ABBAMANIA, from Toronto, Canada, the world’s finest ABBA tribute band is highlighting this year’s Scandinavian Folk Festival. When Mamma Mia was on stage in Toronto, this band provided the music.Musically, vocally, and visually this is the most accurate recreation of an ABBA show in existence. The New York Times gave them a review of "vocally superb," the Boston Herald says "Best ABBA show ever" and the Rolling Stone Magazine states “ABBAMANIA is incredible.” ABBAMANIA has performed from Malaysia to Mexico to the Cayman Islands with over 200 shows a year since 1999.

The seven band members will perform Saturday July 20, 2025 at 7:30pm in the Northwest Arena, Jamestown, NY during the Scandinavian Folk Festival. Hear every song recreated note for note, sound for sound to make this show the most authentic ABBA production you will ever hear. The 21st annual Scandinavian Folk Festival theme is “Let’s Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of ABBA.” Representing Sweden, ABBA won the Eurovision Contest in 1974 performing “Waterloo.” This event launched their career and led to their music becoming Sweden’s number one export.

This concert is ticketed as a separate event of the Festival.

A major theme of this year's Scandinavian Folk Festival is "Cultural Immersion."

This is a hands on opportunity to observe and then be exposed to folk arts with one’s own hands. Practice the skill and take home a kit to continue a project. One does not master these arts in a single session, so there will be monthly instructions continued at the Culture Day sessions. There is no charge for any of these sessions or sample projects!

These sessions are not restricted to adults since age appropriate projects are also available for children. The above workshops will occur on Saturday July 19 from Noon to 6:00pm and on Sunday July 20 from 11:00am to 3:30pm at the Scandinavian Folk Festival in the Northwest Arena in downtown Jamestown.

Culture Day is free and will occur the first Saturday of every month from October to May at Jamestown Community College.

For more information visit the web site scandinavianjamestown.org or call 716-665-0883.

Enter the raffle for a chance to win big while supporting our mission too! Your participation is not only a chance to win prizes, but also plays a vital role in supporting our mission. 

The quilt willbe on display inside the entrance. It's  valued at $500 and has a blue and yellow Swedish design.  There is no additional cost to enter the raffle and extra tickets can NOT be purchased.  It is the Festival’s way of saying “thanks” for attending.  

The drawing will be at 3:45 pm on Sunday July 20.  Presence not mandatory to win.

Scandinavian games are a major addition to this year’s Scandinavian Folk Festival.
Video Games Sweden has been a leader in the development of video games. At the Festival
there will be the opportunity to play four games of Swedish origin – Minecraft, Geometry Dash,
It Takes Two, and Goat Simulator. All the game equipment is available. Tom Roman will be
available the entire time to provide guidance as needed.

Scandinavian Bingo playing cards have been created with 44 different sites around Scandinavia
instead of traditional numbers. (There is a guide sheet, so no previous knowledge is necessary.)
Twenty-six people can play at one time. The winner of each round will receive a $5 certificate
towards the Scandinavian foods being served. There is no cost to play the game.

Nordic Marble Race Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland, each with their
individual colored marble, will race down a track, with obstacles, about 40 feet long. Which
country will be the overall winner for each of several races? (This is not a photo of the Festival’s
actual set up but it conveys what the event will be like.)


Viking Corn Hole Tournament There will be two corn hole tournaments with winners
receiving a $5 certificate towards some of the Swedish food. One can also play the game at any
time.


Hnefatafl, the Viking chess type of game will be set up with our hand carved wooden figures.
The Viking instructor, Bjorn Lindstrom, will be available on Saturday July 19 from 3pm to 6pm
and on Sunday July 20 from 1 pm to 4 pm.

KUBB, the Viking lawn game with a King to knock down with batons will be set up at the
Festival to play at any time. Organize a team and enjoy.

For more information, check the web site scandinavianjamestown.org or Facebook site
scandinavianjamestown or call 716-665-0883.

For many Swedes, the midsommar celebration is the most important event of the year. For
others, it is second to Christmas. After the long dark winters, the abundance of light and warmth
at this time of the year, is a joyous celebration of life and the renewal of nature. In Sweden, this
event occurs around the summer solstice.

On Saturday July 19, 2025 the Festival will celebrate midsummer on the streets of Jamestown,
free and open to the public. Beginning at the Jamestown Farmer’s Market at 10 AM, the 20 foot
plus midsommar pole will be decorated in greens and flowers. Gather up some of your own
flowers and put them on the pole in honor of your ancestors. Beginning at 11 AM the Festival’s
folk dancers and musicians, along with the community will process the pole along W. Third
Street to Lafayette St. where it will be erected. What a joyous site!

Next, there will be ring dancing on Lafayette Street. Instruction for each dance will be explained
so all of Jamestown can join. These are the dances of our ancestors and therefore an opportunity
to be immersed in our heritage.

All of the above is free and open to the public. For more information, check out Facebook or web
site at scandinavianjamestown.org or call 716-665-0883. Welcome one and all! Glad
Midsommar.

The featured band at this year’s Scandinavian Folk Festival is ABBAMANIA from Toronto, Canda. Well received last year, we have brought back the world’s best ABBA tribute band. Their concert is Saturday July 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM. Please check the web site for videos of their performance and how to obtain tickets.

Also returning is Smorgabandet. This band is a high-energy band from Long Island, NY, bringing joyful, interactive music to events in the tri-state area and beyond. Whether it is leading custom singalongs, getting guests dancing with audience participation, or roaming with mobile tunes, the SmorgasBand delivers a festival, unforgettable experience where ever the party takes them.

