It was a picture-perfect day at Owl’s Head Park on Saturday as Viking Fest 2025 brought together a crowd eager to embrace and celebrate Scandinavian culture. Under clear blue skies, the annual event featured a variety of traditional games, music and performances, bringing the Viking era to life for all ages.
“We’re very grateful to be here, having beautiful weather and being able to share our culture with our community and the larger tri-state area,” said Victoria Hofmo, founder of the Scandinavian East Coast Museum, which organizes the event.
The festival’s immersive Viking village drew attendees from across the city and state, with reenactors portraying life in the Viking Age. Among the main attractions was a lively Viking gladiator battle, where skilled performers wielded swords and axes, reenacting epic combat to the cheers of spectators.
Festivities also included musical performances, such as Swedish Meatball (aka Ellen Lindstrom) on the accordion and the Clann Eireann Pipe Band, while traditional dances were showcased by groups including the Middle Eastern Dancer Arabella Espana and the Young Dancers in Repertory, who brought Nordic-inspired moves to the stage.
The day’s games, held in honor of Crazy Carlsen, included favorites like the scavenger hunt and “Ring Around a Viking,” as well as the ever-popular “Clippity Hop Horse Drop” — complete with inflatable steeds. Other highlights included “Jumping Vikings,” one of the festival’s most cherished traditions.
Viking Fest has been a Bay Ridge staple since the early 20th century, serving as a reminder of the enduring legacy of the Scandinavian immigrants who helped shape the community’s fabric. But it’s not just for those with Scandinavian roots.
“This is the melting pot of New York City,” “Eclectic Ellen” Lindstromon told Brooklyn Paper last year. “Everybody is welcome.”
Viking Fest also serves as the kickoff of Norwegian Day parade season in the neighborhood. Aside from a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, the Norwegian Immigration Association has held a 17th of May Parade yearly since 1952 on the Sunday closest to the namesake date.
This year’s 17th of May Parade will step off next Sunday, May 18 at 1:30 p.m. near Third Avenue and 83rd Street, ending near Leif Ericson Park.
Additional reporting by Arthur de Gaeta
