The bonfire has been lit on Evert Taube's terrace on Riddarholmen – a small islet off Stockholm's Gamla Stan – every year since 1977, drawing thousands of visitors celebrating Walpurgis Day or Valborg.
It has also been one of the most high-profile, with the flames visible across the water from Södermalm and Kungsholmen.
READ ALSO: Where are the best places to celebrate Valborg in Sweden in 2026?
But this year the Social Democrats, who have organised the event for 49 years, decided to pass it to Stockholm students, and as the Stockholm Student Unions Central Organization (SSCO) had still not received all the necessary permits on Wednesday, they have decided to cancel.
"Very sad. The celebration means a lot to the people of Stockholm. Walpurgis and the May bonfire matter a lot to many people," Julius Modin, Chief Marshal of SSCO, told the Mitt i Stockholm newspaper.
Gustav Österman, chairman of the Social Democrats in Södermalm, said that the party had decided to stop organising the event because it had become too expensive and resource-intensive.
"We have concluded that it is too much work when we are now also going to conduct an election campaign," he told Mitt i Stockholm.
SSCO, which has previously organised its bonfires at Kungsträdgården and Skansen, said they still hoped to revive the Riddarholmen tradition in 2027.
"It feels honourable to be part of creating such an important event for Stockholmers and students, young and old," Modin said in a statement.
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