World's Largest Surströmming Feast (Alfta)Världens största surströmmingsskiva i Alfta

An annual community gathering in Alfta, celebrating the opening of the fermented herring (surströmming) season. Locals gather in the Alfta Ishall to endure and enjoy the pungent aroma, sharing in traditional songs and food. The event, often called the world’s largest “surströmmingsskiva”, features live music, dancing, and communal feasting on surströmming, creating a vivid local tradition of togetherness through shared endurance.

Surströmming is a century-old Swedish tradition of fermented Baltic herring, produced in the High Coast region. The tradition of hosting surströmming parties (surströmmingsskivor) is particularly strong in northern Sweden, where entire communities come together to open cans of the notoriously smelly fish, often accompanied by songs and schnapps. Alfta, in central Sweden, became famous for hosting a large annual surströmming party, emphasizing local culture over mass tourism.