Cheryl Marie Cordeiro

Donsö hamnfest 2013. The harbour festival draws a large crowd,
both from the local community and from farther away.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013

Late in the summer every year, a harbour festival is held at Donsö, an island situated at the southern archipelago of Gothenburg. Events to this festival go on for two days that includes a marathon around the two islands of Styrsö and Donsö. The route is marked by deep blue and yellow tapes tied to street lamps, branches of trees and fences to help the runners find their way. Come evening of the harbour festival, the air fills with the sounds of live bands, the guests fed with fresh grilled seafood sandwiches, under tents and eaten right by the waterfront.

So it’s no surprise that the harbour festival draws a large crowd, both from the local community and from farther away. The natural means of communication is by sea, and the harbour at this event is fully packed with rows upon rows of pristinely polished boats and yachts in various sizes. Occasional product tankers and trawlers owned by the islander families are also pulled home and docked for greetings at the quay side.

All in all, the elements and atmosphere make for a glorious cocktail of fun and hanging out the next few days.

Swedish crayfish from the sea are boiled almost immediately on board the ships, as they are caught. They are rare this year, so it is a good idea to order some in advance to those August crayfish parties.