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September 19-21, 2025: 88th Celebration of Solvang Danish Days, California’s Premier Danish Heritage Festival, Returns with Æbleskiver, Vikings, Living History, LEGO®, Parades and Storytime Sessions, Beer, Wine, and Foodie Experiences
— Non-Profit Solvang Danish Days Foundation Announces 2025 Event Plans to include Family-Friendly Entertainment, Viking Fun, and Return of Æbleskiver Eating Contests —
California’s premier Danish heritage festival, “Solvang Danish Days” (www.SolvangDanishDays.org), returns with a three-day event weekend lineup Friday through Sunday, September 19, 20, and 21, 2025. The 2025 Solvang Danish Days theme – “Be Happy – Vær Glæde!” – will be celebrated during this year’s event which honors the 1911 establishment of Solvang by Danish-Americans.
The 2025 edition of Solvang Danish Days will once again offer attendees a Danish immersion experience – without the flight to Europe – while helping to preserve Solvang’s authentic Danish heritage. Danish Days guests looking to “live like Vikings” throughout the event weekend have the opportunity to purchase a “Dane For A Day” VIP ticket bundle (only available online), while those looking to gain quicker entrance to the Saturday and/or Sunday Æbleskiver Breakfasts may purchase online tickets for the Breakfasts in advance. ***Advance, online tickets for the 2025 Æbleskiver Breakfasts and Dane For A Day ticket packages are currently on sale.***
Since Solvang Danish Days’ modest beginnings in 1936 when the festival debuted to commemorate the village’s 25th anniversary, the event has set out to celebrate Solvang’s Danish heritage with authentic food, music, dancing, parades, live entertainment, and family activities. In 1946, a reporter from then-influential The Saturday Evening Post, visited Solvang during Danish Days and the resulting article, which appeared in January 1947, put Solvang on the proverbial tourism map. The article stated, in part, “Solvang…a spotless Danish village that blooms like a rose in California’s charming Santa Ynez Valley. Old country charm and customs have been successfully fused with the American way of life. Nowadays…the quaint village is busy living up to its affectionate name, ‘Little Denmark.’”
Solvang Danish Days, now 87 annual celebrations deep, continues to mix “old country charm and customs” with a more modern “way of life” through its varied activities that blend Danish-American traditions with present-day festival highlights, while showcasing everything “Solvang.”
The weekend’s array of offerings includes activities for all ages ranging from fan-following food events surrounding Æbleskiver, the iconic Danish pastry rounds; to a Danish-style beer and wine garden serving Danish import, Carlsberg beer, alongside local brews, wines and festival foods; to an axe throwing arena; a Viking “camp” and presentations; interactive history lessons at the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art; story time sessions with fairytale favorite, Hans Christian Andersen; to a future-telling rune reader; and, an Old World artisanal crafts marketplace.
Solvang Danish Days boasts a full weekend of entertainment with multiple parades, Danish folk dancers and musicians performing at locations all over town, plus afternoons and evenings of free, live concerts on the Midgaard Pavilion Stage in the middle of downtown Solvang, adjacent to the Viking Beer & Wine Garden. Solvang Danish Days 2025 will, once again, also offer family-friendly pastimes including the popular, and shaded, LEGO tents in Solvang Park, and an expanded Kid’s Korner with face painting, activities, and games.
Also returning to Solvang Danish Days is the pastry-fueled, all-ages Aebleskiver Eating Contest, which will take place on both Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 AM, crowning 2025 winners able to consume the highest count of aebleskiver in just five minutes, all hands-free. Rejoining this year’s nosh is competitive eater Naader Reda (@freakeating), trying to best his own record from the 2024 Aebleskiver Eating Contests.
Since the 1960s, Solvang Danish Days has been presided over by each year’s Danish Maid, a tradition that remains an honorable accomplishment for each of the Maids appointed by the Danish Days Foundation Board members to become a specific year’s Danish Days “royalty.” Solvang’s Danish Maids serve as goodwill ambassadors during their year of service, making public appearances to promote Solvang and the City’s spirit of Danish hospitality.
The 2025 Danish Maid is 17-year-old Addie Madrid, a Solvang resident whose Danish roots reach across the seas to Denmark. Her mother, Ashlee, is of mixed background, including Danish ancestry, and her grandmother, Glenda, traces her Denmark ties to her Danish-born parents, Marie and Johannes Jaeger.
