Midsummer is one of the Swedish holidays most strongly associated with alcohol. Yet alcohol is not as central to the celebration as many might assume. According to a survey carried out by IQ last year, most Swedes have been at a Midsummer celebration where people drank too much. At the same time, many do not see alcohol as important for the holiday. The survey also showed a clear gender difference, with around half of men considering alcohol important for Midsummer, while almost seven in ten women said alcohol was unimportant.

Movendi Sweden’s Torr Midsommar campaign highlighted this contrast by calling for an alcohol-free Midsummer, with a clear focus on children. The campaign points out that many children feel worried when adults around them are intoxicated. Children quickly notice when parents, relatives or other adults stop behaving as they normally do. When that happens, it becomes harder for them to feel safe, heard and seen.

The campaign builds on the same thinking as the well-known Vit Jul campaign. Movendi argues that safe and sober adults are just as important around the Midsummer pole as they are around the Christmas table. For many people, Midsummer is a joyful holiday filled with laughter, warmth and meaningful memories. But for some children, the experience can change completely when adults drink too much. Instead of joy, the holiday may become marked by anxiety, sadness or fear.

Across Sweden, Movendi also gathered people around alcohol-free Midsummer activities during June. These included local celebrations from Movendi Breidablick in Östersund, with grilling and a murder mystery evening, to Virserum, where families were invited to dance around the Midsummer pole and children were offered ice cream. With Torr Midsommar, the message was that adults can make a real difference by choosing to stay sober during the days around Midsummer and by being safe adults for the people around them.

Find more from Torr Midsommar (Sweden, June 2026)