From the 1930s to the 1960s, the Midsummer Festival and Midsummer Eve Dance were yearly fixtures in the June social calendar of North Vancouverites, and for everyone of Scandinavian descent in the Vancouver area.
The event took place each year at the Lind Bowl in Swedish Park, shown in the above photo in 1946. The festivities included the crowning of a Midsummer Queen as well as live Scandinavian music and folk dancing.
Swedish Park was expropriated in the early 1970s for development around the Second Narrows Bridge, which led to the demise of the Midsummer Festival in North Vancouver.
Visit the MONOVA website for more information about the history of the North Shore and to plan your visit to MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver, now open at 115 West Esplanade in The Shipyards.
Currently, MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver, at 3203 Institute Road in Lynn Valley, is open by appointment only. Contact: [email protected]
Navigate culture on the North Shore by using the North Shore Culture Compass.
