Solvang Julefest bringing back holiday spirit

SOLVANG, Calif. — The annual Solvang Julefest has returned to town in celebration of the winter holiday season. 

The 2020 edition of Solvang Julefest will entail multiple holiday happenings all located within the walkable Central Coast destination.

“With so many holiday season activities being cancelled this year, we are both fortunate and thrilled that we can still host some of Solvang’s annual Julefest festivities,” President of IDK Events Scott Shuemake said. “We will roll out the red Christmas carpet as we do every year, for all of our locals and visitors in need of a Southern California holiday escape, with Danish heritage flair.” 

As one of the nation's most festive Christmas towns, Solvang will present a modified lineup of Julefest offerings and extra holiday cheer in the form of enhanced, village-wide illumination and celebratory scenes, interspersed with Instagram-able holiday vignettes.

Saturdays throughout the Julefest stretch town-wide Solvang Food Tours will be led by the foodie – and photo – experts at Eat This, Shoot That!, and Julefest’s popular evening Candlelight Tours will return on select nights. Either tour option presents a unique, educational, and entertaining way to explore the history-filled village on foot during the most festive of Solvang’s seasons.

More than 100 Christmas trees will line Solvang’s lanes as the town’s businesses hold a tree decorating contest, similar to Solvang’s fall season Scarecrow Fest. 

Solvang’s shops, Danish bakeries, restaurants, wine tasting rooms, wine and beer bars, and hotels will join the friendly competition, with many of the town’s merchants welcoming guests into the evening, for after-hours shopping and dining in a European night market setting.

“Solvang Julefest is a holiday season staple on California’s Central Coast,” Shuemake said.“We’re hoping to keep as many of the aspects that everyone looks forward to, as possible, while enhancing the overall Christmas vibe in town through COVID-safer, open-air opportunities.”

Dog-friendly and ideal for kids, Solvang Julefest promotes family fun and adventure through traditional holiday-favorite activities, with the addition of more-adult, wine country entertainment.

“As we said last year, we’re in the business of making memories through experiences,” Shuemake concluded. “We still take that job very seriously and Solvang Julefest 2020 will be no different.”