Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
WHAT'S ON IN SWEDEN

FITNESS

Five great ways to kick off July in Stockholm

The first weekend of July will soon be upon us, and as summer rolls on, the Swedish capital only becomes a better place to spend time. From visiting Vikings, to walking with ghosts and late night shopping, The Local looks at five of the best ways to kick off July in Stockholm.

Published: 30 June 2016 06:59 CEST
Five great ways to kick off July in Stockholm
A ghost walk in Gamla Stan is one way to kick off July in Stockholm. Photo: Jeppe Wikström/Visit Stockholm

1. Watch the world’s finest triathletes do the unthinkable

Triathlon is one of the most grueling tests of endurance around, and this weekend the finest competitors from the sport will take to Stockholm for the sixth stage of the ITU World Triathlon Series. Athletes will start out at the iconic City Hall, from where they will swim through the Riddarfjärden bay before exiting the water for a tough 38.4km bike ride. As if that isn’t enough, they will then dismount and set off on a 9.9km run which includes three loops of Gamla Stan before ending at the Royal Palace.

Sound painful? It is, but don’t worry, you don’t have to take part. Instead, turn up anywhere along the course and watch it all unfold for free on July 2nd. The women’s elite competitors start at 16:06pm, while the men get going at 18:51pm. More information available here.


The world's best triathletes do battle in Stockholm this weekend. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

2. Do some late night shopping at Hötorget

During the day Stockholm’s central Hötorget square is a bustling market filled with vendors selling flowers, vegetables and more, and in a continuation of that the meeting point now has its very own night market. An entirely different experience to the daytime affair, Designmarknad Stockholm brings together local designers selling everything from clothing and accessories, to jewellery, prints, and interior fittings, so there should be something for everyone.

Have a look at some of their wares by heading over to Hötorgsterrassen on Sveavägen 17 between 18:00 and 23:00pm on July 2nd. Late night shopping still isn't easy to come by in Sweden, so this will be a unique experience.


Hötorget has long been a busy market during the day, and now it has one at night too. Photo: Leif R Jansson/TT

3. Meet the ghosts of Stockholm’s past in Gamla Stan

The turn of July marks the start of the Stockholm Ghost Walk, where guides take guests on a history-filled tour of the city’s 13th century Old Town, packed with tales of legends, diseases, murders and the all-important ghosts themselves.

Over 105,000 ‘souls’ have taken part in the walk since it first launched in January 2008. If you fancy being the next to tempt fate with the supernatural, there are tours on both Friday the 1st and Saturday the 2nd of July. Places require advanced booking, with tickets available here.


Gamla Stan: old, spooky. Photo: Nora Lorek/TT

4. Take in some free jazz in the park

Throughout the entire summer Parkteatern organizes musical events, theatre and dance performances around the Swedish capital’s parks, and this weekend its time for some jazz. Things kick-off on Saturday at 14:15pm with a child-friendly workshop event, before continuing with jazz trios and DJs.

With six hours of free jazz on offer, it's a perfect opportunity get a quick taste of the genre. Head over to Galärparken on Djurgården to take a look. More info here.


Parkteatern holds a variety of free events throughout the summer. Photo: Tomas Oneborg/SvD/TT

5. Be a Viking for a day at the Swedish History Museum

Worried the rain could ruin any hopes of outdoor jazz or nighttime markets? Try something just as interesting indoors. Tens of thousands of visitors come to the Swedish History Museum’s Viking exhibit every year, and they can’t all be wrong. Why not take the chance to see what all the fuss is about and learn about the lives of the Nordic forefathers by examining the thousands of artifacts, ranging from intricate gold finery to weapons and art.

The museum, located in Östermalm, is open from 11:00am until 18:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Best of all, it costs absolutely nothing to enter. More information here.


Learn about the Vikings for free at the Swedish History Museum. Photo: Anders Ahlgren/SvD/TT

 

 

DoTodaySearch.init({ “singleurl”:”https://www.thelocal.se/page/view/whats-on-in-sweden/”, “language”:”en”, “widget”:11618736});

DoTodaySearch.init({ “singleurl” : “https://www.thelocal.se/page/view/whats-on-in-sweden/”, “language” : “en”, “widget” : 11618736 });

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
SHOW COMMENTS