⚔️ BERSERK RETURNS! ⚔️ Sharpen your axes and gather your clan—BERSERK, our epic Viking festival, is storming back into town on Saturday, May 31st!
🏕️ TWO Rival Viking Encampments will take over the front lawn—witness warriors crafting tools of the past, playing traditional Viking games, and clashing in combat demonstrations throughout the day. It all leads up to an all-out battle to the “death” at 2PM—you won’t want to miss it!
🕚 WHEN: 11am – 3pm 🎟️ TICKETS: Adults $20 in advance ($25 day of), Kids 12 & under $10 ($15 day of)
💥 Want to be part of the raid? We’re still welcoming Volunteers, Vendors, and Food Trucks to join our mighty village. Sign up here!
🔥 HAPPENING INSIDE THE NORDIC HALL: 🕛 12:00 PM – Dr. William Short presents Life, Death, and Afterlife: Religion in the Viking Age A deep dive into the spiritual world of the Norse!
🛡️ ON THE LAWN:
🌲 Viking Encampments Step into the world of Norse warriors—explore daily life, tools, and traditions in our rival camps.
🎶 Live Performance by Merulae – 1pm on the lawn Experience hauntingly beautiful melodies inspired by ancient Nordic soundscapes.
🛡️ Crafts, Games & Warrior Training Fun for all ages—test your skills, train like a Viking, and unleash your inner shield-maiden or berserker!
💪 Stone Lifting Challenge with New England Stone Lifting Prove your strength in this traditional feat of might—can you lift the stone?
🔮 Rune & Viking Tarot Readings by Michi Tarot(Additional cost) Seek guidance from the runes or peer into the Viking mystic with an intuitive tarot session.
⚔️ Climactic Battle at 2PM The rival camps collide in an epic showdown—don’t miss the action!
🐉🔥 DRAGON ALERT! 🔥🐉 On behalf of Universal Pictures & DreamWorks Animation, the Boston Universal team is flying into BERSERK Viking Festival with free promotional goodies for the new HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON movie — plus movie passes!
This exhibit is a deeply personal collection of photographs capturing the beauty of Sweden, primarily from Medelpad, where Karina Granbom grew up, and the Stockholm region, where she spends much of her time. Each year, she brings these images back with her to the U.S. as a way to stay connected to the country that shaped her. For Karina, preserving this bond is essential—it keeps her grounded. And, much to her children’s amusement (or dismay), she never misses a chance to share stories about Sweden with those she meets.
Photography has become her way of sharing not just places, but emotions. By enlarging and exhibiting her landscapes, she hopes to transport viewers to the moments that move her, allowing them to experience a piece of Sweden, whether they have been there or not.
Karina is a Swedish portrait photographer based outside Boston. She is an active member of SWEA Boston, the Swedish School of Boston, and SACCNE (Swedish American Chamber of Commerce New England). Every summer, she returns with her family to central Sweden, spending time in Sundsvall and Fränsta.
A few years ago, she and her brother became the latest caretakers of their family’s summer house, a historic farmhouse in Fränsta. As the 13th generation on that land, they feel both the pride and the responsibility of carrying on a legacy that stretches back centuries.
Through this exhibit, Karina invites you to see Sweden through her eyes—her heart, captured in every frame.
The Kaufmann Duo (Mattias and Charles Kaufmann) will play Norwegian folk dances collected by Norwegian folklorist Klara Semb (1884–1970) and their own arrangements of Scandinavian folk music.
Saturday, April 26th | 1pm | $20; $10 for members | Tickets
Mattias Kaufmann is an accordionist based in Boston, MA, known for their innovative compositional work with the critically acclaimed interdisciplinary Yiddish theater group Magid Ensemble. They have studied with masters of the accordion in the USA and abroad, such as American accordionist Guy Klucevsek and Serbian accordionist Nenad Ivanović, and are a member of the New England Greek Orchestra, led by world-famous Greek musicians Vasilis Kostas and George Lernis. Mattias holds a degree in Contemporary Musical Arts from New England Conservatory and enjoys examining the threads that connect different styles of folk music from around the world.
Charles Kaufmann is an award-winning writer, historian, filmmaker, composer, bassoonist, organist, and the founding director of The Longfellow Chorus, a professional non-profit performing arts organization in Portland, Maine. During the 1980s, he was a bassoonist with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (Musikkselskapet Harmonien) in Bergen, Norway, where he recorded solo bassoon works for NRK Radio, including premiere recordings of those by Norwegian composer Øistein Sommerfeldt. In 2012, he arranged a rare visit to the US by Norwegian violinist Arve Tellefsen for performances with the Orchestra of The Longfellow Chorus of concert violin music by Ole Bull (1810–1880). Also in 2012, he edited, translated subtitles, and screened in Portland’s Nickelodeon Theatre the remarkable documentary for children “Ole Bull’s Fairy Tale” (NRK TV, 1982), starring Arve Tellefsen, currently available on YouTube as “Arve Tellefsen in Ole Bull’s Fairy Tale.”
Swedish Pianist Lana Suran is coming to the Nordic Hall for a solo recital.
Lana Suran is an award-winning Swedish pianist and one of the leading Scandinavian pianists of her generation. Hailed by the Augsburger Allgemeine as ‘simply an outstanding artist’, Lana is armed with the insights that flow from a deep understanding of her nature and the ability to communicate the most powerful and personal emotions. Her expressive pianism rises directly from the heart to reveal the tremendous vitality and range of her inner emotional landscape. The eloquent honesty of her interpretations is supported by a rare sensibility for tonal nuance and shading, a combination that gives surging life to strikingly mature performances of an equally striking range of repertoire.
