How New York's Coolest Swedish It Girl Celebrates Midsummer

For most New Yorkers, the summer solstice goes largely unnoticed - after all, Memorial Day is the official unofficial start of Hamptons Season, no matter what the celestial bodies say. But for the surprisingly expansive population of stylish Swedes in the city, the occasion harkens back to their native tradition of Midsummer, the all-day, weekend-long festivities celebrating the arrival of sunshine after a winter of darkness. With garden games, "frog dancing," flower crowns, and singing, it's no wonder the tradition reminds New York It Girl and founder of branding agency By Babba, Babba C. Rivera, of the fun and freedom of childhood. Save, perhaps, for all the daytime boozing, although we don't know your life, Sweden.

Nevertheless, all those shots of “snaps” certainly helped to loosen up the crowd of cool kids at Babba’s annual Midsummer bash, hosted on Saturday at North Brooklyn Farms in Williamsburg. The al fresco fete kicked off with friendship astrology readings presented by Bumble BFF in Tom Fruin’s stained-glass house installation (hello, instagrammable moment!). Before posing alongside the iconic maypole, guests made their own flower crowns and friendship bracelets to match their colorful looks provided by Ba&Sh while sipping uplifting nootropic beverages from Kin Euphorics. 

A lovely waterfront lunch of traditional Swedish treats like herring and pickled vegetables under banners of Swedish flags followed, punctuated by bouts of Swedish drinking songs (led by Babba’s hubby) and aforementioned shots. After a strawberry-themed dessert spread, the Swedes in attendance guided everyone through garden games and dancing, and though the midsummer sun was particularly strong, it was no match for the chic sunnies provided to revelers by Haze Collection. In the end, Babba left everyone with some new accessories, traditions, and quite a few friends.

Click through for a look at what you missed!