Norsk Høstfest (

Norwegian language Norwegian ( no, norsk, links=no ) is a North Germanic language spoken mainly in Norway, where it is an official language. Along with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a dialect continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regio ...

: "''Norwegian Autumn Festival''") is an annual festival held each fall in

Minot, North Dakota Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

, US. It is North America's largest Scandinavian festival.

History

The event is held on the

North Dakota State Fair The North Dakota State Fair is an annual state fair held each July in Minot, North Dakota, USA. The fair has carnival rides, agricultural expositions, government and commercial exhibitions, and a variety of musical and performance entertainment. ...

grounds in Minot, North Dakota. Tens of thousands of people attend to celebrate and partake in the Scandinavian culture and entertainment. Altogether it has hosted cultural touchstones from

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, Sweden,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1,580 km2, and a populat ...

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

German-speaking Europe This article details the geographical distribution of speakers of the German language, regardless of the legislative status within the countries where it is spoken. In addition to the German-speaking area (german: Deutscher Sprachraum) in Europe ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The festival was founded in 1978 by former North Dakota senator and mayor of Minot, Chester Reiten (1923-2013), and a group of friends who shared his interest in celebrating their Nordic heritage. The festival is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that raises funds to preserve, improve and share Scandinavian culture, heritage and educational programs. The 2020 and 2021 editions of the Hostfest have been cancelled due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

global pandemic.

Activities

Highlights of the festival include announcing the annua
Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame
inductees. The Hall of Fame is a means of honoring those persons of Scandinavian descent in North America who have achieved greatness in their fields of endeavor and/or whose efforts have contributed significantly to the betterment of mankind. Other honors include the selection of the annua
Miss Norsk Høstfest
and naming of th
Chester Award
which recognizes festival excellence in five categories: artisan, exhibitor, food concessionaire, volunteer and chairman. Norsk Høstfest features a number of Nordic exhibits with artisans, craftsmen and chefs participating. During Høstfest week (end of September through first few days of October), presenters associated with the festival travel to the surrounding area where they introduce Nordic heritage and culture to students in an effort named "Høstfest In The Schools". Additionally
Scandinavian Youth Camp
is held the weekend prior to Høstfest. Children participating in the camps also perform at the festival in events such as the

Troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...

beauty contest, Norwegian Folk dance, Swedish Maypole dancers, and the Troll parade. There are several headliner acts booked each night of the event, not limited to the event's Scandinavian theme. Headliners in the past have included performers from the United States, Canada and Europe.Helseth, Candi
''Three decades of Høstfest. Minot steals the show with country’s premier Scandinavian festival''
(Bismarck, ND: North Dakota Horizons. Fall 2006)

References

Additional sources

*Olson, Lori; Olson, Jim (1995) ''Norsk Hostfest: Heritage Comes Alive'' (Helena, Mt: Farcountry Press) *Emch Paul Thomas (2011) ''The Norsk Hostfest: A Celebration of Ethnic Food and Ethnic Identity'' (Dallas, TX: SIL International)

External links

Norsk Høstfest websiteNews of Norway

Sons of NorwayNorth Dakota Horizons

Minot Chamber of CommerceNordmanns-Forbundet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norsk Hostfest Cultural festivals in the United States Danish-American culture in North Dakota Dutch-American culture in North Dakota Estonian-American history Faroese diaspora Festivals in North Dakota Finnish-American culture in North Dakota German-American culture in North Dakota Icelandic-American culture in North Dakota Norwegian-American culture in North Dakota Norwegian migration to North America Swedish-American culture in North Dakota Tourist attractions in Minot, North Dakota Scandinavian-American culture Recurring events established in 1978 1978 establishments in North Dakota