https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Sweden in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Jimmie Åkesson has said his party wants to see Sweden's state alcohol monopoly, Systembolaget, introduce cold storage and have Sunday opening hours. https://www.thelocal.se/20260520/sweden-democrat-leader-says-systembolaget-should-be-open-on-sundays Wed, 20 May 2026 13:26:59 +0200 sweden-democrat-leader-says-systembolaget-should-be-open-on-sundays It can feel very rude to foreigners, but if you've had the experience in Sweden of a stranger looking coldly at you, only to look away when you return the look with a smile, try to take comfort in knowing that it might actually be Swedish politeness, writes The Local's Mandy Pipher. https://www.thelocal.se/20260416/why-that-swede-glaring-at-you-on-the-street-might-be-trying-to-be-polite Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:10:26 +0200 why-that-swede-glaring-at-you-on-the-street-might-be-trying-to-be-polite If you've moved to Sweden as a family, you might find that children's birthday parties are your first big opportunity to make Swedish friends. So here's The Local's guide on what to expect and how to host one. https://www.thelocal.se/20200312/how-to-host-a-childrens-birthday-party-in-sweden Thu, 12 Mar 2020 14:59:59 +0100 how-to-host-a-childrens-birthday-party-in-sweden Want to try your hand at growing your own food or flowers but you don’t have any outside space? Don’t let that stop you. Here are Becky Waterton's top tips for what to grow on your balcony in Sweden. https://www.thelocal.se/20250326/five-things-you-can-grow-on-your-balcony-in-sweden Wed, 26 Mar 2025 12:28:08 +0100 five-things-you-can-grow-on-your-balcony-in-sweden In Sweden, it is normally seen as rude and intrusive to start a conversation with a total stranger. Except, that is, in certain well-defined circumstances. Here's our best stab at what they are. https://www.thelocal.se/20220420/when-can-you-talk-to-a-stranger-in-sweden-without-annoying-them Wed, 20 Apr 2022 15:42:49 +0200 when-can-you-talk-to-a-stranger-in-sweden-without-annoying-them It's been only a week since the Danish/Swedish dairy cooperative Arla released a pink-coloured milk, and already it's sold out in grocery stores across Sweden. What's going on? https://www.thelocal.se/20260414/why-are-swedes-suddenly-obsessed-with-pink-milk Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:27:15 +0200 why-are-swedes-suddenly-obsessed-with-pink-milk Swedes famously loathe conflict, so it is perhaps natural that they are masters of the passive-aggressive dig. James Savage has picked out some gems and explains what they really mean. https://www.thelocal.se/20250801/swedes-are-masters-of-passive-aggression-heres-how-to-detect-it Fri, 01 Aug 2025 16:57:25 +0200 swedes-are-masters-of-passive-aggression-heres-how-to-detect-it We're not entirely convinced spring is here just yet. But when it does arrive in Sweden, there are a few telltale signs that will show you winter is finally over. Keep an eye out for them... https://www.thelocal.se/20150303/seven-silly-signs-winter-is-over-in-sweden Tue, 03 Mar 2015 23:33:00 +0100 seven-silly-signs-winter-is-over-in-sweden There's a lot of discussion about a supermarket advert in Swedish newspapers at the moment. Here's why it seems like the whole country is talking about Ica-Stig. https://www.thelocal.se/20210201/who-is-ica-stig-and-why-do-the-swedes-seem-to-care-so-much Mon, 01 Feb 2021 17:02:01 +0100 who-is-ica-stig-and-why-do-the-swedes-seem-to-care-so-much When you move to Sweden, the chances are that sooner or later you will be asked to join a 'styrelse' or 'board', whether it's in your apartment block, children's school, or sports club. Here are ten rules to help you survive the next annual meeting. https://www.thelocal.se/20181126/ten-rules-for-surviving-in-a-swedish-styrelse-board-meeting Mon, 26 Nov 2018 07:00:00 +0100 ten-rules-for-surviving-in-a-swedish-styrelse-board-meeting Dry and sarcastic, dull bordering on