If you see some horse-drawn wagons trotting through Ballard today surrounded by floats and Norwegian flags, it must mean one thing: Syttende Mai is here.
Translated simply as “the 17th of May,” Syttende Mai is Norway’s national day, commemorating the date in 1814 when the country signed its constitution and became an independent nation. Seattle’s Syttende Mai celebration is billed as the largest in the world outside, you know, Norway itself.
Here’s what to expect:
- Bergen Place Park is hosting a lineup of Nordic artists from 1-5 p.m.
- Skäl Beer Hall will serve pølse (boiled sausage) and aquavit at its bar, and fire up a sidewalk grill from 3:30-7 p.m.
- The Leif Erikson Lodge will host an open house from 1-5 p.m.
- The parade down 24th Avenue NW and Ballard Avenue NW will have costumes, Fjord horses, and other pageantry from 6-8 p.m.
