Click Here: Festival Program 2025

THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND

There are a number of activities going on that you can enjoy during the Midsummer Festival. Among them are two almost full days of live music with the a number of individual artists, groups and choirs. There will be performances by the Scandinavian Dancers and the Vikings in the Viking Village, including songs, games and a real Viking raid – beware of the Norse! At the Midsummer Marketplace, you find over 50 vendors with shopping kiosks with lots of exciting products and crafts.  There will be cultural displays, kids’ activities, a troll forest and carnival games.

For the Midsummer beginner – there are two very popular events during the festival that you may not want to miss! The raising of the Midsummer Pole with dance around takes place on Saturday afternoon. The popular and crazy Finnish wife carrying contest takes place on Sunday.

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Program 2025

FOOD

Salmon BBQ, Smørrebrød (Danish open-face sandwiches), Swedish Meatballs, Finnish Meatballs, Hot Dogs, Waffles, Coffee, Pastries and Beer Garden.

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Pets are not allowed; only Certified Service Dogs welcomed.

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PROGRAM – SATURDAY JUNE 21st Main Stage and Field

Time	Event
10 am	Gates open
10:30 – 11:30 am	Vancouver Dorfmusik – European-style band playing music of Switzerland, Germany and Scandinavia
Noon – 12:30 pm	Setup for Opening Ceremony
12:30 pm – 1 pm	Opening Ceremony (Flag and Anthem ceremony)
1 pm – 2 pm	ON THE FIELD – Midsummer Traditions – Enjoy a festive parade, help us raise the Midsummer Pole, and dance on the grass with trolls and kids from 2 to 92!  Midsummer Spelmanslag with Scandinavian Dancers and Knotty Trolls
2 pm – 3 pm	ON THE FIELD – Hobby Horse Steeplechase
1:55 pm – 2:40 pm	Galiano Trio – Clarinet Trio with a twist
3 pm – 3.45 pm	Company B – Vintage Harmony at its finest
4:15 pm – 5 pm	Perfect Force – Talented, up and coming Pop Rock band
	Evening in the Beer Garden – Jazz
5 pm – 6 pm	West Coast Charisma – with Heather Soles
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm	Cat Toren Trio – Juno Award winner and friends!
8pm – ?	The Beagles – Great music for dancing and relaxing in the Beer Garden

 

PROGRAM – SUNDAY JUNE 22nd Main Stage and Field

Time	Event
10 am	Gates open
10 am – 11 am	Midsummer Pancake Breakfast in Beer Garden – Scandinavian breakfast with live music
11 am – 11:45 am	Night Shift – start your day with Jazz
12:15 pm – 1 pm	Fluterrific – the sound of flutes – joyous and sweet, powerful and uplifting
1:20 pm – 2:05 pm	Polish Folk Dancers – be entertained by our guest country
2 pm – 3 pm	ON THE FIELD  Wife-carrying Contest
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm	West Vancouver Concert Band – a rousing finish to the Main stage entertainment
3:30 pm	50/50 Raffle Drawing – Winner Announced   From the main stage
3:30 pm – 4 pm	ON THE FIELD – Midsummer Traditions – gather round the Midsummer Pole for games and dances with the Midsummer Spelmanslag,  & the Knotty Trolls
4 pm	Festival Closing

 

 

ENTERTAINERS’ BIOS

 

The Beagles (Beer Garden, Saturday 8 pm) The Beagles are a musical duo that has been performing music together for the past 20 years.  The Beagles are made up of two music teachers, Ken Mason and Ed Sadler. Together they have travelled all over British Columbia covering all types of music from the 50’s to the 2000’s.  Great music that you can dance to and guaranteed fun for all!!

 

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Perfect Force  (Saturday 4:15 pm)

The Perfect Force band is a group of four very musical high-schoolers led by the singer, Sophie. They have been playing and performing together ever since joining the Moscrop Secondary School concert/jazz bands. The Perfect Force performs songs of original composition by Sophie, pop music, rock music, sea shanties, and folk music. Sophie is a composer, is the gold prize winner of the Kiwanis musical festival, and has won several awards in national poetry contests. The Perfect Force adores performing and they have played their own songs in elementary and secondary schools, in different festivals, and private parties. Composed of their drummer Nathan, their pianist Chris, their bassist Dennis, and the guitarist and the singer Sophie, the Perfect Force will astound you, thrill you, and bring you lots of fun with their concerts.  http://perfectforceband.com/

 

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Knotty Trolls (Midsummer Traditions Saturday 1 pm, Sunday 3:30 pm, and Bandstand – by appointment!)

The Knotty Trolls have been making mischief at Midsummer for many years! With their stripey socks, pointy ears, and knotty tails, they’re hard to miss…. And they love food, so watch out for your waffles & sandwiches! You can catch up on their past antics on Instagram.

