Midsummer party ideas

We also have the best outdoor entertaining ideas, how to throw a festival in your garden and summer dinner party ideas for more alfresco entertaining tips.

Midsummer traditions

Midsummer celebrations often kick off with drinking songs like helan går and generous pours of aquavit. Guests then gather around the midsummer pole for Små grodorna (‘The Little Frogs’) – a traditional light-hearted dance involving holiding hands and hopping in circles. Afternoons are filled with games like kubb (Viking chess) and brännboll (a Swedish take on rounders). One of the most recognisable traditions is wearing flower crowns (midsommarkransar) often made on the day from wildflowers and greenery. Flower crowns are not just for the aesthetic – it’s said to bring good fortune and is deeply rooted in Swedish folklore.

Midsummer party recipes

Midsummer sharing plates

Let guests graze at their leisure with help-yourself sharing boards, perfect for feeding a crowd. Channel our DIY street food stations and lay out a Scandi-style smörgåsbord from Morgan McGlynn's book featuring pickled herring, smoked salmon, rye crispbreads, and fresh dill-flecked potato salad. Include ideas like this grilled mackerel Caesar salad or go luxe with our contemporary negroni salmon. Top your salmon with wheels of blood orange for a splash of colour and serve with our easy homemade blinis. For vegetarians, a grilled vegetable antipasti with whipped goat’s cheese or a storebought labneh adds plenty of colour, flavour and texture.

Midsummer canapés

Canapés are the perfect way to keep your guests mingling. Get inventive with your party food and try this easy all-in-one egg salad and crisps canapé, extremely moreish and great for vegetarian guests. For our meat-eaters, impress with this quick caviar rostis canapé. Take shop-bought croquettes and top with soured cream, chives and a dollop of salmon 'caviar' for an easy bite-sized canapé. Add edible flowers for a midsummer flourish and prep ahead to keep things hassle-free.

Midsummer sharing mains

For an easy centrepiece, go for oven-to-table mains that guests can dig into. Our buttery tarragon chicken works brilliantly. The chicken is brined with bay and lemon, before being roasted and slathered in tarragon butter. The result is juicy meat with golden skin and a subtle aniseed flavour. To accompany the chicken, try Tommy Banks’s summery tomato salad with frozen goat’s cheese for a fresh twist on tradition. This recipe makes the most of British summer tomatoes and is inspired by the celebration of midsummer. Finally, we suggest this Danish potato crunch with preserved lemons as a perfect accompanying side which will empress just as much the main dish.

Midsummer desserts

Finish with something sweet but light. Selected from Trine Hahnemann’s Scandinavian Green cookbook, this fig and brandy tart offers a simple yet impressive sharing pud to add a burst of colour to the table. For a true Scandinavian touch, try classics like flødeboller (a popular Danish market treat featuring a chocolate-covered meringue centre with biscuit, wafer or marzipan base), custard and cinnamon butter filled solskinnsboller or this perfect cheat cardamom buns recipe served warm with coffee, fika style.

Midsummer drinks

A welcome cocktail in the summer months is the perfect start to kick off any Midsummer party. Think refreshing and citrusy. Our sgroppino recipe strikes that perfect balance – to elevate it further, use raspberry sorbet, add a shot of peach schnapps and top up with prosecco for an added summer feel. Alternatively, a homemade floral gin fizz fits the theme just as well. Accompany traditional drinking songs with an aquavit, such as Lyshom Linie. This spirit has a unique round flavour of caraway, dill and fennel with a touch of Seville orange. Serve over ice with unfiltered apple juice and garnish with a slice of apple, a sprig of fresh thyme or a Finnish flag to fit the theme. For something low or no alcohol, try a Scandi-style shrub topped with soda water. Explore our summer cocktail ideas for more inspiration.

Midsummer party decorations

Create the right mood with easy, natural decorations that nod to the summer all while adding colour to your table. Tablescaping can be as simple as linen runners, small jars of wildflowers, and pillar candles dotted down the centre of the table. We love this natural frill-trimmed tablecloth and Daylesford's wildflower collection. Add some colour with your napkins and some wild amber forsythia in mixed sized cylinder glass vases to bring the summer feeling in and set the scene for your Midsummer feast. If you’re planning on eating well into the evening, we suggest draping some outdoor string lights around the garden or dotting around some lanterns. Finally, it wouldn’t be summer solstice without some flower crowns – place these natural flower crowns across your table for your guests to enjoy.