Each year, during a few magical summer days in July…

...our seaside town Karlshamn shows itself from its most charming and relaxed side. Then the town welcomes everyone to a festival of gigantic proportions – the Karlshamn Baltic Festival (Östersjöfestivalen). It’s held every year during the same week in July. For us, the inhabitants of Karlshamn, it’s something we think about, talk about and plan for most of the year.

The last few years almost a quarter of a million visitors have invaded the streets of Karlshamn during the festival. This impressive figure makes it one of the largest free festivals in Sweden.

What do people enjoy most about the festival? Well, they mention the food stalls and the great diversity of music(the streets are full of singers, jazz bands and samba orchestras). And we must not forget the carnival procession, which almost transforms Karlshamn into a second Rio.

The Baltic Song Contest brings together artists from countries all around the Baltic.

If you ask visitors to the festival what their most vivid impressions are you are sure to get many different answers. But many of them remember the smell of fried herring and the fragrance of flowers in bloom, music in the courtyards and in the streets, warm summer breezes, the street market, the cultural quarter and the noise and bustle in the harbour area. There’s a sense of fun in the air and hundreds of smiling faces in the streets.

And, of course, the festival will be back again next summer, bigger and better than ever! There’s no saying what can happen!

Welcome to Karlshamn and the Karlshamn Baltic Festival.

Conny Nilsson
Festival Admiral

Baltic Song Contest

Karlshamn’s town square fills with holiday makers and festival visitors when the Baltic Song Contest takes possession of the giant stage in front of the town hall.

The Baltic Song Contest is the highlight of the festival and the hub around which all else revolves. It will be no different this year. Polish TV2 will be there to film the contest and the programme will also be broadcast by the satellite channel Polonia.

The majority of participants in the Baltic Song Contest are solo artists or groups from the countries bordering the Baltic. Former contestants include Sofia Källgren,  Peter Jöback, Tova Naess, Christer Björkman, Crosstalk, Edyta Gorniak from Poland, Opus from Austria and many more.

In addition to participants in the song contest many other famous artists have performed on the Festival Stage over the years, among them are such names as Herreys, Gladys del Pilar, Shane and Dreamworld.

When it first started the Baltic Song Contest was seen as a way of bringing together the different peoples around the Baltic. Today it has become the Karlshamn Baltic Festival’s very own song contest.

Contact persons for the Baltic Song Contest:
Jacek Staskiewicz, tel: +48 22 549 29 51, fax: +48 22 549 29 52
Krzyszof Szcwezyk, tel: +48 22 549 29 51, fax: +48 22 549 29 52

Concerts

The Karlshamn Baltic festival always opens with a concert on the huge Festival Stage in the town square. Over the years quite a few artists have helped make this opening concert the perfect start to three days of fun and entertainment. Artists such as Ulf Lundell, Dilba, Raj Montana Band, Py Bäckman & Dan Hylander, Peter LeMarc, Sven-Ingvars, Magnus Uggla, Wilmer X, Thomas Ledin, Eldkvarn, Carola and many more have helped to give the Wednesday concert the popularity it enjoys today.

Where to order tickets:
www.ticnet.se
Biljett Direkt, phone: +46 77 170 70 70
Karlshamn Tourist Office, phone: +46 454 812 17
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Festival music

Music, music everywhere! Old favourites and new! The Copenhagen Steel Band needs no introduction. Nor do the trad jazz bands that will get your feet tapping regardless of age. Samba groups are a feast for the eyes and ears with sensual dancing and exotic rhythms. The beat of your heart will quicken when brass bands march past. Memories of long gone days will be revived by the tones of a barrel organ. And just by walking from one street corner to another you can hear classical music, African drums or rock music from the seventies.

suddenly in the early evening the crowds start moving away from the beer tents and food stalls to stand tightly packed along the High Street, almost engulfing the market stalls.

Festival bargains and miracle products are forgotten! Fried herring sandwiches and kebab can wait! It’s time for the Festival Parade! There are hundreds of people in the procession playing music, making people laugh, some of them sitting on unbelievable floats and many of them wearing colourful costumes. It has to be seen to be believed!

