Swedish Days To Return To Geneva After 1-Year Pandemic Break

GENEVA, IL — The Geneva Chamber of Commerce is set to bring back its signature Swedish Days Festival in June after canceling the event last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The “safe, shortened” festival is scheduled to run from June 24-27, with live music, Kids’ Day and a “Chocolate Crawl,” but there will be no parade or arts-and-crafts show, chamber officials said in a news release.

The festival will feature live music in several locations, though many details are still being finalized, officials said. A full lineup and schedule are expected to be released later in April.

The Geneva Settler’s Coffee Hour will return to the Geneva Golf Club on June 24, with breakfasts available for pickup, the release states. June 25 will be Kids’ Day. Officials are finalizing details for Kids’ Day, but there will be no parade, according to the release.

The Geneva Chamber of Commerce is set to host a “Chocolate Crawl” on June 27, with tickets required to participate in the event. The new event will take the place of the parade, which would have been held June 27, if allowed under current health guidelines amid the pandemic.

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Geneva Chamber of Commerce President Paula Schmidt warned many of the planned events may have to be modified over the next two and a half months, but “we are well aware that Swedish Days is a tradition and was greatly missed last year.”

“The Chamber is creatively planning events offsite that will be crowd-controlled and safe,” Schmidt said. “We hope to organize more events and happenings, however we must follow city and state regulations, while keeping everyone healthy and safe. Please be patient as we move forward.”

The pandemic-forced cancellation in 2020 was Geneva’s first year without the Swedish Days Festival since the event’s inception nearly 70 years ago.