Click here to download the full 2023 Solvang Danish Days brochure; select 2024 event schedule highlights are posted below. Keep checking this page for 2024 event updates and new activities!
Friday,
September 20,
2024
Axe Throwing
4:00pm – 9:00pm
You read that, right: this year’s Solvang Danish Days will feature an axe throwing arena hosted by Boy Scout Troop 42. Public invited to give axe throwing a whirl! $10 for 10 throws. Tickets will be sold at the entrance to the Viking Beer & Wine Garden. (Guests must be 13 years of age or older to enjoy. Ages 13-17 need to have a parent or guardian present. Closed-toe shoes required.) #throwlikeaViking
Free Concert in Downtown Solvang
4:00pm – 7:00pm
Catch Sean Wiggins & lOne gOat performing live on the Midgaard Pavilion Stage in Parking Lot 2, in downtown Solvang, adjacent to the Danish Days Viking Beer & Wine Garden. All ages welcome; must be 21 years or older to enter Viking Beer & Wine Garden. Concert is free and open to the public!
Viking Beer & Wine Garden
4:00pm – 9:00pm
Enjoy an outdoor beer & wine garden; supports the Solvang Danish Days Foundation. (You must be 21 years of age or older to enter the Viking Beer & Wine Garden and to purchase alcoholic beverages.)
Torchlight Parade
7:30pm
Be a part of the Torchlight Parade! Free, all welcome, candles provided. Beginning on Alisal Road and Laurel Avenue; strolling south down Alisal and ending at the Midgaard Pavilion Stage.
Opening Ceremonies
8:00pm
Opening Ceremonies in Midgaard Pavilion introducing the 2024 Danish Maid, Kaeley Reid, plus the 2024 Grand Marshals (TBA!). Velkommen Street Dance follows with Danish dancers performing to live music.
Saturday,
September 21,
2024
Æbleskiver Breakfast
8:30am – 12:30pm
Have an Æbleskiver Breakfast on Copenhagen Drive & First Street, just $10 per person (with Danish sausage, $12). Why wait in line for your Æbleskiver feast?! Buy your Æbleskiver Breakfast tickets in advance, and get to those yummy pancakes that much faster…
Old World Artisans Marketplace
9:00am
Demonstrations and artisanal hand-crafted items including Scandinavian arts & crafts, woodworking, papercutting, rosemaling, fabric art, jewelry, pottery, and the ever-popular Danish Sisterhood Booth.
Kid’s Korner
10:00am – 4:00pm
The 2024 Kid’s Korner has grown! Enjoy face painting, activities, games and fun in Solvang Park, plus Luna’s Jumps attractions on First Street (11:00am-7:00pm). Featuring the popular LEGO® Tent, and more experiences TBA!
Solvang Danish Days LEGO Building Competition
10:00am – 4:00pm
Watch the building process as three of California’s top LEGO builders compete against each other with their own supersized takes on three of Solvang’s prized windmills. Builders will be located in Solvang Park. (Building continues on Sunday.)
Rune Reader, Tracey Boyer
10:00am – 4:00pm
What do the Runes see in your future? Find out, during this year’s Danish Days! Genuine rune reader, right in Solvang Park. FREE for your entertainment, so step up and ask the rune stones about your fate.
Living History Days
10:00am – 5:00pm
Elverhøj Museum of History & Art. Artisans, craftspeople, storytellers and interactive activities for all ages, plus a Viking Selfie Station! Free. 1624 Elverhoy Way, 805-686-1211 or www.elverhoj.org
John and Ashley Clark – Hans Christian Andersen Storytimes
10:30am & 1:00pm
Young and old alike will enjoy listening to hours of tales from Denmark’s favorite author. Saturday readings: 10:30am at the Hans Christian Andersen Museum (at The Book Loft), 1:00pm at the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art.
Axe Throwing
11:00am – 9:00pm
You read that, right: this year’s Solvang Danish Days will feature an axe throwing arena hosted by Boy Scout Troop 42. Public invited to give axe throwing a whirl! $10 for 10 throws. Tickets will be sold at the entrance to the Viking Beer & Wine Garden. (Guests must be 13 years of age or older to enjoy. Ages 13-17 need to have a parent or guardian present. Closed-toe shoes required.) #throwlikeaViking
Free Æbleskiver Eating Contest
11:30am
Who can eat the most aebleskiver in 5 minutes?! Saturday Contest will be held in the Midgaard Pavilion in Parking Lot 2, downtown Solvang, adjacent to the Danish Days Viking Beer & Wine Garden. All ages welcome for the Eating Contest.
Viking Beer & Wine Garden
12:00pm – 9:00pm
Enjoy an outdoor beer & wine garden; supports the Solvang Danish Days Foundation. (You must be 21 years of age or older to enter the Viking Beer & Wine Garden and to purchase alcoholic beverages.)