The Midsummer Festival is back, and so are the Knotty Trolls! Whether frolicking around the Midsummer Pole, causing trouble at the Wife Carrying contest, or hiding among their friends in the Troll Garden, you can find them by their stripy socks and knotted tails. They’ll be making mischief for the whole weekend, so come say hello – just make sure they don’t steal your waffles!   https://www.instagram.com/knottytrolls/

 

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Midsummer Spelmanslag (Saturday 1 pm; Sunday 3:30 pm)

The Midsummer Spelmanslag is a group of local musicians who gather each year to share Scandinavian folk music with everyone at the Midsummer Festival. Our greatest joy is to get our audience tapping their toes, or better yet, up and dancing!   http://www.vcn.bc.ca/scandi/

 

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The Scandinavian Dancers of Vancouver (Saturday 1 pm; Sunday 3:30 pm)

The Scandinavian Dancers of Vancouver is a group of energetic dancers and musicians, going strong since 1971. Though many of us are not Scandinavian, we’re dedicated to the preservation, enjoyment and performance of ethnic dances and music of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. From September to May, we dance on Wednesday evenings at the Scandinavian Centre and welcome both experienced and beginning dancers.   http://www.vcn.bc.ca/scandi/

 

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Vancouver Dorfmusik (Saturday 10:30 am)

The Vancouver Dorfmusik was founded in 1983 by musicians from the Swiss community who wanted to play music from their homeland. Dorfmusik means Village Band.  Today the members are as diverse as the population of Canada. The band has performed at such venues as the Kitsilano Showboat, Ladner Bandfest, the European Festival and the Swiss National Day. We are happy to be returning to perform at the Scandinavian Festival 2024.   Vancouver Dorfmusik is conducted by Gordon Koch.

http://www.swiss-society.org/vancouver-dorfmusik

 

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West Coast Charisma (Beer Garden – Saturday 5 pm)

Heather Soles is a Vancouver-based singer and songwriter.  Inspired by the constant wonder of jazz music — how fresh and new and beautiful the songs are each time they’re played — Canadian jazz singer Heather Soles and her band will take you on a musical journey full of depth, heart and swing.  Supported by Vancouver’s top musicians, Heather interprets her expansive repertoire of jazz standards, blues,  bebop and jazzified arrangements of vintage rock with  a natural sophistication and hint of smokiness. A recent project  with Vancouver pianist Miles Black, has been to reinterpret and reharmonize rock songs from the psychedelic 60’s through David Bowie and give each song her own personal flavor. Heather knows it’s all about connecting with the human experience and communicating emotions to the audience  in her soulful, bluesy style. She says “When I sing it’s synergy with the other players.  Music is my life.   Ray Charles said it best…  ‘For me, music is like breathing.  I never get tired of breathing, just like I never get tired of music. ‘ “

 

Vancouver BC based composer, song-writer and multi-instrumentalist  Miles Black has over 30 years of professional experience. He picked up the guitar at an early age, so he could jam with his dad. He  then began learning classical piano at age 11, and was playing professionally by age 14.   He began writing songs in his early teens and reckons he has written 8,000 songs.  He has played on over 400 albums, and has performed world-wide with many music greats, including Sweets Edison, Mark Murphy, Chuck Israels, Paul Horn,  Maynard Ferguson, Max Roach, Dee Daniels, Houston Person, Wynton Marsalis, Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan and Lew Tabackin to name a few. He was a member of the legendary fusion band, SKYWALK.

Miles is currently co-leading the award winning and Juno-nominated modern jazz quartet Altered Laws with reed-man Tom Keenlyside. He is a member of the Oliver Gannon Quartet, The Mike Allen Quartet. He is  the pianist for an exciting new jazz trio called “Triology” with  guitarist Bill Coon and bassist Jodi Proznick. In addition, Miles leads his own Octet.

 

Brent Gubbels has been a Vancouver based professional musician and teacher for nearly twenty years. In that time he’s worked with a number of local musicians and ensembles including the Hard Rubber Orchestra, Gypsalero, Rumba Calzada, John Reischman, the Vince Mai Project, Jesse Zubot, Dal Richards, Lee Aaron and Dee Daniels.

Since 1992, he has toured North America and Europe extensively and played a variety of international jazz and folk festivals. Brent can be heard on recordings by Oscar Lopez, Gypsalero, Juno nominees Susan Crowe and Compadres, Juno winner James Keelaghan, and others.