Addie’s great-great-grandfather, Viggo Tarnow, came to the United States from Copenhagen in 1914. He settled in Minnesota where he met and married Cora, later moving his family, including their daughter, Marie, to California. Tarnow taught at Solvang’s Atterdag Folk School and helped to shape what is now the Atterdag Village of Solvang senior care center. His love for the Santa Ynez Valley ran deep, and through his dedication, Addie’s family became woven into the very fabric of Solvang.
Addie’s great-grandfather, Johannes Jaeger, came from Tindbæk, Denmark, in 1948, with hope in his heart and carpentry tools in his hands. In Solvang, he met and married Marie Tarnow, and together they built not just homes but a life of service and commitment to the community. Johannes became a partner in the Madsen & Jaeger Contracting Firm, and many of the Solvang structures that he helped build, still stand today – such as the large windmill on Alisal Road and the Solvang Brewing Company windmill on Mission Drive. Alongside Marie, he gave back to the community through volunteer work at Atterdag College, Bethania Lutheran Church, the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art, and more.
Serving as the 2025 Danish Maid, Addie follows the regal, third-generation path of her grandmother, Glenda Jaeger Madrid, Danish Maid in 1971; her mother, Ashlee Madrid, Danish Maid in 1999; and her sister, Aleena Madrid, Danish Maid in 2022.
“Velkommen to Danish Days 2025,” said Addie Madrid, Solvang’s 2025 Danish Maid. “I’m so excited that we get to gather once again to celebrate our heritage, our stories, and everything that makes Solvang feel like home, for locals and for visitors. Whether you’re here for the traditional Danish foods, the parades and dancing, or simply the feeling of community, I hope this weekend reminds you – just like it reminds me – of where we come from and why we keep returning.”
Solvang Danish Days 2025 is sponsored in part by the City of Solvang, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Visit the Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture, County of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Bowl, Rio Vista Chevrolet, Danish Folk Costumes, Montecito Bank & Trust, Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital, CoastHills Credit Union, Mechanics Bank, the Red Viking Restaurant and Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery, and Nielsen Building Materials. Additional sponsors will be announced as the event weekend approaches.
The preliminary 2025 Solvang Danish Days event weekend schedule is available online at www.SolvangDanishDays.org; select event weekend highlights are listed below this release.
More information about Solvang Danish Days including a brief history of the event, parade applications, and contact information, is also available at www.SolvangDanishDays.org. Solvang Danish Days is also on Facebook (facebook.com/
Questions, media requests for interviews and/or photos, may be directed to Anna Ferguson-Sparks, Stiletto Marketing, at 1.877.327.2656 or Solvang@stilettomarketing.com.
About the Solvang Danish Days Foundation
In early 1995, the Solvang City Council approached Santa Ynez Valley residents from long-established, local Danish families and other interested groups about possibly setting up a non-profit foundation – Solvang Danish Days Foundation – to formally plan and organize the increasingly popular, annual Danish Days festivities. The original Solvang Danish Days Foundation board members were Ken Andersen, Brenda Anderson, Hans Birkholm, Max Hanberg, Howard Petersen, David Rasmussen, and Henry Skytt. The current Foundation members meet throughout the year to ready each year’s celebration. Sponsors and volunteers for the event are always welcome; please contact the Foundation for more information.
Solvang Danish Days 2025 – Preliminary Event Weekend Highlights*
— FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 —
10:30 AM: John Clark, Hans Christian Andersen Storytime – Young and old alike will enjoy listening to an hour of tales from Denmark’s favorite author. Friday reading: 10:30 AM at the Solvang Library (1745 Mission Drive).
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Free Concert – Catch local band, The Rincons, performing live on the Midgaard Pavilion Stage in Parking Lot 2, in downtown Solvang, adjacent to the Danish Days Viking Beer & Wine Garden. All ages welcome; must be 21 years or older to enter Viking Beer & Wine Garden. Concert is free and open to the public.
4:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Axe Throwing – An axe throwing arena in downtown Solvang. Public invited to give axe throwing a try; must be thirteen (13) years of age or older to enjoy. Ages 13-17 need to have a parent or guardian present. Closed-toe shoes required. Axe throwing continues on Saturday and Sunday.
