Swedes greet spring with fire and flowers. On Valborg, the last night of April, crowds gather around huge bonfires while choirs sing in the new season. Midsummer Eve brings maypole raising, ring dances and strawberries, and in between come Kulturnatt, a kids' race and National Day. Here's what we checked, from the Valborg bonfire at Skansen to the rides at Gröna Lund.
Kulturnatt is the evening when cultural venues all over Stockholm stay open late, each with a program of its own. Every place is its own organizer, so the night looks different depending on where you go, and there are guided walks outdoors too.
With small kids, pick two or three spots close together and leave it there. Older kids who like staying up get a rare night out in town.
Walpurgis Night, called Valborg in Sweden, is the country's welcome to spring: choirs sing the classic spring songs, someone gives a spring speech, and the evening ends with a big bonfire. Skansen has held it since 1892 on Djurgården.
It suits kids who like singing, a crowd and a real fire, and it's an easy way to show them a Swedish tradition up close.
Minimaran is a running race just for kids, ending with a finish at Stockholms Stadion. Children run out of Gärdet and through the Lill-Jansskogen woods before the last stretch to the stadium.
It suits kids who like to run, from first-timers to school-age runners ready for a longer course, and younger siblings get an event of their own.
Sweden's National Day has been celebrated at Skansen since 1893, when the museum's founder, Artur Hazelius, chose the date. Back then, thousands of schoolchildren marched here waving blue and yellow flags.
During the day there are activities for visitors of all ages. The evening program, held in the presence of the royal family, brings music, speeches and banner presentations. Younger kids get the most out of the daytime.
Skansen has celebrated Midsummer every year since the 1890s, and it is one of Sweden's most important holidays. The day centers on the maypole: it is dressed in birch leaves, raised at Tingsvallen, and danced around to folk music.
Kids can watch folk dances and see wreaths of birch leaves and meadow flowers. It suits families who want to see a Swedish tradition done the old way.
Skansen is the world's oldest open-air museum: historic houses and farmsteads from across Sweden that show how people lived and worked over the centuries. Its zoo keeps Nordic wild animals such as moose, bears and seals, plus traditional Swedish farm breeds.
Lill-Skansen, the children's zoo, has small animals and big indoor and outdoor play areas with a snake slide. The Baltic Sea Science Center shows life under the Baltic.
The King's official residence has more than 600 rooms over eleven floors, and much of it is open to visitors. Kids can walk the state apartments, see the crowns and regalia in the Treasury's cellar vaults, and pass through the medieval gate in Museum Three Crowns.
An animal safari map from the front desk sends kids hunting for animals hidden on walls, ceilings and furniture.
Gröna Lund is Sweden's oldest amusement park, open since 1883 on the Djurgården waterfront. Its 30 rides run from big roller coasters and drop towers to bumper cars, carousels, teacups and Ferris wheels.
Younger kids head for Pettson och Findus Värld, a house built in 1720 full of nooks to hide in and buttons to press. Pentathlon game stalls, summer concerts and food stands fill the gaps between rides.
Swedes greet spring with fire and flowers. On Valborg, the last night of April, crowds gather around huge bonfires while choirs sing in the new season. Midsummer Eve brings maypole raising, ring dances and strawberries, and in between come Kulturnatt, a kids' race and National Day. Here's what we checked, from the Valborg bonfire at Skansen to the rides at Gröna Lund.
Kulturnatt is the evening when cultural venues all over Stockholm stay open late, each with a program of its own. Every place is its own organizer, so the night looks different depending on where you go, and there are guided walks outdoors too.
With small kids, pick two or three spots close together and leave it there. Older kids who like staying up get a rare night out in town.
Walpurgis Night, called Valborg in Sweden, is the country's welcome to spring: choirs sing the classic spring songs, someone gives a spring speech, and the evening ends with a big bonfire. Skansen has held it since 1892 on Djurgården.
It suits kids who like singing, a crowd and a real fire, and it's an easy way to show them a Swedish tradition up close.
Minimaran is a running race just for kids, ending with a finish at Stockholms Stadion. Children run out of Gärdet and through the Lill-Jansskogen woods before the last stretch to the stadium.
It suits kids who like to run, from first-timers to school-age runners ready for a longer course, and younger siblings get an event of their own.
Sweden's National Day has been celebrated at Skansen since 1893, when the museum's founder, Artur Hazelius, chose the date. Back then, thousands of schoolchildren marched here waving blue and yellow flags.
During the day there are activities for visitors of all ages. The evening program, held in the presence of the royal family, brings music, speeches and banner presentations. Younger kids get the most out of the daytime.
Skansen has celebrated Midsummer every year since the 1890s, and it is one of Sweden's most important holidays. The day centers on the maypole: it is dressed in birch leaves, raised at Tingsvallen, and danced around to folk music.
Kids can watch folk dances and see wreaths of birch leaves and meadow flowers. It suits families who want to see a Swedish tradition done the old way.
Skansen is the world's oldest open-air museum: historic houses and farmsteads from across Sweden that show how people lived and worked over the centuries. Its zoo keeps Nordic wild animals such as moose, bears and seals, plus traditional Swedish farm breeds.
Lill-Skansen, the children's zoo, has small animals and big indoor and outdoor play areas with a snake slide. The Baltic Sea Science Center shows life under the Baltic.
The King's official residence has more than 600 rooms over eleven floors, and much of it is open to visitors. Kids can walk the state apartments, see the crowns and regalia in the Treasury's cellar vaults, and pass through the medieval gate in Museum Three Crowns.
An animal safari map from the front desk sends kids hunting for animals hidden on walls, ceilings and furniture.
Gröna Lund is Sweden's oldest amusement park, open since 1883 on the Djurgården waterfront. Its 30 rides run from big roller coasters and drop towers to bumper cars, carousels, teacups and Ferris wheels.
Younger kids head for Pettson och Findus Värld, a house built in 1720 full of nooks to hide in and buttons to press. Pentathlon game stalls, summer concerts and food stands fill the gaps between rides.