 

Dave Say (sax)  Vancouver Island-native, jazz saxophonist Dave Say loves jazz and all its variations. He is renowned for his soulful interpretations, powerhouse sound, tasteful inventiveness, and adventurous improvisations. Dave has headlined at every major venue in western Canada, and is a favourite at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival where he presents his contemporary jazz original compositions to a riveted audience each year. Dave’s versatility makes him a first-call musician on the west coast for all styles of jazz, funk, R&B and as part of big bands and larger ensembles. He has performed with Western Canadian Music, Juno and Grammy Award winning musicians  as Dan Brubeck, Brad Turner, Michael Bublé, Dee Daniels, The Supremes, and Oliver Gannon. He swings hard and improvises melodically, conjuring the jazz greats of yesteryear and infusing each note with his own brand of heartfelt emotion. Whether playing straight-ahead swinging standards, or original music, Dave’s dedicated following of fans and musician colleagues certainly have something to say about Say!

 

Ray Ayotte (drums)       Ray Ayotte is a drummer, percussionist, drum teacher, and drum maker. He is known world-wide for his drum making and design and has a long history in Vancouver’s drum retail and manufacturing. Ray Ayotte was born in Maillardville Canada where as a youngster he began playing drums for rock bands he formed with schoolmates. Throughout his early playing days Ray made little adjustments to his kit and learned that other players enjoyed the changes and sounds he could make. He dreamed of one day making his own drum set. After working in the music retail business Ray finally had his chance when he created the Ayotte Drum Company. After selling the company he began creating new models for Taye Drums to great success. He now handcrafts RAYA Drums and does restorations and repairs of rare and vintage drums. He enjoys playing many genres of music including Jazz, Rock, Blues and R&B.

 

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Cat Toren Trio    (Beer Garden – Saturday – 6:30 pm)

Cat Toren is a Juno Award winning pianist and composer. Born and raised in Vancouver, Cat Toren has become a fixture in the vibrant jazz scene of New York City and recently relocated to Washington State where she is a faculty member at Western Washington University. She has performed with various ensembles internationally and is happy to be returning to the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival. Joining her onstage are local luminaries: bassist Russell Sholberg and guitarist Tom Wherrett.

 

 

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Fluterrific   (Sunday 12:15 pm)

Fluterrific is a Lower Mainland-based flute ensemble with a versatile repertoire that spans Classical, Baroque, Celtic, spicy Latin rhythms, Jazz, Contemporary works, and even Broadway hits. Fluterrific spreads the beauty and wonder of the flute family to music lovers of all ages and genres. Fluterrific’s amazing assortment of flutes from piccolos to flutes, alto flutes, bass flutes, and other surprises celebrate timeless favourites and share heartfelt original works.  Fluterrific truly lives up to its name: Flute + Terrific!  Performer – Michelle Carlisle    www.michellecarlisle.ca

 

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Nightshift Jazz    (Sunday 11:00 am)

Nightshift Jazz is a big band of approximately 17 members based in Vancouver and drawing participants from across the lower mainland. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds but we all have one thing in common: we love the music of the jazz tradition, from the big bands of the “Jazz Era” on down to arrangements of rock and pop tunes. We like to keep it eclectic, and keep our audience on their toes! The current configuration, with Max Todd directing, has practised once a week, September until the end of June, since 1998.
We might not be the most polished outfit in town, but we make sure that we are feeling the spirit and having a lot of fun, and hope that you can let yourself get carried away with us!

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Company B Jazz Band (Saturday 3 pm)

 

Company B Jazz Band is one of Vancouver, BC’s foremost vintage jazz ensembles featuring a harmonizing vocal trio, inspired by the harmonizing “sister groups” of the 1920s through 40s. The band pays tribute to the style and sound of the era, while adding their unique flair to choice repertoire; they have become known to fans for their predictably unpredictable arrangements, pitch-perfect musicianship, and engaging stage dynamic that draws music lovers of all types.      https://onepagelink.com/companybjazzband/

 

 

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Galiano Trio  (Saturday 1:55 pm)

The Galiano Trio provides music for all occasions.  A classical wind trio with a twist.  Performing repertoire spanning more than four centuries, expanding the definistion of chamber music!  Founded in 1986, we have provided music and entertainment in the Greater Vancouver Region for over 30 years!  After taking a few years off from the local music scene to work on other projects, we are BACK!

 

 

 

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West Vancouver Concert Band (Sunday 2:30 pm)

In the spring of 1969 a group of West Vancouver residents met to consider the formation of an adult band as an extension of the existing West Vancouver Band(youth band).   This resulted in the formation of the West Vancouver Adult Concert Band.
The first rehearsal was held in the Irwin Park Elementary School band room at 8:30pm on May 6th, 1969.
Today, the West Vancouver Adult Concert Band is going strong, rehearsing weekly and performing regularly.    https://www.westvanband.ca/index.html