Solvang Danish Days

  September 15, 16, and 17, 2023

The 2023 Solvang Danish Days theme is Kom Sammen or Come Together 

Free, SolvangDanishDays.com 
$ Dane For A Day VIP ticket bundle  

The 86th Annual Solvang Danish Day 2023

Start your day with some tasty Æbleskiver then browse Danish and Nordic crafts, arts and gifts at the outdoor Old World Marketplace. Enjoy the Danish-style beer garden serving Danish beer - Carlsberg, meet "Hans Christian Anderson" at Elverhoj Museum, enter the Lego contest, take the Food & Photo Tour and see a Viking Encampment. There are 3 parades, concerts all day, Danish Maid and food eating competitions to keep you entertained.

• Danish-style beer and wine garden serving Carlsberg beer
• axe throwing arena
• interactive history lessons at the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art
• story time sessions with Hans Christian Andersen
• a Viking encampment in Solvang Park
• Solvang Food & Photo Tour
• Old World artisanal crafts marketplace
• Three parades - Torchlight on Friday, Danish Days on Saturday & Children's Parade Sunday
• Danish folk dancers and musicians performing at locations all over town
• LEGO activity tent in Solvang Park + two-day Solvang Danish Days LEGO Building Competition
• Aebleskiver Eating Contest with returning champ, Raina Huang, to beat her personal best - 36 aebleskiver eaten in  five minutes hands-free
• Danish Maid, 17-year-old Stephanie Pedersen, 4th generation Solvang resident whose Danish roots can be traced on her paternal side back to Djursland and Egtved, Denmark

 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

• 4-7 p.m. Free Concert The Rincons
• 4-9p Axe Throwing
• 4-9p Viking Beer & Wine Garden 
• 7:30p Torchlight Parade free for participants, all ages welcome, candles  provided. Route begins at Alisal Road and Laurel Avenue
• 8p Opening Ceremonies in Solvang Park 

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

• 8:30a-12:30p Æbleskiver Breakfast on Copenhagen Drive, $10  (with Danish sausage, $12)
• 9a Old World Marketplace with Scandinavian arts & crafts, woodworking, papercutting (papirklip), rosemaling, fabric art, jewelry, pottery, and Danish Sisterhood Booth. Nordic shopping district of finely crafted items on First Street
• 10a-12p Solvang Danish Days LEGO Building Competition. Judging Sunday at 1:45p
• 10a-2p Kid's Korner & LEGO tent in Solvang Park
• 10a-4p The Ravens of Odin Viking Encampment
• 10a Living History Days at Elverhøj Museum of History & Art featuring "Hans Christian Andersen". Location: 1624 Elverhoy Way,  Elverhoj.org
• 11:30a Free Æbleskiver Eating Contest at Midgaard Pavilion, all ages

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

• 11a-9p Axe Throwing $, ages 13+
• 12-4p Guided Solvang Food & Photo Tour
• 12-9p Viking Beer & Wine Garden
• 2:30p Danish Days Parade Route: First Street, between Molle Way and Oak Street;  turning east on Copenhagen Drive, then north on Alisal Road, west on Mission Drive, south on Fourth Place, east on Copenhagen, south on Second Street, finishes at corner of Oak Street near Solvang City Hall
• 3-9p Free Concerts with The Lowdown Dudes & The Molly Ringwald Project 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2023

• 2p Children’s Parade  begins at Atterdag Square down Copenhagen to Solvang Park. All children and families are welcome to join this event; costumes are encouraged.
• 2:30p Danish Days Closing Ceremony in Solvang Park  

Celebrating the establishment of Solvang by Danish-Americans in 1911, experience costumed Danes, Aebleskiver eating contest, Axe Throwing, Food & Beverages and more!

The weekend's varied offerings include activities for all ages ranging from the iconic Danish pastry, Aebleskiver; to a Danish-style beer and wine garden serving Danish import, Carlsberg beer, alongside local brews, wines and festival eats; to an axe throwing arena; interactive history lessons at the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art; story time sessions with Hans Christian Andersen; to a guided Solvang Food & Photo Tour; and, an Old World artisanal crafts marketplace.
About the Solvang Danish Days Foundation

In early 1995, the Solvang City Council approached Santa Ynez Valley residents from long-established, local Danish families and other interested groups about possibly setting up a non-profit foundation - Solvang Danish Days Foundation - to formally plan and organize the increasingly popular, annual Danish Days festivities. 

Since Solvang Danish Days' modest beginnings in 1936, when the festival debuted to commemorate the village's 25th anniversary, the event has set out to celebrate Solvang's Danish heritage with authentic food, music, dancing, parades, live entertainment, and family activities.
 

All events listed here are subject to change or cancellation. Events are not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to confirm before going.