Scandinavian Community Centre

Today I attended a German
group function here. Sadly this location offers little shade in the amazingly awesome day we had, so sommerfest attendees were left to their own devices with very limited seating and poor bathroom markage. Needless to say the beergarden setup was akin to a cakewalk game.

If you’re here for the Olympics, it’s a bit away from Downtown Vancouver, but the people there make it worth the little trip. We went there last night on a dreary, rainy night and EVERYONE was upbeat and friendly and welcomed us as if we were family. We sat by the beautiful, tall fireplace with food and drink and new friends. Upstairs they have many books from the histories of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and displays of their cultures in glass cases. If you want to get away from the over-​hyped, price-​gouged Olympic Venues and Houses, come to the Scandanavian House and enjoy the change.

The Scandinavian Community Centre touts itself as «home for Scandinavian activites in the Vancouver Lower Mainland». The Centre houses Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian clubs that run a variety of activities.
I took a Swedish course at the Scandinavian Community Centre and was really impressed! Ten classes for two hours each for $ 120! What a bargain! They have beginners, intermediate and advanced classes in Danish and Norwegian too and also offer classes for kids. The Scandinavian Community Centre also has folk dancing classes and choirs.
In the summer, there is a big Midsummer Festival, but unfortunately, I have yet to have the pleasure of attending this event. Be sure to check out the calendar of events to see all the other activities that they have going on year around.