The Swedes absolutely love a good sing-along and Allsång på Skansen is really the most Swedish of all things Swedish. On summer Tuesdays, the crowds gather in thousands to sing together at Skansen, and another million or two watch it on the telly.
The sing-along tradition at Skansen actually dates back to 1935, and its run on the TV started in 1979. The incredibly popular TV show runs on Tuesdays at 8pm, for eight weeks during the summer. This year’s season starts on the 27th of June.
Sanna Nielsen returns as host for her second season. You may remember Sanna as Sweden’s Eurovision entry 2014 with Undo and she was a veritable success on her first Allsång season last summer. She does feel like the perfect match for the format and her own Allsång history actually goes way back, as she performed in the program for the first time at the age of 11 about 20 years ago. The format of the show includes famous singers getting to perform their own hits and possibly also leading the crowd in a sing-along classic. And there’s of course plenty more Swedish sing-along classics that the crowd gets to sing with the host.
The most eager Allsång fans wait at the gate when the Skansen park opens at 10am, so that they can get the best seats for the evening. The regulars tell stories about making life-long friends while spending their day together in anticipation and enjoying the atmosphere of the evening.
The event is definitely something one should experience live in the park at least once, so do take your chance on one of this season’s Tuesdays if you have an interest for music and Swedish traditions at all. You can buy the Allsång leaflet with all the lyrics at the Skansen entrances and shops, so you can join in and sing along like everybody else.
Some of this year’s most interesting artists (if you’re into the current Swedish pop scene like we are) include Sabina Ddumba (27th June), Miriam Bryant (4th July), Linnea Henriksson (11th July), Miss Li (18th July), Tove Styrke (25th July), Icona Pop (1st August) and Janice (8th August).
Here we bring you some photos from the presentation of the season’s artists.
All photos © Nina Uddin
