The line for the barbecue buffet trickles down the gravel path of Vintervikens Trädgård, and the smell coming from the big grill teases the various dogs that have joined their owners for yet another Tuesday night concert session. It’s been pouring rain all day, but just in time for the first band of the evening, the sun came out. Their sound is Swedish folk and the audience applauds them between sips of white wine. The kids are less interested in the music and more excited about exploring the pond in the middle of the colourful flowerbeds that distinguish Vinterviken’s gardens in the summertime.
For the last three summers, the culture group of Vintervikens Trädgård has organized the Tuesday grill and concert nights. Perhaps it’s the organic lamb skewers and the appetizing salad buffet, the quality of the bands onstage, or the tight-knit community feeling that surrounds this non-profit organization, but the event just keeps on attracting more and more people, no matter what the weather. Like every event worth attending in Stockholm in summer, it is held outdoors; if it rains, they move inside the orangery, which is equipped with cosy rugs, bookshelves and an open fire.
“We learn from each other here at Vintervikens Trädgård”, says Sol Favilla Belloni, organizer of the concert nights. “We have a gardening group which makes plans for winter cultivation and then makes these plans come true during spring and summer. We have a building group which paints, repairs and makes new constructions, a beekeeping group in which we learn about the fantastic world of bees, and a shop group which sells arts, crafts and our homemade Vinterviken honey. And of course our culture group that creates the Tuesday nights with music and barbecue, as well as festivals, author nights and exhibitions. We also arrange midsummer celebrations, Walpurgis nights and an illumination party in the late autumn. Our organization runs both the café and our bakery in which we sell newly-baked bread and buns. Everything we gain from the selling goes to the garden, to keep it nice and living!”
The second band on stage is Joe and the Hornets, a fierce rhythm and blues outfit that’s been making waves in Stockholm’s thriving rockabilly scene. Södermalm hipsters, elderly couples and young families make up an audience that shares a common goal: To make the most of a beautiful summer night. More wine is poured and the drummer counts them in. The evening is just getting started.
The barbecue is fired up around 17.30 and the music starts after 18.00. Free entry.
