Solvang Sparkles With a ‘Nisse Adventure,' Candlelight Tours

HYGGE CENTRAL: Say you're a charming town, the sort of quaint burg that makes all sorts of national and international "Best of Christmas" lists, the rosters that detail which destinations feel a bit holiday-ish all year long. What do you do when December actually and truly arrives, and visitors are seeking a full-on festive feel? If you're Solvang, you create an effervescent experience that includes something special for kids, for food lovers, for Santa Claus aficionados, and people sweet on Scandanavian traditions, as well as anyone who dreams of a scenic hamlet that's gleefully gone the dazzling distance, decoration-wise. The name of this glittery glee-a-tude, which Solvang wears quite sprightly, throughout the final month of the year, as well as the end of November and beginning of January?

IT'S "JULEFEST," a multi-prism party that has several colorful components. In 2021, those cheerful elements will include a tree lighting on Dec. 3, a parade on Dec. 4, and other goings-on in the weeks leading to Christmas, and just beyond. A picturesque "Nordpolen" will materialize in Solvang Park, making visits with Santa all the more vibrant and visual, and the "mysterious" Solvang Nisse will be hidden at spots around downtown (so keep your peepers peeled for the festively hatted fellow. The cozy spirit of "hygge," which the Danish town has long embraced, will be present daily in shops, eateries, and tasting rooms, while some of the bigger events, like the Candlelight Tours, will pop up on certain Saturdays.

READY TO CELEBRATE: "Solvang's Julefest festivities are making a triumphant return this year, after last year's highly modified version of the beloved annual event. We will still have some slight modifications in place this year to accommodate the ongoing pandemic, but we will also be introducing some new Julefest elements for the enjoyment of our locals and visitors," said Scott Shuemake, President of IDK Events, planners and organizers of Solvang Julefest 2021. Raise a glass of mulled wine to a new chapter of Julefest, a Christmassy-all-year-long town's most Christmassy celebration.