🇨🇦 Scandinavian Midsummer Ride & Race

Date: 22 June 2025
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Organiser: Scandinavian Community Centre
Website: scancentre.org/hobby-horses-ride-and-race – Scandinavian Community Centre

West Coast Canada embraces Nordic stick-pony culture on the festival lawn of the annual Midsummer celebration. A simple but fast jump course lets two age bands—under 8 and 9+—dash for glory while folk musicians play polska tunes. Registration opens onsite at 13:00; participation is free if you BYO horse, or $5 to rent a locally made birch–and-fleece model (all proceeds fund the Finnish Language School). Every child receives a rosette, lingonberry lemonade and a voucher for a traditional salmon burger. Parents cheer from picnic blankets, and a photo booth prints sepia “rider portraits” as quirky souvenirs.