Celebrate Norwegian Heritage
at the Stoughton Syttende Mai Festival

Visit Stoughton's Syttende Mai festival for a weekend of family-friendly fun and cultural experiences where there's something for everyone. Come join us for three days of parades, arts, food and drink, kids? activities and plenty of Norwegian culture for the whole family.

Syttende Mai takes place annually on the weekend closest to Norway's Constitution Day, celebrated in Norway on May 17th. From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, Stoughton enjoyed an influx of Norwegians and at one time, as many as 75 percent of its residents spoke Norwegian. These immigrants celebrated Syttende Mai unofficially, but it became an annual, city-wide tradition in the 1950s. Norwegians throughout the world continue to celebrate May 17 as Syttende Mai, the Norwegian Constitution Day.

2021 marks the resurgence of the festival after seizing due to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. 2019 marked 66 consecutive years and has been organized by the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce. The traditional in-person programs will be available online. City-wide celebrations and specials will be available all weekend long. 

Click here for the full Syttende Mai website!