Solvang Food & Photo Tour
12:00pm – 4:00pm
Led by Santa Barbara’s ‘Eat This, Shoot That!‘, discover the best comfort food, hidden watering holes, and artisan shops in downtown Solvang while learning about the local history. Tour includes 9-10 tastings and foodie locations, bites, and sips – with a professional tour guide – while learning foodie photo tips and tricks using your smartphone’s camera. Details will be available soon, at eatthisshootthat.com/tours/solvang (Advance ticket purchase is required.)
Danish Days Parade
2:30pm
Catch all of the action including the Solvang Village Band atop the Carlsberg Beer Wagon, floats, equestrians, Village Dancers and more. (Line-up starts at 1:30pm 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.) As always, everyone is invited to join the fun: There is NO CHARGE to participate in the parade; click here to apply!
Comedy Industries
3:30pm
Relax under the trees in Solvang Park, and laugh with Comedy Industries; Scott Meltzer and Katrine Spang-Hanssen feature amazing tricks, jokes and lively audience participation.
FREE Concert Line-Up
3:30pm – 10:30pm
Featuring a line-up of live bands performing on the Midgaard Pavilion Stage in Parking Lot 2, in downtown Solvang, adjacent to the Danish Days Viking Beer & Wine Garden. All ages welcome; must be 21 years or older to enter Viking Beer & Wine Garden. Concerts are free and open to the public!
3:30pm – 6:00pm: Out Of The Blue
7:30pm – 10:30pm: The Molly Ringwald Project
Sunday,
September 22,
2024
Æbleskiver Breakfast
8:30am – 12:30pm
Have an Æbleskiver Breakfast on Copenhagen Drive & First Street, just $10 per person (with Danish sausage, $12). Why wait in line for your Æbleskiver feast?! Buy your Æbleskiver Breakfast tickets in advance, and get to those yummy pancakes that much faster…
Old World Artisans Marketplace
9:00am
Demonstrations and artisanal hand-crafted items including Scandinavian arts & crafts, woodworking, papercutting, rosemaling, fabric art, jewelry, pottery, and the ever-popular Danish Sisterhood Booth.
Comedy Industries
10:00am
Relax under the trees in Solvang Park, and laugh with Comedy Industries; Scott Meltzer and Katrine Spang-Hanssen feature amazing tricks, jokes and lively audience participation.
Solvang Danish Days LEGO Building Competition
10:00am – 12:30pm
Watch the conclusion of the building process as three of California’s top LEGO builders compete against each other with their own supersized takes on three of Solvang’s prized windmills. Builders will be located in Solvang Park. Judging of the builds begins at 1:30 PM, followed by a 2:30 PM winner announcement for the best build, which will occur during the Solvang Danish Days Closing Ceremony (in Solvang Park).
Axe Throwing
10:00am – 2:00pm
You read that, right: this year’s Solvang Danish Days will feature an axe throwing arena hosted by Boy Scout Troop 42. Public invited to give axe throwing a whirl! $10 for 10 throws. Tickets will be sold at the entrance to the Viking Beer & Wine Garden. (Guests must be 13 years of age or older to enjoy. Ages 13-17 need to have a parent or guardian present. Closed-toe shoes required.) #throwlikeaViking
Kid’s Korner
10:00am – 3:00pm
The 2024 Kid’s Korner has grown! Enjoy face painting, activities, games and fun in Solvang Park, plus Luna’s Jumps attractions on First Street (10:00am-3:00pm). Featuring the popular LEGO® Tent, and more experiences TBA!
Rune Reader, Tracey Boyer
10:00am – 4:00pm
What do the Runes see in your future? Find out, during this year’s Danish Days! Genuine rune reader, right in Solvang Park. FREE for your entertainment, so step up and ask the rune stones about your fate.
Living History Days
10:00am – 4:00pm
Elverhøj Museum of History & Art. Artisans, craftspeople, storytellers and interactive activities for all ages, plus a Viking Selfie Station! Free. 1624 Elverhoy Way, 805-686-1211 or www.elverhoj.org
John and Ashley Clark – Hans Christian Andersen Storytimes
11:00am & 1:00pm
Young and old alike will enjoy listening to hours of tales from Denmark’s favorite author. Sunday readings: 11:00am at the Hans Christian Andersen Museum (at The Book Loft), 1:00pm at the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art.
Solvang Brewing Co. in Solvang Park
11:00am – 3:00pm
Sip locally-crafted beers at the Solvang Brewing Company tent in Solvang Park. (You must be 21 years of age or older to purchase alcoholic beverages.)
Free Æbleskiver Eating Contest
11:30am
Who can eat the most aebleskiver in 5 minutes?! Sunday Contest will be held in the Midgaard Pavilion in Parking Lot 2, downtown Solvang, adjacent to the Danish Days Viking Beer & Wine Garden. All ages welcome for the Eating Contest.
Free Concert: Terry & The Ripleys
12:00pm – 2:00pm
Terry & The Ripleys perform live in the Solvang Park Gazebo.
Children’s Parade
2:00pm
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 charming event, no charge, costumes encouraged.
Danish Days Closing Ceremony in Solvang Park
3:00pm
Our 2024 Danish Days Maid closes the festive weekend. A live performance by The Lowdown Dudes Band to follow.