Staff Report
The Solvang Danish Days Foundation has officially announced the cancellation of the 2021 event weekend. Solvang’s Danish Days was previously scheduled for a two-day, in-person event line-up, Friday and Saturday, September 17 and 18. Solvang Danish Days 2021 would have celebrated the festival’s 85th anniversary.
“The decision to cancel this year’s Danish Days, for the second, unprecedented year in a row, breaks our hearts. The festival weekend is a tradition for so many members of our community, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to our city for this annual cultural event,” said Max Hanberg, Solvang Danish Days 2021 co-chair.
Hanberg continued, “However, with Danish Days scheduled for just over a month from now, and with so many unknowns due to the impending COVID surges, we felt that the safest thing to do for our residents and for our tourists, was to cancel the event.”
A major impetus for the 2021 event’s cancellation was the new facemask mandates set forth by the State of California and by Santa Barbara County, in which Solvang resides.
“Solvang Danish Days annually draws thousands of attendees, a potential crowding situation which we wanted to avoid this year due to the spread of the virus’ Delta variant,” added Brenda Anderson, Solvang Danish Days 2021 co-chair.
Solvang Danish Days, which traditionally honors the 1911 establishment of Solvang by Danish-Americans, was also canceled in 2020 due to the enduring COVID pandemic.
Anderson concluded, “Danish Days is a town-wide celebration, and while we cannot hold this year’s festival as planned, our town’s still here. We do welcome visitors who are traveling safely, and our businesses look forward to giving everyone a taste of our ‘little Denmark’.”
More information about Solvang Danish Days, including a brief history of the event and complete contact information, is available at www.SolvangDanishDays.org. Solvang Danish Days is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, at facebook.com/SolvangDanishDays, twitter.com/DanishDays, and @DanishDays. Future event dates will be announced in the first half of 2022.
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 Foundation members meet throughout the year to ready each year’s celebration. Donations and volunteers for the event are always welcome; please contact the Foundation for more information.