Our local musicians Svenska Spelman, will be entertaining both days. Their focus is the waltz, polka, schottis, and hambo plus the more contemporary music of Benny Anderson from ABBA. They also provide live music for the Thule adult and children’s folk dance teams.

Amelia Pyle will again coordinate the Family Activity Center.

It begins with making headwreaths outside on W. Third Street on Saturday July 19 from 10:00 am to Noon.

Inside, the activity center includes a number of activities such as designing your own t-shirt, braiding a bracelet, and a number of other activities.

There will also be face painting and balloon shaping! It is the place for children to get their own "goodie bag" to take home that includes a story by Hans Christian Andersen, some pages to color including crayons, dala horse stickers, Swedish fish candy and more! This center is open from 1 to 6 on Saturday and 11 to 3:30 on Sunday.

The Scandinavian Folk Festival, in its 22st year, wants to pay special tribute to the artists and artisans of Scandinavian origin—from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland—who arrived in these lands between 1860 and 1920, filled with hope to build a better future for themselves and for this great nation. They arrived with their customs, language, traditions, knowledge, and talents, as well as a deep nostalgia for the land they were leaving behind, along with their families and friends. Despite the challenges, they planted the roots of a new life here, leaving an invaluable cultural legacy. Today, their descendants, born in Jamestown, NY, join together with pride and commitment to preserve and revitalize this legacy, celebrating Scandinavian heritage through this festival and this art exhibition.

Among the featured artists, we want to pay special tribute to several figures whose legacy has left a profound mark on both the artistic and scientific fields. Roger Tory Peterson, recognized worldwide for his invaluable contributions as an ornithologist, educator, and artist, revolutionized the way we understand and appreciate nature through his illustrated bird guides. His work not only brought science to the general public but also celebrated the beauty of the natural world with a deeply artistic eye.

We also pay tribute to painter Albert Johnson, whose paintings sensitively and masterfully captured the essence of our community, including Chautauqua Lake, the landscapes of Sweden, and our shared cultural heritage. He also created representations of the city of Stockholm through murals, which decorated the Norden Club building until the 1950s. His work continues to inspire and remind us of the value of our roots. We also highlight artists Irene Anderson Thompson with her local landscapes and her brother, Brad Anderson, the great creator of the cartoon "Marmaduke," which brought so much joy to our elders and remains very relevant today. Another outstanding artist is Elmer Holmberg, known for his wood carvings and paintings.

This exhibition also brings together local artists who have come to show that the legacy of talent continues through their works in various techniques, such as photography, painting, the famous Scandinavian knitting, needlepoint, weaving, and textiles, wood and relief carvings, hand painted furniture, ornaments, crystal and utensils, all crafted by prodigious hands. A tribute to the world-renowned Swedish painter, illustrator, and writer Carl Larsson, with some of his reproductions, is also a must.

This exhibition is the result of the efforts of many; we would especially like to highlight Don Sandi for his tireless work in continuing this great cultural legacy; John Everett Jones for his investigative support of this artistic exhibition; to all the members, volunteers and instructors of the Festival; and the local institutions that provided us with the artworks, such as the Jamestown Community Center, the Scandinavian Studies Program, the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, the Chautauqua County Historical Society, the Fenton History Center and the National Comedy Center, and of course, all of our local citizens and artists. The Jamestown community will enjoy this grand exhibition of paintings and objects for a few days, all original and unique pieces of this great Scandinavian legacy.

See this exhibit at the Scandinavian Folk Festival, July 19 and 20 at the Northwest Arena in downtown Jamestown, New York. For more information, visit the web site scandinavianjamestown.org or call 716-665-0883. This is the largest known exhibit of local Scandinavian art.

Besides all the music, food, games, crafts, and art show at this year's Scandinavian Folk festival, there is a series of lectures. All of this occurs at the Northwest Arena in downtown Jamestown from July 19 to 20.

On Saturday July 19, beginning with a presentation right in the art show at 12 Noon, Rachael Kosinski and John Everett Jones will offer "Notes about Scandinavian American artists." This will be followed at 1 pm with Michelle Facos presenting: "Karin Bergoo Larsson and the Nordic Handcraft Revival". (Karin Larsson is the wife of the famous artist Carl Larsson.) At 2:00 PM, Wendy Bior will present "Andrew Peterson Farm " about an effort to restore an immigrant farm. At 3:00pm, Desiree Davis, from outside Erie Pa will share her experience of being on the Swedish television reality show "Allt för Sverige." The producers of this show are seeking somebody from the Jamestown area to be a future contestant. Desiree will review the application process and what the show is all about. Closing out the lectures for Saturday is Michele Gerring with the topic "ABBA at Eurovision Waterloo Win, and its Significance for Sweden." This is shortly before the ABBAMANIA concert at 7:30pm.

Another Lecture on Saturday will be presented by Professor Michelle Facos (Univ. Of Indiana) in the Vimmerby Room at 1:00pm. She will be talking about Karin Bergöö Larsson, Carl Larsson's wife, and her work,   (Ice Rink Level - I'll be adding signage)

Sunday July 20's lectures begin at 12 noon with a presentation by Karen Livsey entitled "Genealogy." Karen is the editor of the Swedish genealogy magazine. At 1:00pm Tina Scott and John Everett Jones's topic is ""Samuel Sjöstrand and Lovisa Johnson, the first Swedish family of Jamestown." At 2pm, Wes Boozer is presenting about the famous Swedish author "Astrid Lindgren." The final lecture at the Festival is at 3 PM with the topic "Döstädning, heirlooms and history - stewardship of our personal and community history" by John Everett Jones.

The Scandinavian Folk Festival is an action packed event with a wide variety of events. For more information visit the web site scandinavianjamestown.org or call 716-665-0883. Welcome. Behold Scandinavia!