Walpurgis Night (Valborg)

Walpurgis, Valborg (short for Valborgsmässoafton), or 'the last of April', is a traditional spring celebration in Sweden. For students, it's a foretaste of summer. At dusk, bonfires are lit and people gather to listen to speeches and songs welcoming spring and a brighter future.

With its roots in paganism, the Walpurgis festival celebrates the arrival of the spring season. This festival is celebrated by building huge bonfires and dancing around them energetically to ward off evil energies. It is somewhat similar to the Halloween festival. It is one of the famous Swedish celebrations as King Carl XVI Gustaf’s birthday also falls on this day. The celebrations worth watching are held in the university towns of Sweden like Gothenburg. The Cortege Parade organized by the students of the Chalmers University of Technology involves streets being lined by vehicles and people in fancy clothing.

Location: Gothenburg, West Sweden

Dates: 30 April and 1 May