Valborg
Walpurgis Night
Held on the last of April. Valborg began as a pagan spring feast but became particularly popular among Swedish students in the 19th century, thus earning a special place in the Uppsala calendar. During the day, tens of thousands of people are out on the streets and parks. Lots of champagne is consumed (or sprayed) and the whole town is like one big festival. At 10:00, students riding decorated rafts race down the Fyris River, usually crashing in the two waterfalls. At 15:00, lots of people gather below Carolina Rediviva and put on their white student caps at a signal, and the masses rejoice. At 21:00, a choir is singing an ode to spring by the castle, and as the day turns to night bonfires are lit all around the city. While Valborg proper is celebrated on April 30, this does not keep the most dedicated students from also partying on "Skvalborg" (April 28), "Kvalborg" (April 29) and "Finalborg" (May 1).
- Hours
- Apr
Listing from Wikivoyage: Uppsala, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.