This year’s Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival brings three days of traditional Nordic food, culture and celebration to the North Coast.

The festival, which takes place at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds, runs from June 20 to June 22. Held over the summer solstice, it’s one of the region’s best ways to ring in the start of the summer season.

Friday opens the festival with a hex burning, which Yvonne Sundstrom-Wilson, the festival’s publicity chair, said is one of the weekend’s must-sees.

“It kicks off the spirit of the festival,” she said. “It’s very welcoming, and you feel Nordic after you’ve been there for only a few hours.”

The Midsummer Pole raising and dancing, scheduled for Saturday afternoon, is one of the main attractions of the weekend. Sundstrom-Wilson said it’s a personal favorite for her, because she is Swedish and the pole raising is part of her heritage.

“We raise all of the flags, sing all the anthems and bring the public in and teach dances,” she said. “They understand it’s a community thing and if you’re here, you’re part of it and not just watching it.”

Saturday and Sunday have full schedules of entertainment, events and food.

Swedish pea soup and rice pudding, open-face sandwiches and Aebelskiver, tasty Danish pancake balls, are just a few of the bites that will be at the festival. Hot dogs and a beer garden will be on-site, too.

Food-centric events, like the Aebleskiver and meatball eating contests, are a fun way to try traditional food and pay homage to Nordic countries’ rich cuisine.

“It’s food you’re not going to find anywhere else,” Sundstrom-Wilson said.

Eeppi Ursin is flying in from New York as one of this year’s entertainers. Ursin, from Finland, is known for her range of vocal abilities, especially in jazz. It’s her first time performing at the Astoria Scandinavian Festival, according to Sundstrom-Wilson.

The Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers are joining the celebrations. They’re composed of high school dancers and musicians from rural Kansas. The group has been around since 1963 and seek to preserve Swedish culture through their performances.

Both Ursin and the Lindsborg group will be at the festival throughout the weekend.

Local groups, including The Brownsmead Flats, the Astor Street Opry Co. and Coreen Bergholm and the Scandinavian Country Band, are part of the lineup.

“The celebration is pretty traditional and all entertainment is included with the weekend admission fee,” Sundstrom-Wilson said.

Guests can come and go from the festival as they want, she added, so people can pick and choose what events they want to attend and not have to pay more than one fee.

The festival includes Icelandic horses, the crowning of Miss Scandinavia 2025 on Friday evening and a Viking encampment. The encampment features costumed actors who re-enact crafting, storytelling, combat arts and the general way of life from the Middle Ages.

There’s plenty of learning opportunities about Scandinavian history and culture at the festival, Sundstrom-Wilson said. Dozens of events capture the essence of Nordic culture and let people on the North Coast get a taste of what life is like in a different part of the world.

“It’s fun, it’s laughter and it’s food,” Sundstrom-Wilson said.

More than 60 food and craft vendors will sell one-of-a-kind Nordic goods.

The festival is an homage to the Scandinavian roots on the North Coast. It’s been running for more than 50 years, making it an Oregon Heritage Tradition. According to the festival’s website, the first documented summer gathering of Nordic immigrants in Astoria happened sometime in 1938.

“It’s kept heritage alive for people who are related to someone who immigrated here,” Sundstrom-Wilson said.

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Admission is $10 for an adult three-day wristband, and $4 for children ages 6-12 (kids 5 and under are free). Visit astoriascandifest.com to buy tickets and view a full schedule of events.

The festival is at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds at 92937 Walluski Loop, Astoria. Parking at the fairgrounds is $5 for the weekend.