facebook page. Lindelwa posted a picture of her chance meeting with Swedish Melodifestivalen winner John Lundvik at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, although she revealed they did not share a flight.

Lundvik represented Sweden in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Too Late for Love (and co-wrote the UK’s entry, Bigger than Us, the same year), with which he came in fifth.

Lindelwa and John Lundvik. Photo: Private

Gerard met Abba legend Benny Andersson outside his studio in Stockholm.

“I had never seen Benny’s studio so I went to take a look with the ferry from Djurgården to Skeppsholmen. I was told that Benny was in so I waited for a little while and he came out to meet a few fans,” he said, revealing that it was in fact not the first time he ran into Andersson, a composer also known for co-writing hit musicals such as Chess and Kristina from Duvemåla.

“He’s always very kind and patient. I had met him before, last time in 2010 in London for the concert of Kristina at the Royal Albert Hall. Next stop will be May 27th, the second anniversary of Abba Voyage in London where Benny and Björn will do a Q&A before the show.”

Gerard and Benny Andersson back in 2010. Photo: Private

Several other readers also said they had met members of Abba.

“I was a child visiting my relatives in Sweden the year Voulez-Vous was released. My aunt took me to NK [Stockholm mall] to buy the LP. On our way back to her apartment, she spotted Frida on Hamngatan. My aunt was amazing at celeb-spotting, and she was usually very discreet, but in this case she insisted I go up and say hello! Frida was happy to autograph the album for a young fan; it’s still one of my prized possessions today,” said Sue Trowbridge.

Of course, it’s not always easy to recognise celebrities. You might spot a familiar face but not be able to place it, as happened to Linda on two separate occasions when she ran into a Swedish acting star and a member of the Nobel Prize-awarding Swedish Academy.

“I accidentally stared at Pernilla August in a local food shop. She looked familiar but I couldn’t recognise her. She stared back and I suddenly came to my senses and looked another way. Embarrassed. I’ve also stared at Horace Engdahl,” she said.

In The Local’s original survey call-out, we also included a story from Australian reader Jake Farrugia, who was on his lunch break in NK when he spotted a familiar face, Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria. He walked up to her to ask for a selfie.

“She was very nice and we shared some small talk which truly made me feel like we were on the same level and that she had a strong sense of humanity, as I stood there, butchering her native language with my ‘work in progress’ level of Swedish. I can see why the Swedish people have a deep love and respect for her,” Farrugia said.

“It’s a very un-Swedish thing to do, that’s why I think it’s so fun! All of my encounters with celebrities in Sweden have been very positive so far. It’s all in the approach, you have to be respectful and be OK with others not wanting to give you their time of day, since we all have days where we are feeling less social and those can easily be interpreted as a part of our character, but they rarely are a fair representation.

“If I were to be a celebrity, Sweden would be the place to best blend in. It seems like celebrities can live a somewhat normal life as the construct of ‘celebrity’ isn’t viewed as a thing people go hysteric for as is the case in many other countries.”

The Local’s reader Jake Farrugia snapped this selfie with Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria. Photo: Private
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