Been invited to a bonfire party on April 30th? Wondering what on earth is going on? Swedes are celebrating the arrival of spring. Valborg, or Walpurgis, takes place every year on the last day of April. Here's The Local's guide to the festivities.
The alcohol-fuelled Swedish spring festival of Valborg was relatively calm this year, but revellers left so much litter in Lund that the council had to abandon plans to recycle it.
Revellers hoping to celebrate Valborg may be advised to pack an umbrella as typically unpredictable Swedish April weather could dampen the festivities.
This Saturday Swedes will light bonfires to celebrate Walpurgis Night. The Local brings you the five best events this weekend, alongside our regular interactive listings.
The annual Walpurgis night (Valborg) passed without any major incidents with chilly conditions in the north and rain in the capital dampening the mood, but there were reports of drunkenness and fighting elsewhere.
Walpurgis Night (Valborg) celebrations led to drunkenness and violence around Sweden, with a rape of a minor reported in Uppsala and 98 cases of assault and nine fires reported in Stockholm.
Winter's over. Summer is just around the corner. That's as good a cause for celebration in Sweden as any, and the revelry on Valborgsmässoafton - Walpurgis Night - on April 30th gets pretty heated.
Beefed up security efforts on Valborgsmässoafton – Walpurgis Night – paid off this year. Police and parents on patrol, piles of confiscated liquor and teenagers escorted home resulted in a Valborg without major incident.
Most parts of Sweden experienced a typical Walpurgis Night (Valborgsmässafton) on Wednesday. The Swedes´annual celebration of spring is customarily filled with drunken and disorderly behavior, fights, underage binge drinking and various arrests.
Sweden's Valborg - or Walpurgis - celebrations lived up to expectations on Monday night with disorder and drunkenness reported across the country. But despite the rowdiness, there was no serious violence.