non-existent, or simply infantile? We asked our readers what they thought about the Swedish sense of humour and got almost as many opinions as answers. https://www.thelocal.se/20251117/theyre-smiley-but-dont-usually-joke-your-verdict-on-swedish-humour Mon, 17 Nov 2025 10:12:23 +0100 theyre-smiley-but-dont-usually-joke-your-verdict-on-swedish-humour We asked The Local's readers to tell us what their favourite things about dating a Swede are, and here are some of their responses. https://www.thelocal.se/20230215/building-ikea-furniture-the-best-things-about-dating-a-swede Wed, 15 Feb 2023 13:58:50 +0100 building-ikea-furniture-the-best-things-about-dating-a-swede It's hard to live in Sweden for more than a few months without adopting some of the local food habits, with meatballs, fredagsmys, A-fil and even aberrations like tuna paste among the foods now regularly eaten by foreigners who answered The Local's survey. https://www.thelocal.se/20260121/fika-meatballs-and-kalles-kaviar-which-swedish-foods-habits-have-you-adopted Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:11:22 +0100 fika-meatballs-and-kalles-kaviar-which-swedish-foods-habits-have-you-adopted When visiting a new friend in Sweden, be prepared to be given a bewilderingly thorough tour of every room in the house – sometimes even down to the walk-in wardrobe. This is the 'husesyn' ritual. https://www.thelocal.se/20201009/swedens-bizarre-home-tour-ritual-and-how-to-survive-it Fri, 09 Oct 2020 12:59:59 +0200 swedens-bizarre-home-tour-ritual-and-how-to-survive-it The sacred hour when Sweden goes quiet and almost half of the population watches reruns of old Disney shows. https://www.thelocal.se/20191216/adventcalendar-the-strange-things-that-happen-in-sweden-at-3pm-on-christmas-eve Mon, 16 Dec 2019 08:03:38 +0100 adventcalendar-the-strange-things-that-happen-in-sweden-at-3pm-on-christmas-eve Letters to Santa, twinkling lights on houses, and Christmas trees in the public square: on the face of it, Swedish Christmas looks pretty similar to Christmas in North America or the UK. But underneath the surface, there are a lot of differences. https://www.thelocal.se/20251223/how-to-celebrate-christmas-like-a-swede Tue, 23 Dec 2025 16:17:49 +0100 how-to-celebrate-christmas-like-a-swede Throughout history, Swedes have stayed up late the day before Christmas Eve to get everything ready for the big day of celebrations. Since 1995, this has also included playing bingo until midnight – but why? https://www.thelocal.se/20221212/advent-calendar-2022-why-do-swedes-play-bingo-the-day-before-christmas-eve Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:27:31 +0100 advent-calendar-2022-why-do-swedes-play-bingo-the-day-before-christmas-eve The winter solstice is approaching (this year it's on December 21st) and in Sweden that means darkness. It can be a hard time of year ‒ I've heard it described as “four months of depression” ‒ but there are ways to make it easier, and even to enjoy it. https://www.thelocal.se/20251210/how-to-survive-and-maybe-even-enjoy-swedens-long-dark-winters Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:45:57 +0100 how-to-survive-and-maybe-even-enjoy-swedens-long-dark-winters The 2026 youth trend report from the 'Youth Barometer' organization identifies “all forms of coziness” as the top trend for young people in the new year. Specific trends were alone time, knitting, picking wild mushrooms, and community running groups. https://www.thelocal.se/20251204/swedens-youth-are-prioritizing-granny-hobbies-and-coziness-in-2026 Thu, 04 Dec 2025 15:59:45 +0100 swedens-youth-are-prioritizing-granny-hobbies-and-coziness-in-2026 In a cottage nestled deep in a Swedish forest, three couples recently spent four days whispering and without phones as part of a campaign about the dangers of noise pollution and promoting quiet Scandinavia. https://www.thelocal.se/20251114/sweden-sees-silent-forests-as-sanctuaries-from-a-noisy-world Fri, 14 Nov 2025 09:57:37 +0100 sweden-sees-silent-forests-as-sanctuaries-from-a-noisy-world