Austin is ready to add a Swedish touch to its cultural tapestry as the Old Bakery and Emporium preps to host its Third Annual Midsummer Festival, a nod to the city's Swedish-American roots scheduled for June 29. The Old Bakery, built-in 1876 by Swedish immigrant Charles Lundberg, has embraced this tradition to celebrate the Summer Solstice—the sunniest day of the year, and what could be better than filling it with free, family-friendly festivities?
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., attendees can immer the event's Swedish smörgåsbord that spans from Fika Table's treats to a traditional Maypole dance. And while kids flutter through face painting and hair braiding, adults can savor Swedish meatballs until supplies inevitably run out—it's all part of the charm, isn't it? According to an announcement by the City of Austin, the event will also feature live music to keep those Swedish beats and feet moving.
But let's not glaze over the festival highlight—a vibrant new mural by local artist Ruben Esquivel, marking the first artistic mark made on the historic establishment's walls. The splashy debut, backed by the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation's Writing on the Walls program, has been meticulously shaped through an 18-month community engagement process—a significant feat, designed to mirror the area's rich heritage. "The Foundation is honored to work with the Old Bakery Emporium to bring a mural to life honoring the rich history of the area," Raasin McIntosh, VP of Active Urbanism, Downtown Austin Alliance, said in a statement.
Beyond the day's fanfare, festival organizers are underscoring the larger drive to invigorate public spaces through art and engagement—a hallmark of Writing on the Walls' annual campaign. The Downtown Austin Alliance, being a collective with its pulse on downtown’s vibe, places community engagement at the heart of urban aesthetics, which could translate to more mural projects down the line. Partnerships like these, including with the Austin Parks Foundation, have seen the APF invest over $80 million to beautify and bolster Austin's parks since 1992, and that's something worth painting the town about.
