ScanFest at Vasa Park

Food, entertainment, crafts, gifts, kids' activities, re-enactors - the annual New Jersey heritage festival has it all. 

  • The annual New Jersey heritage festival has it all.

  • The majestic trees and rolling hills of Vasa Park in Budd Lake, New Jersey make a rustic, beautiful site for the 35th annual ScanFest festival, the largest Scandinavian celebration in the Northeast, this year on September 1.
    Enjoy traditional dancers, Scandinavian songs and soloists, and the music of accordions and bands. More than 40 different vendors offer such things as hand-knit sweaters, rosemaling, jewelry, carved wood pieces and other items.

  • The playful Nordic wrestlers Telge Glima will be showcasing old Viking contests and games.

  • Sample ethnic (and American) foods. Lines form early and long in front of the Swedish pancake and lingonberry booth. Sample Norwegian ice cream, pea soup, blueberry soup and Swedish meatballs, plus scads of pastries and breads ... it would seem where the food is, the true Scandinavian heart rests also.

  • The New Jersey-based heritage festival celebrates the cultures and contributions of the extended Nordic region. Food, entertainment, crafts, gifts, kids' activities, re-enactors, demonstrating artisans, exhibitors, field arena contests, Vikings and ... the annual North American wife-carrying contest!

  • This year includes performances by the Westminster Conservatory of Music, the Not Club of NYC, the sax ensemble Spirit of Scandinavia, Scandinavian Women's Chorus of Rhode Island, Smörgåsbandet and many more. There will be field performances by the Nordic wrestlers Telge Glima showcasing old Viking contests, Norse ax throwing, grazing reindeer and the annual wife-carrying contest. Skansen Children's Club will perform as will the Estonian folkdance group Pillerkaar.

  • Almost anything you could imagine in the way of Scandinavian food, products, souvenirs, culture, history, and entertainment is here to be enjoyed.

  • From its very beginning, Scanfest celebrated the cultures of six countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, encouraging native dress among visitors (wearers admitted free!) and authentic programs. There are children’s activities throughout the day, including appearances by Clarence the Clown, mock turtle marionettes and hands-on demonstrations.

  • The festival is Sunday, September 1 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at New Jersey's Vasa Park, 1 Wolfe Road in Budd Lake in the Skylands Region, a little over an hour from Manhattan by car.
    For information, contact info@scanfest.org, 610.417.1483 or www.ScanFest.org