Swedish Days To Bring Variety Of Swedish Music Entertainment To Geneva

GENEVA, IL — Come end of June, and Geneva will once again be celebrating its Swedish heritage in a grand approach.

Swedish Days Festival is set to take place June 22-26, and to give residents and fans something to look forward to, organizers announced a host of musical acts that will bring live entertainment to the fest.

For the 72nd year, the Geneva Chamber of Commerce will be hosting Swedish Days — "summer doesn't get any sweder than this," organizers say. When it comes to the music, officials say the festival will offer "something for every type of music fan at three different venues."

"Bringing a mix of genres and styles to the festivals is always top of mind," Laura Rush, Geneva Chamber of Commerce communications director, said in a statement. "Having entertainment begin on Wednesday with Geneva Park District performances and Geneva’s Got Talent semi-finals allowed the Geneva Chamber to bring new 'hot' bands each evening to Central Stage, Thursday through Saturday. We hope the audience enjoys returning favorites and new additions."

Here's a look at the entertainment scheduled released Tuesday.

Wednesday, June 22

Entertainment at Central Stage will kick off at 4 p.m. with a music-filled traditional Swedish promenade. At 5 p.m., attendees will be able to witness performances from the Geneva Park District's Angels Cheer & Poms Team, Geneva Gymnastics Academy, Playhouse 38 and the park district's Sunset Dance Academy. These shows will be followed by performances from "Geneva's Got Talent" semifinalists.

Thursday, June 23

"Geneva's Got Talent" finalists will perform starting at 5 p.m. From there, Dancing Queen will recreate an ABBA experience "that won't soon be forgotten," officials said.

Friday, June 24

Live musical performances will start at 5 p.m. with Second Hand Soul Band — known for its Motown, soul and rock 'n' roll sound. From there, starting at 7 p.m., The Boys Band Night will pay homage to iconic pop groups, including Backstreet Boys, One Direction, New Kids On The Block and NSYNC.

Saturday, June 25

Known as Scandinavian Saturday, Jaerv will kick off the evening's live music lineup at 5 p.m. The Swedish folk quintet will stop in Geneva as part of its North American tour. Minnesota-based band Necessary Diversion will go on at 7 p.m. to finish off the evening.

"Don't expect to hear Swedish music, but rather a little bit of everything else," Chamber of Commerce officials said of the closing band.

The options don't stop there. "Concerts on the Lawn" will also be held during the festival. Danny and Katie O’Brien, Cole Brandt, and Andrea Schmidt are among the artists on the lineup for the afternoon events that will run from 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Officials said all evening concerts will be held at the Central Stage, while Concerts on the Lawn will take place in front of the courthouse.

Sweden Väst entertainment — taking place Saturday and Sunday — will feature Swedish singers, dancers and performers on Judges Lot, at the corner of James and Third streets.

More information about Swedish Days will be released as the festival nears, and the schedule is set to be released in mid-May, officials said.