ABSOLUT VODKA CELEBRATES SWEDISH MIDSUMMER FESTIVAL IN HONG KONG
ABSOLUT TO CELEBRATE SWEDEN’S NATIONAL DAY IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY AT PMQ WITH SWEDISH CONSULATE ON 31 MAY, AND ACROSS LKF 31 MAY TO 2 JUNE
Swedish Vodka Brand, Absolut, brings the Swedish pagan celebration of Midsummer to Hong Kong this May and June with festivities around cocktails, togetherness, and gastronomy. Together with the Swedish Consulate, Absolut will bring the Midsummer Festivities to the PMQ Courtyard on Friday 31 May (15.00-22.00), joining hands with over 14 other Swedish brands the festival will combine live Swedish folk music, drinking and socializing while dancing around a traditional flower encrusted Maypole. The Midsummer festivities will continue, with Lan Kwai Fong Association’s LKF Swedish Festival, from 31 May to 2 June across 10 LKF bars, with a selection of traditional and refreshing Midsummer cocktails for HK$50. Those looking for some new ideas for their summer parties can enjoy summer catering specials from Nordic Food specialist, Rye House, paired with bottles of Absolut Flavors.
Around the world, Midsummer or Summer Solstice has been celebrated since the 12th century. As one of the most traditional pagan rituals, Midsummer celebrates the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere. More than anywhere, the celebration is a huge part of society in the Nordic states where the short, dark days of winter are forgotten and replaced with the warm light-filled days and the fruits and harvests of summer. In Sweden, Midsummer is a core tradition. And across the globe, Swedes celebrate outside while making friends, wearing white, making flower crowns, and playing games.
The festival at PMQ, a combination of music, food, and mindfulness, will also celebrate sustainability. To support this mission, Absolut is hosting a sustainable bar featuring closed loop cocktails that do not waste any ingredients. The cocktails at the pop-up bar include a Elderflower Collins, Absolut Citron and Tonic, and Espresso Martinis all priced at HK$60. The festival will also showcase premier artworks from all 19 countries of Absolut’s Global Creative Competition. After the festivals, merrymakers can head to Behind Bars for the official Midsummer After-Party featuring a house DJ and Absolut midsummer cocktails, Longer Days and Shorter Nights.
31 May to 2 June, LKF’s Swedish Festival will continue celebrating the solstice with Midsummer cocktails at Rula Bula, Behind Bars, Cali Max, Porterhouse, The China Bar, Amazake, Runway, The Nest and Piaca. Over the celebratory weekend, 2-4-1 cocktail coupons will be plentiful in the streets of LKF.
To celebrate Midsummer differently, Nordic Deli, Rye House, is offering a brand new Swedish summer Smorgasbords party package for small party takeaway and delivery perfect for home noshing, beach excursions, and picnics through mid-June till mid-July. The package features a selection of cold cuts (Pork Leg, Honey Ham, Chorizo), Nordic Cheeses, Smoked Fish, Swedish Meatballs, and Pasta Salad, served alongside a bottle of Absolut Citron and Tonic waters (HK$550, serves 4). The package can be ordered through Deliveroo.
Also to continue the fun of Midsummer, special cocktails will be available from Vibes at The Mira in July including: an Absolut Punch Bowl (HK$398 + 10%) with Raspberry Absolut, Frangelico, Raspberry Puree, Lemon and Prosecco; Absolut Tonic Lemon (HK$128 + 10%) with Absolut Raspberry and Lemon Tonic; A.B.S. (HK$128 + 10%) with Absolut Vodka, Aperol, Lemon Juice, and Grapefruit Bitters; Absolut Gunner (HK$128 + 10%) featuring Absolut Vodka, St. Germain Liquor, Grapefruit Bitter Truth, Fever Tree Ginger Ale, and Ginger Beer; and the Tropical Wind (HK$128 + 10%) with Absolut Mango, Passionfruit and Mango Puree, Passion Fruit Liqueur, and Double Cream.
Absolut has a long-term vision to create one sustainable circular source and continues to work with the ambition that there is no waste, only by-products that can be innovatively reused. This mission will be celebrated through these cocktails and the Midsummer Festival at PMQ on 31 May and throughout LKF and beyond through June.