Contact person for the Festival music is:
Sigvard “Gigge” Andersson, tel: 0454-12 700, 0708-53 65 55

The Festival Parade

The carnival procession with its almost one thousand participants is one of the highlights of the year in Karlshamn. These participants come from brass bands, samba groups and local clubs in and around Karlshamn. This mix makes for an extravaganza of colour and sound which entertains and amuses the many visitors to the festival.

Some of those taking part in the procession are professional artists, others are amateurs but they all do their utmost to make sure that the visitors and residents who line the streets have a good time.

Be ready for surprises! Be prepared for experiences and impressions that will still be with you long after the procession is over! The festival draws much of its atmosphere and colour from the parade. People loosen up and the town puts on its most charming air.

Water Festival in the harbour

The Karlshamn Baltic Festival is also a water festival. It goes without saying that being a seaside town adds a lot to the charm of Karlshamn, especially in the summer and the sea is also an important part of the Karlshamn Baltic Festival. There are quite as many attractions on and in the water as there are on land. Over the years the crowds lining the harbour quays have been able to follow a number of national and international “happenings” close at hand despite their taking place on water.

Car show

The veteran car show has become one of the most popular features of the festival both with car freaks and other visitors. Many senior citizens stroll around the show remembering their first experiences of cars and motorcycles.

Many are amazed that the cars have survived despite the ravages of time and rust and are full of admiration for the work that has been put into their restoration. Most of the vehicles come from Blekinge or adjacent counties and their owners are only too happy to talk about the history behind each car and how it was restored to its present condition.

Cultural quarter

The sound of singing swirls across the cobble stoned courtyard, collides with sun-warmed timbers and finds its way through cracks in the walls to the ears of the crowds thronging the street outside. The old buildings around the stage seem to lean on each other for support while the unique merchant’s house looks on.

The Cultural Quarter is an island of peace in a sea of people. Here you can get away from the noise and bustle of the streets and relax. There are narrow streets and alleys to explore, antiques, modern art and genuine handicraft to admire. And it’s here that you can watch craftsmen demonstrate almost forgotten skills.

The Town Museum is situated here. Just across the street is the Art Gallery, which hosts exhibitions of the highest quality. Many of us still remember the Russian icons and the Polish tapestries, not forgetting the marvellous exhibitions of glass.

The nearby Punsch Museum is a monument to the time when Karlshamn’s harbour was filled with ships loading spirits and tobacco.

But we are no longer prone to such vices…

The Pea Soup Race

This is a real tradition! The small sailing boat called Blekingsekan is one of our county’s most well-known symbols. It is a symbol that unites people all along our coast and is often used in logos. Every year around twenty Blekingsekor and their crews gather in Karlshamn to compete in a variety of classes in what some like to call the World Championship for Blekingsekor. Others are content to use the official name, “Ärtsoppeseglingen” (The Pea Soup Race). One and a half hours before the starting shot is fired skippers and crews gather in the harbour. Winning the race is a matter of great prestige. After the competition there is a prize ceremony and the competitors are served with pea soup. Co-arrangers for the race are the Matvik Sailing Club and the Karlshamn Baltic festival. Competitors are not required to announce participation, nor are they required to pay an entry fee.

The Festival Stage program

The programme of acts on the Festival stage includes something for everyone. Artistry, farce and musicality make for a mix to suit all tastes.

From early morning to late at night there’s always something happening on the Festival stage. One moment you’re watching a well-known face from Swedish TV in a show for kids and the next you’re tapping your feet to jazz rhythms. The stage is also home to Karlshamn’s own song competition, the Baltic Song Contest.

Traditionally Thursday evenings are for lovers of jazz. Over the years artists such as Viktoria Tolstoy, Nils Landgren, Svante Thuresson, Babben Larsson and Claes Jansson have performed to the accompaniment of the Oskarhamn Big Band.

Swedish Radio has broadcast such programmes as Top Summer Hits, Swedish Top Hits and P4 Riks live from the Festival stage. Children have been entertained by artists such as Mora Träsk and Myror i brallan.