This weekend is California’s premier Danish heritage festival, “Solvang Danish Days” and this year we will be celebrating its 79th anniversary with a three-day event weekend line-up set for Friday through Sunday, September 18 through 20, 2015.
The 2015 Solvang Danish Days theme – “Skål, Til Vores Forældres Børn”, or “Cheers, to our parents’ children” – will be celebrated during this year’s event, which honors the 1911 establishment of Solvang by Danish-Americans.
Solvang Danish Days 2015 will once again provide attendees with a total Danish immersion experience, while helping to preserve Solvang’s authentic Danish heritage, and will offer a “Dane For A Day” ticket bundle package for guests looking to “live like Vikings” throughout the event weekend.
Since Solvang Danish Days’ modest beginnings in 1936, when the festival debuted as a celebration of the village’s 25th anniversary, the event has set out to fête Solvang’s Danish heritage with authentic food, music, dancing, parades, live entertainment and family activities.
As Danish Days approaches its 80th birthday, the festival continues to expand upon its varied activities, melding more modern Danish practices with traditional ways, yet still exemplifying everything Danish. The weekend’s numerous offerings, encompassing activities for all ages, range from fan-favorite food events surrounding the iconic Danish pastry rounds, Aebleskiver; to a Danish-style beer and wine garden serving Danish import, Carlsberg beer, alongside local brews and wines; to a historical reenactment in the form of a Viking Encampment; to chainsaw wood-carving demonstrations, an Old World artisanal crafts marketplace and a contemporary Solvang merchant walk.
Admission to Solvang Danish Days is free, and entertainment options abound during the weekend with three parades, folk dancers and Danish musicians performing in spots scattered about the town, plus three feature events on Saturday evening: the Danish Days Dinner Dance, a fundraiser entailing a Danish-style barbeque followed by live music and dancing; the Solvang 2nd Century Street Party, featuring live music; and a special “MADS MEN” fundraising concert at the outdoor Solvang Festival Theater, with two-time Grammy Award-winning Danish violinist, Mads Tolling, who will blend “old” and “new” as he performs instrumental hits from the 1960s “MAD MEN” era.
Solvang Danish Days also aims to please the next generation of Danish Days fans with multiple pass-times, including story-telling sessions with Randel McGee as Hans Christian Andersen, and a “Kid’s Korner” in Solvang Park featuring LEGO®.
Since 1967, Solvang Danish Days has been presided over by each year’s Danish Maid – a tradition that remains an honorable accomplishment for each of the young, local women appointed by the Danish Days Foundation board members, to become a specific year’s Danish Maid.
The 2015 Danish Maid is 17-year old Mia Andersen, a fifth-generation Santa Ynez Valley resident whose Solvang roots stretch back to 1910. Andersen’s father, Ken Andersen, manages the family business in Solvang, “Neilsen Building Materials”, which was opened by Andersen’s great-grandfather in 1932. Andersen’s sister, Emma, also donned the Danish Maid title, for the 2013 Solvang Danish Days.
The 2015 Danish Days event weekend schedule is available on-line, at www.SolvangDanishDays.org;
Event weekend highlights are as follows:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015
4:00 PM: Free Concert featuring Danish musicians, Manne, performing live at the Solvang Park Gazebo, Mission Drive and First Street.
4:00 PM: Chainsaw Carver, George Kenny, will begin carving his wooden creations on Friday afternoon; spectators will be able to view the progress of his work throughout the weekend.
5:00 PM – 10:00 PM: Viking Beer & Wine Garden – Outdoor beer and wine garden; supports the Solvang Danish Days Foundation. Viking Beer & Wine Garden continues on Saturday. (Guests must be 21 years of age or older to enter the Viking Beer & Wine Garden and to purchase alcoholic beverages.)
7:30 PM: Torchlight Parade – Free for participants, all ages welcome, candles will be provided. Route begins at Alisal Road and Laurel Avenue, strolling south down Alisal and ending at Solvang Park.
8:00 PM: Opening Ceremonies in Solvang Park introducing 2015 Danish Maid, Mia Andersen. Velkommen Street Dance follows with Danish dancers performing to live music.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2015
8:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Aebleskiver Breakfast on Copenhagen Drive and First Street, just $7.00 per person (with Danish sausage, $8.00). Aebleskiver Breakfast also featured on Sunday, same times.