4:00 PM – 9:30 PM: Viking Beer & Wine Garden – Outdoor beer and wine garden; supports the Solvang Danish Days Foundation. Viking Beer & Wine Garden continues on Saturday. (Guests must be 21 years of age or older to purchase alcoholic beverages.)
7:30 PM: Torchlight Parade – Free for participants, all ages welcome, candles will be provided. Route begins at Alisal Road and Laurel Avenue, strolling south down Alisal Road and ending at the Midgaard Pavilion Stage (in Parking Lot 2, downtown Solvang, adjacent to the Danish Days Viking Beer & Wine Garden).
8:00 PM: Opening Ceremonies in Solvang Park introducing the 2025 Danish Maid, Addie Madrid, a welcome by Solvang Mayor David Brown, plus the 2025 Grand Marshals (TBA). Velkommen Street Dance follows with Danish dancers performing to live music (8:30-9:30 PM).
— SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2025 —
8:30 AM – 12:00 PM (*NEW TIME): Æbleskiver Breakfast on Copenhagen Drive between First and Second Streets, $10.00 per person (with Danish sausage, $12.00). Tickets available online in advance, or at the event entrance.
9:00 AM: Old World Artisans Marketplace – Demonstrations and artisan hand-crafted items including Scandinavian arts & crafts, woodworking, papercutting (papirklip), rosemåling, fabric art, jewelry, pottery, and the ever-popular Danish Sisterhood Booth. An open-air Nordic shopping district of finely crafted items, on First Street.
Vikings of Bjornstad – The Vikings of Bjornstad, a living history and educational group concentrating on the Viking age, will be in Solvang for this year’s Danish Days. All details TBA.
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Expanded Kid’s Korner featuring the popular LEGO® tents in Solvang Park, plus Luna’s Jumps attractions.
10:30 AM: John Clark, Hans Christian Andersen Storytimes – Young and old alike will enjoy listening to an hour of tales from Denmark’s favorite author. Saturday reading: 10:30 AM at the Hans Christian Andersen Museum (at The Book Loft).
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM: Living History Festival at Elverhøj Museum of History & Art (1624 Elverhoy Way; www.Elverhoj.org). Exhibits come to life during this free, interactive history lesson for all ages. Craftspeople, artisans, and storytellers demonstrate their skills and entertain visitors. Snap a selfie at the Viking photo stop stocked with costumes and props.
11:00 AM – 9:00 PM: Axe Throwing – An axe throwing arena in downtown Solvang. Public invited to give axe throwing a try; must be thirteen (13) years of age or older to enjoy. Ages 13-17 need to have a parent or guardian present. Closed-toe shoes required. Axe throwing continues on Sunday.
11:30 AM: Æbleskiver Eating Contest – Contest will be held in the Midgaard Pavilion in Parking Lot 2, downtown Solvang, adjacent to the Danish Days Viking Beer & Wine Garden. All ages welcome for this five-minute competition.
12:00 PM – 9:30 PM: Viking Beer & Wine Garden – Outdoor beer and wine garden; supports the Solvang Danish Days Foundation. (Guests must be 21 years of age or older to purchase alcoholic beverages.)
2:30 PM: Danish Days Parade – Includes the Solvang Village Band atop the Carlsberg Beer Wagon, floats, equestrians, Village Dancers and more. Line-up starts at 1:30 PM on First Street near Molle Way; parade begins by turning east on Copenhagen Drive, then north on Alisal Road, west on Mission Drive, south on Atterdag Road, east on Copenhagen, south on Second Street, finishes through Molle Way (running behind Solvang Festival Theater) back to First Street. NO CHARGE to participate in the parade; applications are available at www.SolvangDanishDays.org/
3:00 PM – 10:00 PM: Free Concerts featuring live performances on the Midgaard Pavilion Stage in Parking Lot 2, in downtown Solvang, adjacent to the Viking Beer & Wine Garden. All ages welcome (must be 21 years or older to enter Viking Beer & Wine Garden). Concerts are free and open to the public. Out Of The Blue performs 3:00 PM-6:00 PM; The Molly Ringwald Project performs 7:00 PM-10:00 PM.
— SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2025 –
8:30 AM – 12:00 PM (*NEW TIME): Æbleskiver Breakfast on Copenhagen Drive between First and Second Streets, $10.00 per person (with Danish sausage, $12.00). Advance tickets available for sale at solvang-danish-days-2025.
