A Record-Breaking Midsummer Festival—Thank You, Holdrege!

Midsummer Festival
July 7, 2025
Blog

A Record-Breaking Midsummer Festival—Thank You, Holdrege!

To our incredible community—thank you.

This year’s Midsummer Festival was one for the record books. Over 7,500 people joined us throughout the weekend, more than doubling Holdrege’s population and filling our streets with energy, excitement, and hometown pride.

Even with temperatures soaring into the 100s, every event was a success—thanks to our resilient community and the volunteers, sponsors, and partners who made it all possible.

We celebrated with:

  • A Thursday night Kickoff attended by nearly 600 people
  • An outdoor concert—our first in years—with over 700 in attendance under the new glowing festoon lights
  • The largest parade in recent memory, with a record number of floats and over an hour of crowd-pleasing entries
  • More than 500 votes cast in the downtown window decorating contest
  • Nonstop buzz about the Street Festival and the expanded kids’ games

This year marked the 50th anniversary of this cherished celebration—and with it came a name that opens the door to all: Midsummer Festival.

For many years, this event was called Swedish Days, honoring Holdrege’s early heritage. But for visitors and newcomers, the name often caused confusion—was it a cultural fair? Was it open to all? The answer has always been yes, and now the name reflects that spirit. In fact, “Midsummer Festival” was used back in the 1980s—and today, it helps ensure everyone feels welcome as we look to the next 50 years.

🏆 2024 Award Winners

  • Window Contest: Firstier Bank
  • Best Car (Parade): The red Corvette driving the Little Miss Swedes
  • Best Theme (Parade): GSA Insurance
  • Favorite Float: embecta
  • Best Business (Parade): Nebraska Prairie Museum

Thank You to Our Sponsors & Partners

This year’s Midsummer Festival was proudly supported by our naming sponsors:
embecta, Sargent Irrigation, Coverwise Insurance, Auto-Owners Insurance, Phelps Memorial Health Center, and Phelps Medical Group!

We are also deeply grateful to New Life Church, Phelps County Community Foundation, City of Holdrege, Holdrege Police Department, Phelps County Sheriff’s Office, Phelps County Courthouse, and to every sponsor, volunteer, and organization that played a part.

A special thank you to our downtown businesses—your patience during street closures and your participation made the festival brighter for everyone.

Tell Us What You Think

Want to help shape the future of Midsummer Festival? Take our short survey here:
👉 https://forms.gle/7FTmyYP2F5FtvoWT7

We’re already looking ahead to next year’s celebration—June 18–20, 2025—and we hope to see even more of our community shine.

With gratitude,
The Holdrege Area Chamber of Commerce