Winter Solstice

Experience ASI / Festivals / Winter Solstice

Celebrate the Longest Night of the Year

The Winter Solstice Celebration will return in 2026!

Mark the shortest day and longest night of the year at ASI with ASI’s popular Winter Solstice Celebration. Since pagan days, solstice has traditionally meant the “year as reborn,” with ancient (and modern) Scandinavians fusing it into the longer “Jul” or Yule season. ASI celebrates this powerful seasonal juncture with fun, festivity, and performance.

Enjoy a warm beverage next to the bonfires before posing for a photo with reindeer. Or head inside for music and dance performances all night. Get hands on with a Solstice inspired craft activity or try your hand at shadow puppets. Don’t forget, the holiday exhibit, Tomte Tales: Legends of Winter, is on display in the historic Turnblad Mansion!

Thank you to our sponsors

Winter Solstice is presented with support from our sponsor, JE Dunn Construction.

JE Dunn Logo

ASI’s holiday season is presented by Security Bank & Trust Co.

Minnesota artist activity is made possible by voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

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Early Scandinavians celebrated the winter solstice as a means of worshiping the reawakening of nature and other supernatural beings in the winter sky. This time became known as a twelve-day “midwinter” holiday called Yule. In English, the word Yule is often used to describe the entire holiday season; but in modern Scandinavia, a cognate of Yule denotes Christmas (Christmas in Swedish is Jul).

The American Swedish Institute’s Winter Solstice Celebration is fun for all ages! Event staples and past activities include:

Bonfires
Live reindeer
Shadow play station
Dance performances
Swedish carols
Family crafts
Glögg, Swedish mulled wine, from FIKA

Performances

6:00 pm – Twin Cities Nyckelharpalag (Larson Hall)

6:30 pm – Opus & Frame String Quartet (Mansion Grand Hall)

7:00 pm – Twin Cities Hardingfelelag (Larson Hall)

8:00 pm – ASI Spelmanslag & Lilla Lag

Ongoing All Night (5-9 pm)

Reindeer Holiday Photo Op (Outdoor Courtyard)

Nat Allister Typewriter Poetry (Nelson Cultural Center)

Make n’ Take Holiday Craft (Larson Hall)

Shadow Puppets Activity (Studio Classroom)

Lawn Games and Fire Pits (Outdoor Courtyard)

“Birch Please!” Write and Release Fire Pit Activity (Outdoor Courtyard)

Pop-Up Handcraft Market

FIKA Café offers a concession style menu for the weekend with traditional Swedish specialties, including a variety of hot dogs, charcuterie boxes, soups, breads, and kid-friendly options. Coffee, cocoa, and glögg (Swedish mulled wine) are also available along with homemade cookies and pastries.

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