02/06/2026
Hello Candelo and surrounds! Winter is here – and the Candelo Midwinter Light Festival is happening on Saturday 13 June. Last time a lot of people complained that they didn’t know it was on (despite posters, flyers, and social media posts!) so TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
The Candelo light festival happens on alternate years to the Candelo Music Festival, and it came about basically because Anna from Cows’ Nest is from Sweden, where they celebrate St Lucia’s Day around the winter solstice. After surviving half of a sunless, icy winter, Swedes cheer themselves up by parading with crowns made of candles, waving stars on sticks, drinking mulled wine, eating saffron buns and giving the last person who wakes up what the Swedish Tourist Board describes as a “playful beating” with birch sticks. In fact, since long before St Lucia, all the Scandinavian countries have held midwinter festivals. According to Wikipedia these are characterised by “feasting, ceremonial drinking and oath swearing”. When put like that, you wonder why more Australians aren’t getting behind the concept, as it sounds totally our kind of party.
June 13 happens to be St Antony of Padua’s Day, whose traditional superpower is finding lost things (not appearing in a blaze of light like St Lucia), so the Candelo Arts Society has dropped the religious excuse for a celebration and created an artistic one. The festival is officially called “Bokeh”, which is the word for the spangled effect of lights in dark or blurry photography. CAS and the Bega Sound Collective are holding an immersive exhibition of light and sound in the Town Hall and Candelo Park from 6pm and dancing in the hall from 8pm. There’ll be lights, installations and the CAS Bar will be open.
At the Servo, we’ll be putting on a light display and cooking up some seasonally appropriate Northern European food – and as long as we don’t offend our pastrychef daughter between now and then, we’ll also have some examples of Scandinavian sweet treats on offer. Bring your candle crowns / mulled wine keep cups / birch branches,* and be there!
*Actually, with regard to the birch branches, just kidding. If you and other consenting adults in your party are overwhelmed by Nordic playfulness later in the evening, there are plenty of beech trees in the park.
Disclaimer: No dogs were harmed during the creation of this post.