August- a Month of Festivals in Stockholm

Stockholm Pride
Photo by Yanan Li/mediabank.visitstockholm.com

July is always a quiet month in Stockholm when it comes to major events and festivals. This is because many Swedes have their vacation in July and leave the city/country, so organizers avoid placing festivals in this month. However, this just means there are that many more in August! And quite a few of them have free admission. Here is a quick calendar of the major events going on in the city. If you are staying at the Hotel Rival, contact me directly for more information about these or other smaller events. Keep in mind that even if you aren't interested in a certain event, it can still impact your visit (traffic, road closures, full restaurants, crowds).

Open air Concert
Photo by Jeppe Wikström/mediabank.visitstockholm.com

• July 27th to August 5th- EuroPride (Europe's gay pride week). Each year a city in Europe hosts EuroPride and this year it is Stockholm's turn! Lots of fun concerts and events. Stockholm Pride is usually a huge event, but EuroPride will be even bigger!
• July 31st- Justin Timberlake concert at Friends Arena. 
• August 4th- The Pride Parade! They estimate over 60,000 participants and 600,000 bystanders lining the streets in this year's parade. Many streets in the downtown area will be closed to traffic in the afternoon.
• August 4th- Football match between Arsenal and FC Sevilla at Friends Arena. 
• August 11th & 12th- Let's Make Love Great Again. Two day free music festival in Gärdet in the theme of love and respect. 
• August 12th- The Royal Philharmonic's annual free outdoor concert outside the Maritime Museum (Sjöhistoriska). 
• Aug 14th to 19th- The Culture Festival (Kulturfestivalen) in the downtown area. Everything cultural... art, music, dance, circus, food, literature, show... all free! This year's theme is Canada (a different country each year). Click on "Meny" and then the globe for an English version.
• 14th to 18th- We Are Sthlm. Youth festival in Kungsträdgården park, with music and shows. Free entrance.  
• 15th to 18th- Stockholm Oktoberfest at Gärdet. Oktoberfest i August? I guess drinking German beer shouldn't be defined by the month! 
• 15th to 19th- Outdoor Cinema, put on by the Stockholm Film Festival, in Rålambshovs Park. One movie each evening all from the 1990's (Piano, Wild at Heart, Terminator 2, etc.). Free admission, bring a picnic basket. 
• 17th to 19th- Nytorgsfesten. Live music, theatre, carnival and a flea market in the square Nytorget in the SoFo neighborhood. 
• 18th- Midnight Race (Midnattsloppet). One of Europe's biggest 10k races, run in the evening around the island of Södermalm. Festival atmosphere. 
• 21st to 24th- Formex, the largest fair for Scandinavian design, held at the Stockholm International Fairgrounds. 
• Aug 22nd to Sept 1st- Baltic Sea Festival. Classic music festival at Berwaldshallen. 
• Aug 31st and Sept 1st- Popaganda. Popular pop music festival at Eriksdalsbadet. 
• September 1st- Tjejmilen. Women's 10k race, with over 30,000 participants, around the island of Djurgården. 

  

  Stockholm Culture festival
  Photo by Emma Grann/ Studio Emma Svensson