Happenings on the island RECURRING EVENTS
Culture, music, nature, sport, food and drink. Loads of events, from Fårö in the north to Sudret in the south, are reason enough for a visit. Some follow a fixed annual schedule and others move around. You can purchase tickets to some of the events on destinationgotland.se. A few tips: Summer
National Day – Sweden's National Day, June 6, is celebrated in various ways. Garden Week – In mid-June, some of the island's gardening enthusiasts open their gardens to visitors. Inaugurated in the lovely Botanical Garden in Visby.
Photo: Jesper Hammarlund/Bildvision
Spring
Easter – The great Easter parade takes place in Visby. Close to 4,000 people, donned in the Easter Witch best, parade through the streets of the city. Anyone in costume receives an Easter egg. Golfing Around Gotland – In mid-May, one of Sweden’s largest golf tournaments takes place. Hundreds of participants play five different 18-hole courses in five days. Gotland Hiking Week – Hike with skilled guides as the flowers of spring pop from their beds. Day hikes ranging from 10 to 20 kilometres in beautiful landscapes, with a focus on the coast. Good food and nature in all its splendour with birds singing their spring song. Walpurgis and 1 May – All around the island on 30 April, Walpurgis bonfires are lit and we welcome the spring with song. The first of May is a bank holiday. Studios open – One long weekend in conjunction with Ascension Day in May, Gotland’s artists, craftsmen and designers all over the island open their studio doors to visitors. One of Sweden's most expansive art tours. Premiere for early produce – Food and tourism companies in Gotland offer delicious morsels and lessons in true food art. This event usually takes place at the end of May. Releasing the Stallion at Lojsta heath – At the end of May, the stallion selected for the year is released into the paddock to meet the rest of the herd. It is quite the spectacle!
Midsummer – Kicking off summer. Perhaps the most festive of all of Sweden’s holidays, with a wealth of events. Dress and dance around the Midsummer pole, enjoy pickled herring and the first strawberries of the year. Bergman Week – An annual festival in the spirit of Bergman. Five days filled with film, theatre, music, lectures and exciting guests. Stångaspelen Games – The first week in July marks Gotland’s own “Olympic Games”. Crowds of spectators watch as women and men compete in events such as “pärk”, caber tossing and a physically demanding pentathlon. Almedalen Week – The world's largest democratic meeting place for societal issues. The eight Swedish Parliamentary parties are the main organiser. Gotland Chamber Music Festival – annual chamber music festival with concerts in the St. Nicolai ruins and other lovely locations. Roma Theatre – Romateater at Roma Cloister Ruins has, for the past 30 years, established itself as one of Sweden's largest and most beautiful summer stages. It features Shakespearean dramas and comedies as well as other classics. Viking Week at Stavgard – For a full week in August, the Viking Age (8th-11th centuries) is recreated with markets, crafts, performances, archery, games and music. Mediaeval Week – Mediaeval Week has been a staple of Gotland since 1984. This festival, attracting thousands of visitors from many countries, takes place on the week starting Aug. 8.
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