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM: Kid’s Korner featuring LEGO® and a supervised Play & Rest Area, in Solvang Park. Kid’s Korner also featured on Sunday, same times.
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM: Viking Encampment – Visit the Ravens of Odin, Norse Educational Group, as they bring Viking times to life through historical reenactments. Features a Viking Age Weaponry demo on Saturday. Viking Encampment also featured on Sunday, same times.
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Living History Festival at Elverhoj Museum of History & Art (1624 Elverhoy Way; www.elverhoj.org). Free, interactive activities for all ages, plus artisans, craftspeople and storytellers. Living History Festival also featured on Sunday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
11:30 AM: Free Aebleskiver Eating Contest – Corner of Copenhagen Drive and First Street. All ages welcome for this five-minute competition. Contest also featured on Sunday, same time.
2:30 PM: Danish Days Parade – Includes the Solvang Village Band atop the Carlsberg Beer Wagon, floats, equestrians, Village Dancers and more. Line-up starts at 1:30 PM on First Street, between Molle Way and Oak Street; parade begins by 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. NO CHARGE to participate in the parade; SIGN UP FOR THE PARADE HERE
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM: Solvang 2nd Century Street Party featuring live music on the Midgaard Pavilion Stage in Parking Lot 2, in downtown Solvang, adjacent to the Viking Beer & Wine Garden. All ages welcome at the party (must be 21 years or older to enter Viking Beer & Wine Garden). Concert is free and open to the public; performers donate their time and talent to the community.
5:30 PM – 10:00 PM: Danish Days Dinner Dance – Danish-style barbeque followed by dancing and live music by Area 51. Solvang Veterans Memorial Hall, 1745 Mission Drive. Tickets start at $10.00 per person for the dance portion, only. All proceeds support the Danish Brotherhood. For more information and to buy tickets, visit http://danishdaysdinnerdance.com/
7:30 PM: “MADS MEN” Fundraising Concert at Solvang Festival Theater – Two-time Grammy Award-winning Danish violinist, Mads Tolling, performs in an outdoor concert entitled “MADS MEN”, celebrating the instrumental hits from the 1960s “MAD MEN” era. This special Solvang performance is a fundraiser for the Atterdag Village of Solvang Auxiliary, with a portion of proceeds from the concert going towards the new skilled nursing rehabilitation wing of Atterdag Village. Solvang Festival Theater, 420 2nd Street. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.atterdagvillageofsolvang.com.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2015
8:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Aebleskiver Breakfast on Copenhagen Drive and First Street, just $7.00 per person (with Danish sausage, $8.00). Aebleskiver Breakfast also featured on Sunday, same times.
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM: Kid’s Korner featuring LEGO® and a supervised Play & Rest Area, in Solvang Park.
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM: Viking Encampment – Visit the Ravens of Odin, Norse Educational Group, as they bring Viking times to life through historical reenactments. Features a Viking Age Weaponry demo on Saturday. Viking Encampment also featured on Sunday, same times.
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Living History Festival at Elverhoj Museum of History & Art (1624 Elverhoy Way; www.elverhoj.org). Free, interactive activities for all ages, plus artisans, craftspeople and storytellers. Living History Festival also featured on Sunday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
11:30 AM: Free Aebleskiver Eating Contest – Corner of Copenhagen Drive and First Street. All ages welcome for this five-minute competition. Contest also featured on Sunday, same time.
2:00 PM: Children’s Parade – Begins at Atterdag Square (corner of Atterdag Road and Copenhagen Drive) and meanders down Copenhagen to Solvang Park. All children and families are welcome to join this event; no charge to participate, and costumes are encouraged.
2:45 PM: Danish Days Closing Ceremony in Solvang Park. Danish Days Maid Mia Andersen closes the festive weekend; concert featuring Danish musicians, Manne, to follow.
More information about Solvang Danish Days, including a full history of the event, updated 2015 schedule and details, parade applications and complete contact information, is available at www.SolvangDanishDays.org. Solvang Danish Days is on Facebook and Twitter at facebook.com/SolvangDanishDays and twitter.com/DanishDays.
