09/08/2026
Now that we’ve had a little time to catch our breath and reflect on this past Sunday, I simply want to say thank you.
To every single person who came through the gates of The 39th Scandinavian Fest, thank you for choosing to spend your day with us. Whether this was your first ScanFest or something you and your family have been coming to for years, we are incredibly grateful that you were there. We truly hope you had a wonderful time celebrating Scandinavian culture, traditions, food, music, history, and community with us.
Seeing Vasa Park filled with families, friends, familiar faces, and so many new ones is a reminder of why we continue to put so much time and effort into making this festival happen year after year.
There are also so many people behind the scenes who deserve recognition.
On behalf of myself and the entire Scandinavian Fest, Inc. committee, I want to extend our sincere gratitude to the NJ Vasa Park Board of Trustees and all of the Vasa Park volunteers who worked incredibly hard before, during, and after the festival. Their cooperation, hard work, and commitment are an enormous part of what makes this day possible.
I also want to thank all of the volunteers who gave their time to ScanFest this year. Whether you spent a few hours helping us or were there from beginning to end, you became part of the team that made this festival happen. We are incredibly grateful that you chose to give us your time and your help.
And on a personal level, I want to thank my fellow members of the Scandinavian Fest, Inc. committee. What most people see is one day in September. What they don't see are the countless hours, meetings, phone calls, emails, late nights, early mornings, and personal sacrifices that this small group of volunteers puts in throughout the year to make that one day possible.
Nobody on this committee does it because they have to. They do it because they care about this festival, its traditions, and its future. I am incredibly grateful to each of them for everything they have given to make ScanFest what it is.
We also want to acknowledge that there were some logistical difficulties throughout the day. We are aware of them, we have heard your feedback, and we are already looking at what needs to be improved. Please know that we take those concerns seriously, and we are committed to making sure those issues are addressed moving forward.
But when we look back at the day as a whole, what stands out most is the incredible turnout, the energy throughout the park, and the thousands of people who came together to celebrate Scandinavian culture and heritage with us.
For that, we cannot thank you enough.
And now we turn our attention toward something very special.
Next year will be our 40th Scandinavian Fest.
Forty festivals of traditions, memories, families, friendships, volunteers, performers, vendors, and generations of people coming together to celebrate the cultures that started all of this.
We already know that number 40 needs to be something special.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making The 39th Scandinavian Fest such a spectacular day.
We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed having you.
We can't wait to welcome you back next year for an even bigger and better 40th Scandinavian Fest.
Until then — thank you for being part of the ScanFest family. 🇸🇪 🇩🇰 🇳🇴 🇫🇮 🇮🇸 🇪🇪
-Chad Peterson
President
Scandinavian Fest, Inc.
