Minnesota Scandinavian Festival
The Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival has been a landmark festival with a commitment to authentic programs in the Fargo, North Dakota-Moorhead, Minnesota community since 1977. The festival had its roots as a weekend celebration of Norwegian culture at Trollwood Fine Arts Park that was located in north Fargo. The festival gradually expanded to downtown financial institutions who hosted displays, demonstrations, style shows, entertainment and foods from the Norwegian, Icelandic and Finnish cultures. Swedes, Danes and Sami cultures were included shortly after the Finns joined the festival.
In the early 1980s when the Hjemkomst Center was being built in Moorhead, it was decided to include the name Hjemkomst (pronounced Yem-komst – Norwegian for Homecoming) to the festival title. The Hjemkomst Center houses the replica Viking Ship Hjemkomst, constructed by Robert Asp, that sailed the North Atlantic from Duluth to Norway in 1982. The multipurpose facility is owned and operated by the City of Moorhead under a division of the Parks and Recreation Department.
Concordia College in Moorhead hosted the Festival Banquet with professional entertainment from one of the Scandinavian countries each year. Gradually, the cities of Fargo and Moorhead began hosting the Festival Dance on Friday night, and the “Hand’s Across the Sea” Wednesday night reception. The Sons of Norway in Fargo hosted a luncheon and craft show on Wednesday and a dinner and dance on Friday night of the Festival. Exhibitions related to Scandinavian art and culture were displayed in the community’s museums, libraries, and Concordia College.
In 1986 the festival expanded to a four-day festival and was held in the Fargo Civic center when events were consolidated under one roof on Thursday and Friday, and the festival continued at Trollwood Park on Saturday and Sunday. The festival expanded to include the Moorhead Center Mall with displays, demonstrations and entertainment. In 1997, the festival was moved to the Hjemkomst Center for Thursday and Friday and continued at Trollwood Park on Saturday and Sunday. In 2000, the Red River caused the river banks to slide and made the Trollwood Park an unstable location for the festival.
The organizers then decided to move the four days of the festival to the Hjemkomst Center where it has remained. A few years later, the festival was cut to a three-day event, and by 2011, the festival was held only on Friday and Saturday. Most of the special events in the community had been discontinued, and by 2009 only Nordic Nightlife that featured live music by Scandinavian performers and art displays was held at downtown Fargo businesses.
What started out as a free event led by only volunteers now requires paid admission with a paid part-time Festival Coordinator who works under the management of the Nordic Culture Clubs, an alliance of the Nordic ethnic groups in the Fargo (ND)-Moorhead (MN) area.
There has been a strong volunteer base. However, most of the volunteers are retired. Young people today often are a wonderful blend of multiple ethnicities. We are challenged to bring an understanding of our Scandinavian ethnicity, keeping our history and traditions alive, while appreciating other ethnicities and recognizing the need for updating approaches to our organization to involve participation of young people.
