ALMEDALSVECKAN, ALMEDALEN WEEK
Almedalsveckan, Sweden
Almedalsveckan (Almedalen Week) is a democratic meeting place that everyone can join and co-create. The atmosphere is informal and relaxed, creating the feeling that everyone who matters is there. Chance meetings can lead to unexpected effects. Admission is free. Almedalsveckan has become a phenomenon among political festivals and multiple countries have created similar venues throughout the years.
In 2023, Almedalsveckan will take place from 27th of June to 1th of July.
Purpose and vision
“Almedalen Week - the democratic meeting place for everyone. A magical place for dialogue, exchange and unexpected meetings that help to develop our society. The unique Almedalen spirit is created by openness, accessibility and mutual respect.”
Founder and year of establishment
It started in 1968 when Olof Palme, minister of education at the time, spoke from the back of a lorry at Kruttornet in Visby. Gradually it became a tradition for Olof Palme and the Social Democratic Party to make speeches at the central park “Almedalen” and he was the only speaker until 1974. In 1991 Almedalsveckan the important meeting place for all parliamentary parties, nor only for the Social Democratic Party, and have so been ever since.
Three times in Almedalen Week in more than fifty years of history, there have been no speeches in Almedalen during the summer. The first was in 1969 when our founder Olof Palme did not invite to a summer meeting in Visby due to his candidacy to become the next party leader of the Social Democrats, also prime minister after the election held in September this year.
The second time Almedalen week was not arranged in Visby was in 2020, and the third time was 2021, a year when Almedalen Week was organised but as a digital event with highly engaged event organisers and a lot of interesting digital events that were presented in the new platform Almedalen Play. The reason for the two silent years in Almedalen was the pandemic that spread around the world and which made physical meetings in small alleys and cramped rooms impossible.
Organisational structure
Almedalsveckan is a result of cooperation between the main organisers, the host and other co-organisers. The main organisers are the parliamentary political parties, via their local representatives in Gotland. The Municipality of Gotland is the formal host running a project office within the Municipality.
Location and length
The 5-day festival is located in Visby, on the island Gotland, and takes place in the last week of June. From the start of Almedalen Week 1968, the week has been as long as the total amount of parties attending it, as each parliamentary party has one day at their disposal during the week. From 2022 the Almedalen Week will be a 5-day festival with divided days between the parties. Visby is located 180 km and a boat trip from Stockholm and has approximately 25.000 inhabitants.
Size – number of participants and events
The festival's estimated number of participants is approximately 35,000 unique visitors and 1,000 unique organizers. The visitor estimates are based on the number of ferry and airport tickets to the island during the festival. In 2018, there were 4,300 official events and approximately 3,000 unofficial events. During the last Almedalen Week in 2022, 2,066 events took place over the five-day festival. These are only the official events, which are open to everyone and included in the festival program.
People attending the festival
The festival’s target group is people interested in social issues. The festival defines the visitors as politicians, organisers, professional visitors and ordinary participants. Many of the visitors attend the week as a part of their holiday.
Involvement of the political parties
All eight parliamentary political parties have Almedalen, the central Park in Visby, at their disposal for half a day during the week. In many years, the parliamentary parties have been - and still are - the main focus. Since 1996 organisations and businesses have been allowed into the political arena. Almedalsveckan is highly prioritized by the parliamentary parties, and they use the platform to promote new policy proposals. During the week, politicians attended almost every third event.
Programme
Anyone can apply to organise an event at the festival as long as they adhere to criteria set by the main organisers of Almedalsveckan. The project group reviews all the applications. If an application meets the criteria, it will be approved and published on Almedalsveckan’s webpage, in their App and in the digital platform Almedalsveckan Play, in case the event will be held digital as well. Almedalsveckan has no seperat cultural programme during week. The festival is not responsible for the informal programme. They do one activity “Almedagen” during the year.