Lana’s artistic credo has been shaped by her determination to grow naturally as a performer, without undue haste or cutting corners. “Making music, for me,” she notes, “is something that cannot be compromised. I want people to feel something when they hear me play. This demands giving more of everything, physically, emotionally, spiritually.” Fluent in six languages and at home on both sides of the Atlantic, her cosmopolitan outlook is reflected in the breadth of her recital programmes and explorations in the field of chamber music. Her repertoire list encompasses the great landmarks of the keyboard literature, including Beethoven’s ‘Diabelli’ Variations, Chopin’s Ballades and Schumann’s Humoreske and such 20th-century classics as Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.2 and Prokofiev’s late piano sonatas.
Friday, April 25th | 7pm | $20; $10 for members | Tickets
Get ready to hop into spring Scandinavian-style! Join us for a fun and festive afternoon of Nordic Easter crafts perfect for all ages. Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or just love the smell of fresh glue sticks, this hands-on workshop will bring a burst of color and tradition to your holiday season.
We’ll explore beautiful and whimsical Scandinavian Easter traditions, including:
🌼 Decorating påskris (Swedish Easter trees) 🐣 Transform into an Easter witch (påskkärringar/påskhäxor) a tradition where children dress up as witches and ask for treats 🎨 Creating bright, cheerful decorations inspired by Nordic folk art
Bring your creativity, your friends, and maybe a smock or two—this event is family-friendly and egg-stra fun! 🥚✨
Saturday, April 19th | 10am-noon
Tickets: $10 members / $20 non-members Ages: Recommended for ages 6 and up (younger kids welcome with adult help)
Space is limited, so reserve your spot early!
Saturday, April 19th | 10am – 12pm | $20pp; $10 for members | Tickets
Presented as the Library’s April film choice: TOVE’S ROOM ( TOVES VÆRELSE)
In a luxury apartment in the center of Copenhagen, set in the 1960s, Tove Ditlevsen lives with Ekstra Bladet’s editor-in-chief, Victor Andreasen, in a tumultuous marriage. When the young writer Klaus Rifbjerg comes to lunch to discuss literature, he has no idea what awaits him…
Saturday April 12th | 1pm | $10; $5 for members | tickets
In Danish with English subtitles | Biography, Drama | 73 min.
Swedish bassist/composer Bruno Råberg presents a concert for solo bass featuring his own compositions, Swedish folk melodies and jazz classics.
Bruno Råbergis an internationally renowned Swedish bass player and composer who has made 14 recordings as a leader, about 50 as a sideman, and who has performed/recorded with world-class artists including Kris Davis, Jerry Bergonzi, Terri Lyne Carrington, George Garzone, Chris Cheek, Kenny Werner, Sam Rivers, Donny McCaslin, Bruce Barth, Bob Moses, Mick Goodrick, Ben Monder, Matt Wilson, and Mike Mainieri. Listen to “Look Inside” on Spotify
“It is quite a feat to fill an entire album with exclusively engaging double bass.” Timo Kangas – Lira Musik Magazine (SE)
“This is bass playing at its most enchanting.” Ian Patterson – All About Jazz
“Bass virtuoso…remarkable new solo recording, showcasing his deep, resonant timbre .” Kevin Lowenthal, Boston Globe
Saturday, April 5th | 1pm | $20; FREE for members | Tickets
On April 27th, from 3:30-5:30pm, the Finlandia Foundation of Boston invites you to explore the art of Nordic printmaking in an interactive workshop led by accomplished artist Kristi Holohan.
Dive into traditional techniques with a contemporary twist, and create your very own unique prints inspired by the beauty of the Nordic aesthetic.
All skill levels are welcome to enjoy this creative experience. Participants aged 14 and above will especially find this workshop engaging and enjoyable.
Join Saija Laurla to learn Finnish travel vocabulary, useful sentences and tips on where to visit in Helsinki!
First meeting: Friday April 4th | 6 – 7:30 pm | for all 4 classes: $150; $100 for members | Tickets
*We need at least 10 registrants for classes to run*
There will be 4 meetings, starting every Friday in April.
1st meeting: Friday, April 4th
2nd meeting: Friday, April 11th
3rd meeting: Friday, April 18th
Last meeting: Friday, April 25th
Bio: Saija Laurla
Although the Finnish language can be difficult to learn, instructor Saija Laurla makes it fun and interesting. She was born in Helsinki and raised in Vantaa, the international airport city of Finland. Living accessibly to other countries, her family took her abroad two to three times a year. This gave the talkative Saija the ability to learn some French, English, Spanish, Swedish and Italian. As a young adult Saija continued traveling, always picking up words here and there continuing her interests towards different languages. In Finland Saija worked as a journalist, script writer and a TV-producer. When Saija’s husband got offered a job in the United States in 2015, Saija watched numerous popular TV shows to refresh her English as well as expose her to American culture.
In 2018, Saija had lived in the US for three years by the time she discovered the teaching position available at Saima Park, and felt comfortable to apply. The rest is history; now Saija enjoys teaching Finnish online as well as in person. If you haven’t yet met her, you will find her teaching at the Scandinavian Cultural Center.
Flower crown station sponsored by SWEA Boston
boxed lunch prepared by Kaffestugan
live musical performance by Merulae
singing and dancing around the maypole
Swedish candy and pantry goods for sale
