Dansbandsveckan in Malung is a much-loved tradition and one of Sweden’s biggest folk festivals, with deep roots in the heart of Swedish culture. The event, which is run on a voluntary basis and attracts over 80 bands and 50,000 visitors each year, is the world’s largest of its kind and continues to enchant dance enthusiasts year after year. We spoke to the founder and chairman, Bertil Elfström, and Åsa Hedlöf, who has been part of the venture for 25 years, about what makes Dansbandsveckan so unique and how they see the future.
“Being the best is what drives us”
Right from the start, our ambition has always been to deliver the highest quality. “Our aim has always been to have the best dance floors, the best bands, and to constantly listen to our visitors about what we can improve,” says Bertil. “No one should be better than us. We want to be the industry leader and a role model for others.”
With pride and humility, he notes that Dansbandsveckan is the world’s largest event of its kind and, although dansband music is very Swedish, visitors and bands come from across the Nordic region, Germany and Iceland. “For several years we had a band from Germany who were incredibly talented but who would then improvise on stage – that doesn’t go down quite so well with the Swedish dance audience,” says Bertil with a laugh.
A warm welcome
The success of Dansbandsveckan is based not only on the music but also on the inclusive and warm atmosphere. “Enjoyment is our watchword. We do everything for our guests,” says Åsa, highlighting the voluntary commitment from the community organisations in the municipality of Malung-Sälen. The villagers of Malung also demonstrate a unique generosity in their involvement, renting out their holiday cottages and moving out to their mountain pastures for the week. “No one from Malung goes on holiday during Dansbandsveckan any more. We stay put,” notes Bertil. It is this sense of community that helps to create the family atmosphere that makes the week so special.
An economic driving force for the whole region
Dansbandsveckan is not only of cultural significance but also plays an important role in the local economy. “Dansbandsveckan is incredibly important, not just for Malung but for the whole region, where up to 35 per cent of many local businesses’ annual turnover is generated during Dansbandsveckan,” says Bertil.
With free entertainment and activities in the town centre and the large influx of visitors, the event is an economic force that benefits the whole region, with many visitors often arriving several days early to secure their camping pitches and catch up with friends they have met in previous years.
Carrying on the dance band tradition
To safeguard the future of dance band culture, organisers are also investing heavily in young people. “There is an incredible amount of interest amongst young people, and we’re trying to make the culture accessible and appealing to them,” explains Åsa. For example, with the help of figures such as Tony Irving and Cecilia Ehrling Danermark, they run dance classes to inspire the next generation to embrace dance and dance band culture. “What’s more, all young people in Malung can attend Dansbandsveckan completely free of charge, and young people from the rest of Sweden can take part at a significantly reduced price,” she adds. This is an important part of the vision to spread the joy and sense of community associated with the dansband culture to new generations.
If you can whistle, you can dance
Despite the success of the model, the team behind Dansbandsveckan is not afraid to evolve. “We’re constantly working to improve things, but our visitors also appreciate familiarity and tradition. It’s a balancing act,” explains Bertil.
In 2025, Dansbandsveckan will celebrate its 40th anniversary in style, but when Bertil first proposed the idea of a dance band week, the reactions were mixed. “If you can sing folk songs in Västervik for a whole week, you can also dance in Malung for a whole week,” Bertil said at the time, and he went ahead with it anyway. This proved to be true, and now the sceptics have had to reconsider – even the stubborn Bert Karlsson, who is usually never wrong. “He thought from the start that this was a mad idea, but in his book he admits he was wrong,” he laughs.
This tenacity, combined with warmth, passion and dedication, laid the foundations for what is now one of Sweden’s biggest public festivals. Dansbandsveckan is not only an invaluable cultural institution that spreads joy and a sense of community, but also a role model for other events, and has more than earned its nomination for Event of the Year 2024.
The ‘Event of the Year 2024’ award will be presented at the Möten och Event trade fair on 19–20 February in Stockholm.