Music & Arts
Music Festival ‘A Chance to Show What Sweden Has to Offer’
Los Angeles soon will make history as the site of Stockholm, CA, the first all-Swedish music festival to happen outside of Sweden.
The one-day festival will be held at The Shrine in downtown L.A. on Saturday, Oct. 15. It is being promoted by Goldenvoice, an L.A.-based company that has staged large festivals like Coachella, and 7th & Hill Productions, a joint venture between two Swedish companies with more than 20 years of experience promoting live music.
The event will be a true representation of Swedish culture, featuring music, art, film, games, designs and collaboration from individual Swedes and organizations. Headliners include Little Dragon, whose album “Ritual Union” was cited as one of Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Albums of 2011, and Icona Pop, whose single “I Love It” was a Top-10 hit all around the world (it was ranked No. 35 in Rolling Stone’s top songs of 2012).
Rebecca & Fiona, Nause, Elliphant and Mapei also are among the 10 artists that will hit the stage at the festival. Tickets for the event range from $40 to $150.
“This festival is really a chance to show what Sweden has to offer,” said Björn Barnekow, president of 7th & Hill Productions. “We are very proud of what Sweden has achieved and want to put our culture and country in the spotlight. People sometimes don’t realize some big artists actually come from Sweden.”
Stockholm, CA expects to bring local Swedes together, helping expand their personal and professional networks while inviting other nationalities to learn about and share the Scandinavian culture.
“I’ve been in L.A. for eight years and in the last few years, it’s been amazing to see how much the Swedish community has exploded here,” Barnekow said. “There are so many Swedes that do well here in different creative areas.”
A number of local Swedish vendors will be selling their products, and the festival will be selling Pripps Blå, a Swedish beer making its debut in L.A. that is the official sponsor of the event, and Oatly, a Swedish milk substitute that will be served with local coffee.Traditional Swedish baked goods wil
l also be available at the festival.
Barnekow has served on the board of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce for about four years and in addition to SACC LA he’s been working with other Cali based SACC chapters, a few of the Swedish Women’s Education Association’s (SWEA) chapters, the Swedish School in Los Angeles, Visit Sweden and the Consulate of Sweden San Diego to promote the event. Even the consulates in San Francisco and New York are spreading the word, and there are plans for the Swedish Ambassador to fly in from Washington, D.C. and be a part of the event.
While planning for the festival began about two years ago, Barnekow and his team have been working nonstop for the past few months preparing for the festival, which they hope becomes an annual festival.
“We’re extremely proud of the lineup of artists as well as the combination of other cultural areas, food & beverage featured at the event” Barnekow said. “It’s going to be a big party and not just for Swedes. A big part of this is so others can discover Swedish culture and artists.”
