Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

WHATS ON

Seven events to tick off your Sweden bucket list in 2017

Which are the don't-miss events for a real Swedish experience in 2017? We've listed seven of them.

Published: 5 January 2017 06:59 CET
Seven events to tick off your Sweden bucket list in 2017
The reindeer race at Jokkmokk's winter market. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

1. Jokkmokk Winter Market

This small northern Swedish town has hosted the winter market of its indigenous Sami people every year since 1605. Try dog sledding, buy Sami handicrafts and check out the biggest attraction: the reindeer race. Finding accommodation is the main problem for visitors here, but its friendly residents often open their homes to strangers during the bustling market week. You may be too late to get a place to stay this year, but it is high time to start looking for one for 2018.

When: February 2nd-4th

Where: Jokkmokk


Sami representatives at Jokkmokk's winter market. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

2. Melodifestivalen

For most nations participating, the Eurovision Song Contest is something that crops up at some point in spring, but in Sweden it is pretty much a year-round event (well, almost). It takes Sweden six weeks and several competitions to select their Eurovision entry, a process known as Melodifestivalen. It is a touring event, meaning that fans from all over the country get to see the hopefuls strut their stuff, and also attracts international visitors travelling to Sweden specifically to witness the entire spectacle in the flesh. Join them at your peril.

This year it kicks off in Gothenburg and will then travel to Malmö, Växjö, Skellefteå and Linköping before the Melodifestivalen final at Friends Arena in Solna, Stockholm.

When/where: Gothenburg, February 4th; Malmö, February 11th; Växjö, February 18th; Skellefteå, February 25th; Linköping, March 4th: Solna, March 11th.


Sweden's Frans Jeppsson Wall at Eurovision Song Contest 2016. Photo: AP Photo/Martin Meissner

3. Swedish Classic Circuit

The Swedish Classic Circuit (en svensk klassiker) is a diploma awarded to those who complete a certain number of various kinds of races. To qualify you have to ski the iconic 90 kilometre Vasaloppet race (alternatively Engelbrektsloppet at 60 kilometres, but Vasaloppet is more famous), cycle the Vätternrundan bike race around Lake Vättern, swim three kilometres at the Vansbro swim, and run the 30 kilometre Lidingö cross-country race. You have to complete them within 12 months. Or you could just enjoy that cinnamon roll instead, that's fine too.

When: Vasaloppet, February 26th; Engelbrektsloppet, February 12th; Vätternrundan, June 16th-17th; Vansbro swim, July 7th/8th; Lidingö race, September 23rd.


The Vansbro swim. Photo: Ulf Palm/TT

4. Nordenskiöldsloppet

Inspired by a race organized by polar explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld in 1884, Nordenskiöldsloppet (the Nordenskiöld race) is the world's longest, and probably toughest, classic ski race: 220 kilometres of gruelling cross-country exercise in northern Sweden, starting and finishing in Jokkmokk, north of the polar circle. Last year 335 contestants from more than 17 countries competed for the top spot, but a word of warning: this is not for first-time skiiers.

When: April 15th

Where: Jokkmokk


The Nordenskiöld race. Photo: Magnus Östh/Red Bull Content Pool

5. Symposium Stockholm

Symposium Stockholm was launched by Spotify founder Daniel Ek and Avicii's manager Ash Pournouri in 2015. Now in its third year running, the creative tech festival culminates in the Brilliant Minds conference, where tech gurus, music stars and entrepreneurs get on stage to share ideas. Its CEO Natalia Brzezinski told The Local ahead of the 2016 festival that she wants it to be the startup event of the year and as much of a Swedish trademark as the Nobel Awards.

When: June 7th-16th

Where: Stockholm

6. Håkan Hellström

Sweden's indie darling is touring this summer. Hellström's out-of-tune voice may be an acquired taste for many, but ask a Swede for their opinion and you're bound to get a strong response. His fans adore the Gothenburger's lyrics and his understanding of love and, aged 42, he keeps helping them relive their heart-wrenching teenage years. The tour kicks off in Stockholm and will see him visiting Gävle, Umeå, Örebro, Karlstad, Borgholm, Malmö and Gothenburg. Find out why your Swedish friends love (or hate) him so much.

When/where: Starts on June 9th at Stockholm Stadium

7. Stockholm Pride Festival

There are plenty of Pride festivals held across Sweden every year, but the biggest one in the Nordics is the one in the capital. Almost half a million spectators turn out on the streets of Stockholm for the festival's crowning glory, the Pride Parade, every year, on top of the people actually marching in the parade (this in a country with a population just shy of ten million). It takes over the city, with Pride flags flying from every single public bus, from the City Hall and from many foreign embassies – it's pretty amazing.

When: July 31st-August 6th

Where: Stockholm


Stockholm Pride in 2016. Photo: Erik Nylander/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 });

INTERVIEW

‘My song is about resilience’: The Ukrainian in Sweden’s Mello song contest

Maria Sur, 17, arrived in Sweden in March after a journey of hundreds of kilometres through Ukraine and Poland from Zaporizhzhia, her home town. She tells The Local's Yuliia Kyzyk of what she hopes to gain from taking part in the Melodifestivalen song contest.

