Stockholm by "Gummibåt"

Photo by: Privat, sbgb.

You lucky visitors coming to Stockholm on the first weekend of August... you have so many fun things happening on Saturday, August 3rd! Not only is the huge Gay Pride Parade going through the city and concerts and art exhibits at the Music & Arts Festival, you also have something a bit more whimsical happening in the city: Stockholm by Gummibåt!

Photo: Privat, sbgb

Gummibåt means "rubber boat" in Swedish... and the event is basically a fun trip down the canal Karlbergskanalen, on the north coast of Kungsholmen, in rubber boats. It is not a race, though there is a start and finish, and it is open to anyone with a rubber boat (no fee). The course runs west to east, ending just before Kungsbron (King's Bridge). They are expecting over 700 boats and 1,000 participants this year! They do encourage people to come in costume. Looking at the pictures from last year, people dressed up as Smurfs, Vikings, Baywatch lifeguards, Kiss Army and more. Fun! The event starts at 10am so, if you plan smartly, you can watch the boats before heading to the Pride parade, which starts at 1pm, before going on to see a concert at the Music & Arts Festival in the evening.

The canal on a quieter day...

I recently wrote about the waterfront promenade in this area and how this is a nice place to spend a relaxing summer day in Stockholm... now you have another reason (Swedes acting silly). The easiest way to get to the "race course" from the Rival Hotel is by taking the subway, green line, from Slussen to Fridhemsplan.