September 13th

Celebrations to mark the occasion began on Wednesday, September 13th, with receptions for organisations, parliament and the government.

The first event which was open to the public — an opportunity to add your signature to a so-called ‘congratulatory list’ for the King to commemorate the jubilee — took place between 10am and 1pm on September 13th and 14th at Kommendantsflygeln (the Governor’s Wing), one of the wings of the Royal Palace next to Stockholm Cathedral. 

There was a separate book for ambassadors in Sweden to pass on their good wishes in Riksmarkalksämbetet, (the Office of the Marshal of the Realm) in the Royal Palace, open between 10am and 1pm on September 13th and 14th.

September 14th

The schedule for Thursday September 14th was similar, with a reception for organisations in the morning, and an opportunity for diplomats and members of the public to sign commemorative lists during the day.

At 6pm, the Royal Swedish Opera will hold a jubilee performance at Drottningholm Palace Theatre for invited guests, after which the King and Queen will host a private supper at Drottningholm Palace.

September 15th

There are more public events on the actual day of the jubilee, September 15th, which has been designated a flaggdag, or a day where Swedes are encouraged to hoist the Swedish flag in celebration. This means you’re likely to see the flag raised on public buildings and on buses, although it doesn’t mean there will be a public holiday for the King’s 50th jubilee.

First off, the royal cemetery will be open to the public from 11am-3pm, for those who wish to visit the grave of King Gustaf VI Adolf. Sweden’s current king, Carl XVI Gustaf — Gustaf VI Adolf’s grandson — ascended to the throne upon Gustaf VI Adolf’s death on September 15th, 1973.

Carl XVI Gustaf’s father, Gustaf Adolf, died in a plane crash in 1947 at the age of 40. He never became king.

At 10.30am, Te Deum, a traditional church ceremony which often takes place during royal occasions, will take place in Slotsskyrkan. This won’t be open to the public, but it will be broadcast live on SVT, so it will be the first jubilee event which people outside Stockholm will be able to follow.

This will be followed by the changing of the guard (högvaktsavlösning), at 12 noon, where the Stockholm Amphibious Regiment will fire a salute from Skeppsholmen.

The King, together with Prince Carl Philip, will attend the changing of the guard. The Army Music Corps, the Life Guards’ Dragoon Music Corps and the Navy Music Corps will perform a concert during the ceremony, which will be open to the public and broadcast live on SVT.

At 13.20, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music will hold a choral tribute in partnership with the Children Singing organisation in the outer courtyard or yttre borggården. Again, this will be open to the public and broadcast on SVT for those who can’t be there in person.

At some point in the evening — there’s no official time for this — the King will give a speech on SVT to mark 50 years on the throne, followed by a jubilee dinner for invited guests, including Nordic heads of states and heirs to the thrones (with their spouses), government and parliamentary representatives, and representatives from academia, industry, culture and media, among other groups. This will be followed by a concert.

Speeches from the jubilee dinner will be televised.

September 16th

On September 16th at 14:30, the King and Queen will travel through central Stockholm by horse-drawn cortège.

Below is a map of their route.

The horse-drawn cortège will travel along Slottsbacken, Skeppsbron, Strömbron, Kungsträdgårdsgatan, Hamngatan, Sveavägen, Tegnérgatan, Birger Jarlsgatan, Nybroplan and Nybrokajen. From Hovslagargatan, The King and Queen will then be taken by car across Skeppsholmsbron Bridge and along Svensksundsvägen before boarding the Royal Barge Vasaorden at Östra Brobänken Quay. The Vasaorden will then row past Kastellholmen and across Stockholm Bay to the lower Logårdstrappan steps below the Royal Palace.

The cortège and additional barge route will be broadcast live on SVT, and members of the public will be able to stand along the route in order to observe the procession.

Finally, the City of Stockholm will host a concert in honour of the King at Lejonbacken, which will feature popular Swedish artists performing hits created throughout the last 50 years. In addition to the concert, there will also be dancing at Gustav Adolfs Torg, as well as food and drink on Norrbro from 2-10pm. The event will be free and open to the public.

For those who can’t be there in person, the concert will be broadcast on SVT.