Published: 27 December 2022 14:22 CET
'My song is about resilience': The Ukrainian in Sweden's Mello song contest

THE LOCAL: After weeks of war, a long journey, and emigration to Sweden, you still found the strength to participate in charity concerts in your first month here in Sweden. Tell us about your journey to Melodifestivalen. 

Maria Sur: The next day after I arrived in Sweden from Ukraine, I started looking for opportunities to work. It was obvious that whining and suffering would not help anyone, so I had to do something that would give me strength and help other people.

Since my passion is singing, I decided to continue working on it. I literally wrote to a lot of popular Swedish singers to find a way of making my dream come true and eventually, one of them helped to take part in my first charity singing festival for Ukraine.

As a result, we collected €8 million to help Ukraine. A few days after the festival, I got spotted by Warner Music Sweden. After a meeting and talk about my goals and skills, we started cooperating with them, and after a few months of hard work, we decided to take part in Melodifestivalen.

Maria Sur had been a participant in Ukraine’s version of The Voice. Photo: Maria Sur
 
Before the start of the Russian invasion, I was already working on a singer career in Ukraine. I took part in national singing competitions, and I was quite successful. It seemed like the best time in my career was approaching. I lived, dreamed, and acted, and then one day someone just came and took it all away. Everything just broke down. And suddenly I found myself in a situation where I needed to start all over again.

Now I live for today. Now I know that no one in the whole world can know what awaits us all tomorrow. Of course, I continue to dream, it helps, but I can no longer plan, or live in illusions. And it’s scary that young people like me think this way. That we live one day at a time.

My first goal at Melodifestivalen is to do a really quality performance that I will be proud of. I want to feel after the performance, “I did everything I could. I did the best I could. It was honest. People felt it.”.

That is more important for me than results. 

Maria Sur on stage in Ukraine’s version of The Voice. Photo: The Voice Ukraine

THE LOCAL: Your song for Melodifestivalen is called “Never give up”. What is the message your song has for listeners?

Maria Sur: “Never give up” is a song about my way, about my personal fight. This is my motto. You have to go forward no matter what. This is about my experience before the war, when I fought for a long time to end up singing on a big stage in Ukraine. And this is about my road now, when despite the war, separation from relatives and home, I still go on. With this message, I want to encourage Ukrainians and everyone in the whole world who needs to know it, to continue fighting on his own path. I don’t want to be pitied or win sympathy. My song is about resilience. My story is sad, but it is about strength.

Maria Sur (centre), surrounded by the team backing her at the Swedish arm of Warner Brothers. Photo: Maria Sur
 

THE LOCAL: Russia’s full-scale invasion caught us Ukrainians sleeping. What were the first weeks of life in the new reality in Ukraine like? And how do you see your journey as a refugee shortly afterwards?

Maria Sur: I remember February 24th clearly. Early in the morning, I had online lessons at school, I was going to go to an English class, and in a few hours it became obvious that the war had started. It was very unexpected for me personally. We hadn’t had any conversations in our family about it before it happened. 

I remember very well how many people I saw panicking, at the same time air raid sirens were sounding continuously and everyone ran to the basement. My family could not believe that all those things were happening. We were convinced that everything would be over in a few days. That is why we didn’t want to leave Ukraine. 

My family always stick together. However, in two weeks it became clear. We must leave my city, Zaporizhzhia. For three days we could not pack for the journey. Whenever we attempted to do it, we sat down and cried. Eventually, Dad stayed at home, and Mom and me were forced to go. 

I remember the train station in my city at that time – huge queues, a lot of people and everyone crying, saying goodbye to each other. The trains were completely packed with children and women. It was impossible to cross the carriage of the train because of the hundreds of people inside.

My city is located in the southeast of Ukraine, so we were evacuated to Poland by travelling almost through the whole of Ukraine. It took a very long time. At the border with Poland, they did not want to let the train pass, because it was completely full of people.

So we were sent back to Lviv, a city in the west of Ukraine. Still, a few days later we got to Poland. Later in March we flew to Sweden to my aunt. 

Maria Sur is interviewed on stage by the Norwegian TV host Fredrik Skavlan. Photo: Zap Group
 

How you have changed in the months that have passed since the war started? 

Maria Sur: I have grown up very quickly. I started to appreciate things that I used to ignore. I started to support my parents and my friends. I look differently at things such as happiness. For instance, I was happy when I got the news that I had been selected for Melodifestivalen. But it was not the same joy as I felt before the war, especially since, five minutes previously, I had talked to my dad, who is now in Ukraine, and told me everything that is happening there now.

Despite everything, we must go on living. If we have this chance to live, we should take everything from it to the maximum. That’s what I’m trying to do, and that’s what I’m singing about.

Today, we must not stop talking about the war in Ukraine, we must continue to organise charity concerts, as well as make music to support people.

SHOW COMMENTS