After over 40 years, the Sacramento Scandinavian Festival will end. Local lodges plan to continue cultural events and keep the Scandinavian spirit alive.

SACRAMENTO, Calif — After more than four decades of celebrating Scandinavian culture in the region, organizers of the Sacramento Scandinavian Festival announced that the event will no longer be held. 

In a recent Facebook post, the festival’s leadership shared the news, emphasizing that while the page will be deactivated, the Scandinavian spirit can continue through local lodges. 

Chairman of the Sacramento Scandinavian Festival, Chuck Johnson, encouraged the community to explore local chapters and provided a list of options for those interested. 

Johnson explained that the decision was not made lightly. He pointed to lingering challenges from the COVID-19 shutdowns as a major factor in the festival’s decline. 

“Sadly, the festival never fully recovered from the residual effects of the COVID shutdown,” Johnson said. “After three more festivals in 2022-24, with our pool of volunteers aging and shrinking in numbers, the association ran out of steam and made the decision to formally shut down.”

Demographic changes among volunteers and members also contributed to the decision. Johnson expressed how the festival’s supporting lodges have evolved over time. 


“When the festival was established in the early 1980s, there were four Scandinavian lodges with a collective membership in the 800-member range, with the average age in the 50s range plus a lot of youths involved,” Johnson said. “In 2025, the Association had five lodges with a collective membership in the 300-member range, with the average age in their 70s and a very few youths involved.” 

Volunteer shortages in key leadership roles further strained the festival’s sustainability. 

“The unexpected loss of several volunteers in key positions and no one stepping up to take their places, coupled with the already announced planned ‘retirement’ of the chairperson and treasurer after the scheduled April festival, led to discussions to permanently shut down the association,” Johnson said.

Despite its relatively small size compared with other ethnic cultural festivals in Sacramento, the event reportedly made a meaningful impact on attendees. 

“We always received very positive feedback from attendees, performers and vendors. Almost every year, the three most notable comments from attendees were ‘great food,’ ‘wonderful mid-day flag ceremony,’ and ‘great dance performances,’” Johnson said. 

Attendance typically peaked at around 1,200, with some attendees traveling from other California cities. Johnson recently reflected on the festival’s broader role in the Sacramento community. 

“Compared to much larger ethnic populations in Sacramento, the Scandinavian population has always been quite small and did not have a notable impact,” he said. “One irony is that every year we would get some new attendees of Scandinavian heritage who lived in Sacramento for years and never knew the festival or the lodges existed.” 


Although the festival itself is concluding, local Scandinavian lodges plan to continue hosting smaller cultural events. 

“The Sons of Norway and the Daughters of Norway have held a Viking Festival in the fall the past few years, advertised as open to the general public. Monitor Lodge still holds events for its members and invited guests and Sierra Kronan recently held its first Swedish Pancake breakfast in Granite Bay as a trial run fundraiser,” Johnson said. 

He added that monthly lodge meetings, cultural presentations and potlucks provide ongoing opportunities for people to learn more about Scandinavian traditions. 

Reflecting on his own experience, Johnson shared the personal impact of serving as the festival’s chairman. 

“I unexpectedly became chairman in 2018 and committed to serving for two years. That commitment got upended with the onset of COVID, so I agreed to coordinate keeping the association alive during the shutdown. We had a very good 40+ year run and worked with a lot of wonderful, dedicated volunteers,” Johnson said. 


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