Midsummer

Midsummer in California is celebrated with the coming of summer in June. A Midsummer Queen is selected and crowned. Also selected is a Svea, representing Sweden, a Columbia, representing the United States, and the princesses are part of the court.

On a Sunday in late June there is an outdoor festival in Vasa Park in Agoura Hills with the raising of the Maypole, a program of singing and folk dancing...and the Midsummer Court reigns. It's a festival time with fun and celebration, and it is observed here every year on the weekend closest to June 24th.

Midsummer Celebration - Originally sponsored by the Swedish American Central Association of Southern California, (organized in 1920) to encourage the preservation of Swedish culture, traditions, and customs. In addition to sponsoring the annual Midsummer Festival, they endeavored to promote interest in various Scandinavian activities and events. Presently, our celebration is sponsored by the Vasa Park Association.
Midsummer was historically celebrated to honor John the Baptist. Today, Midsummer in Sweden is the celebration of the end of the winter season and the beginning of sunshine and warmer temperatures. It is a time for rejoicing, for dancing and singing and for enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. After the snow and the cold winter have passed, the flowers are in bloom, the sun is warm and the people begin to think of the parks, the lakes, the beaches and the holidays for the family. It is a beautiful and joyful time of the year. It is summer in Sweden.