Weekend Celebrates Scandinavian Culture with Live Performances, Food, Demonstrations, and Family Fun
Mystic, Conn. (May 17, 2019) — On June 1-2, Mystic Seaport Museum will be transformed into a celebration of Viking culture, complete with craft demonstrations, live performances, and on-the-water activities.
Visitors can explore a Viking village encampment by living historians Draugar Vinlands and the clinker-built Viking longship, Draken Harald Hårfagre, a reconstruction of what the Norse Sagas refer to as a “Great Ship.”
Scandinavian food and drink will be available for purchase and the waterfront with traditional faering sailing and a Nordic boat-building demonstration. There will be hands-on activities and games for children and adults throughout the day, and a special Planetarium show on Viking navigation.
Activities include:
- Public deck tours of the Draken Harald Hårfagre
- Screenings of the full length Draken documentary Expedition America – a Modern Viking Adventure
- Viking encampment with Draugar Vinlands
- Hands-on activities including traditional Viking games, crafts, and tug of war
- Build a toy Viking longship
- Lectures on various aspects of Viking history by Dr. William Short and Lynn Noel, and talks about the Draken’s adventures by her captain Björn Ahlander.
- Musical and stage performances
- Mead-making demonstrations
- Gotland sheep and woolen crafts
- Special Planetarium show, “Stars of the Vikings”
- Norse boat building and faering demonstrations (a faering is a traditional Norse boat)
Viking Days activities are included with regular Museum admission (separate charge for food, beverages, Planetarium shows, toy boat building, and children’s crafts).
For a complete list and schedule of all activities, please visit mysticseaport.org/vikingdays.
Evening Concert: The American Rogues
Saturday evening features a concert by the American Rogues, who are returning to the Museum for their second appearance. The Rogues are an American-Canadian Celtic rock band that crosses the musical landscape to include jigs, reels, hornpipes, ballads, originals, covers, soundtracks, patriotic and military music, Irish foot-stompers, and more. The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. and requires a separate ticket. Advance tickets are $25 (up to 3 p.m., May 31). Day-of tickets are $35 ($30 for Museum members and $30 for Viking Days general admission ticket holders).
Tickets may be purchased online at https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ or by calling 860.572.5331.
About Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. The new Thompson Exhibition Building houses a state-of-the-art gallery that will feature J.M.W. Turner: Watercolors from Tate, the most comprehensive exhibition of Turner watercolors ever displayed in the U.S. opening October 5, 2019. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
