Santa Ynez Valley Community and Visitors Invited to Celebrate Summer in Solvang’s Europe-in-America, Storybook Setting
May 10, 2023 – Solvang, CA – Solvang, California, the Danish-settled village in Santa Barbara County wine country, is rolling out the welcome mat for seasonal celebrations of all kinds with the announcement of its City of Solvang-hosted summer happenings, mid-May through mid-September 2023. Currently-scheduled events covering the warm weather months run the gamut from a half marathon, to Pride festivities, to beloved cultural affairs, offering family-friendly entertainment and experiences set in the California Central Coast town known for idyllic nods to its Danish roots through Scandinavia-like scenery.
Solvang’s summer of events unofficially starts with the Saturday, May 13, 2023, Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon, presented by Chumash Casino Resort. The scenic 13.1-mile course starts and finishes in the heart of historic Solvang, running through the town of Los Olivos, past horse ranches, fruit orchards, farms and vineyards, along Ballard Canyon roads to the grand finish on Solvang’s Copenhagen Drive. Runners aged 21+ can purchase a ticket to enjoy the exclusive post-race wine festival in Solvang Park, featuring local wineries from Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara’s wine country (2023 wine festival is sold out). The May 13 Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon begins at 7:00 AM; the post-race wine festival is 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM. More information and race participant registration is available at www.RunSipSantaBarbara.com.
Produced by Santa Ynez Valley nonprofit, SYV Pride, the 2023 edition of SYV Pride month begins Thursday, June 1, with a month-long event line-up to include multiple winery-hosted happenings, arts and crafts activities, a family-friendly silent disco, and the month’s main attraction: the Saturday, June 24, SYV Pride Parade and Festival. The second annual SYV Pride Parade (11:00 AM; starts at Alisal Rd & Oak St) will roll through downtown Solvang with floats, music, and more, ending with a family-centric Pride Festival (12:00 PM) in Solvang Park, open to adults and kids of all ages, featuring live music, food booths, and a beer and wine garden. Further SYV Pride updates and event schedule details, as well as ticket information for certain SYV Pride events, may be found at www.SYVPride.org and @syv.pride.
Kicking off Wednesday, June 21, 2023, running 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM every Wednesday through August 30, the Solvang Chamber of Commerce’s Music in the Park program will entertain locals and tourists in Solvang Park. Eleven different bands are slated for the series with music styles ranging from cello blues and soul, to 50s surf and classic rock, performing free family-friendly, alfresco concerts which present picnic-perfect opportunities. Lawn chairs, picnic blankets, and snacks are welcome.
Wednesdays in Solvang also bring the weekly Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market, which runs during the summer from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM along the 400 block of First Street, directly adjacent to Solvang Park. Regional farmers, ranchers, and other local food and beverage crafters, sell their fresh-from-the-farm wares, many of which are ideal snacks to sustain Music in the Park audiences.
“Our midweek entertainment options demonstrate just how self-contained Solvang’s downtown core really is,” commented Solvang City Manager, Randy Murphy. “Locals and visitors stroll through town picking up produce and other edible goods at the weekly Solvang Farmers Market or from some of our many culinary establishments, paired with wine or beer from our local tasting rooms and craft brewers. Then they hit the park for an evening of open-air music. It’s small-town America, but with a truly unique-to-Southern California, Northern European backdrop.”
The Fourth of July ushers in Solvang Rotary’s annual July 4th Parade (11:00 AM) and post-parade BBQ, with miles of smiles created by dozens upon dozens of parade entrants comprising classic cars, prancing horses, dance troupes, drum lines, and brass sections. The July 4th Parade route winds its way through town traversing most of Solvang’s main thoroughfares, as high school marching bands, motorcycle and car clubs, floats crafted by local businesses, and animated farm animal and pet entries put on their best patriotic display. As night falls, Santa Ynez Valley Rotary’s fireworks festival lights up the Solvang sky in a show based next to historic Old Mission Santa Inés.
September sees the 86th celebration of the annual Solvang Danish Days (www.solvangdanishdays.org), California’s premier Danish heritage festival. The three-day event weekend, Friday through Sunday, September 15 through 17, 2023, will once again provide attendees with a total Danish immersion experience while helping to preserve Solvang’s authentic Danish heritage.
Solvang Danish Days, which honors the 1911 establishment of Solvang by Danish-Americans, encompasses activities for all ages, ranging from fan-favorite food events surrounding Aebleskiver, the iconic Danish pastry rounds; to a Danish-style beer and wine garden serving Danish import, Carlsberg beer, alongside local brews, wines and festival eats; to an axe-throwing arena where guests can “unleash their inner Viking;” to an Old World artisanal crafts marketplace.
Overall admission to Solvang Danish Days is free, and entertainment options abound during the weekend with three parades, live concerts, plus folk dancers and Danish musicians performing in spots scattered about the town. The festival also aims to please the next generation of Danish Days fans with multiple pastimes, including story-telling sessions with Hans Christian Andersen and an activity tent featuring LEGO®. Also returning to Solvang Danish Days this year is a town-wide, professional LEGO building competition. All further Danish Days event details and programming, TBA.
“Solvang’s summer events showcase the village’s Danish-rooted customs and inherent, European charm, with the grand bonus of patriotic and Pride parades, free, live music in Solvang Park, and the ultimate Solvang festival, Danish Days,” Murphy continued. “Together, these experiences highlight the diversity and authenticity of our community, which are on display for the delight of our Santa Barbara County locals as well as tourists from around the globe.”
Dog-friendly and ideal for kids, Solvang is known for its Danish-American vibe, Scandinavian architecture and design details, pastries, bakeries, and array of wine tasting options. Solvang also boasts dozens of unique boutiques, restaurants and gourmet food purveyors. Carefully curated indie bookstores and high-end home goods suppliers mingle with fairy tale-like children’s stores and museum gift shops. Solvang’s foodie destinations offer up everything from elevated street cuisine – like locally-sourced fish tacos on handmade tortillas, and comforting ramen noodles – to European-style pretzels and sausages, to Italian standbys or iconic Danish dishes, to elevated new-Californian fare in the form of Michelin-honored menus, to heritage grain sourdough loaves or limited-edition cheeses. Solvang visitors sip small-batch, locally roasted coffee, shop for exotic, hand-bottled spice blends, or enjoy Tiki cocktails and craft beer, all part of an indulgent and one-of-a-kind California Central Coast shopping and playing escape.
About the City of Solvang
Known as “The Danish Capital of America,” the City of Solvang is located in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. Founded by a group of Danish-Americans in 1911 and later incorporated in 1985, Solvang is home to a number of bakeries, restaurants, and merchants offering a taste of Denmark in Southern California. Sleek, Scandinavian design meets Old World charm in Solvang’s numerous interior courtyards, cozy communal spaces, and open-air venues, where vacation itineraries for all unfold. The walkable town offers plentiful free parking options for locals and day-trippers, and more than 20 lodging options for staycation-ers, weekenders and midweek travelers, at all vacation budget levels. For more information, including travel itinerary ideas and inspiration for things to do, where to eat and drink, and places to stay, follow our adventures on Instagram: @SolvangUSA.
