Stockholm Pride 2026: A Glittering Opening Night in the New Pride District

The Spectrum stage began at 19:30 with Sing Along led by Rickard Söderberg. On stage with him were some of Sweden's most dazzling opera singers, including Dominique Wooten, Negar Zarassi and Joa Helgesson. What voices they have! They encouraged the audience to sing karaoke with the help of a large display with the lyrics for support. The mood was high and people sang along from the very start.

The opening of Pride District started at 20:00. There were speeches and songs and, naturally, this year’s Pride song was presented. Pride’s festival leader Måns Axelsson began by welcoming everyone and gave a speech. Emilia Bjuggren, city councilor for schools, labor market, and personnel, also delivered a speech and stated, among other things, that "Pride means so much more than a festival" and "Love is always worth defending."

Petter Wallenberg, human rights defender, took the stage wearing a colorful boa and a broad smile. Among other things, he has founded “Bland Drakar & Dragqueens”—a theater company that now does around 200 performances a year for children, youth, and adults across the country. Petter talked about his work to spread knowledge and acceptance for everything Pride stands for. An incredibly important mission! Petter lives under constant threat and has received death threats. He has also founded Sweden’s first Hate Crime Council.


When Germany’s ambassador Ludger Siemens in Sweden entered the stage, there was not a minute’s silence for those affected in Germany but instead a “Shout out for Berlin” for a minute—and the entire audience gave it all they had. He honored the victims of the terror attack and thanked Sweden for its solidarity, also highlighting the importance of defending democracy and human rights and the equal value of all people.

Helena Berglund, president for transgender rights, FPES - Full Personality Expression Sweden - presented this year’s Hero Award to Jonas Gardell who then sang, including “Aldrig ska jag sluta älska dig”—a beautiful and sensitive song that touched everyone in the audience and to which all joined in for the sing-along.

This year's official song for Stockholm Pride 2026 “Alive” was really amazing! It was performed by artist Melanie Wehbe, who is also the composer. The song is about opening your heart and living life to the fullest, living in the moment. The song and performance were excellent and both the artist and song were a huge success! Melanie has previously written successful songs for both Melodifestivalen and Idol. Later in the evening, Melanie also performed her song “Like I do” with the lyric “No one’s gonna love you the way I’m gonna love you.” A song with a catchy chorus and great pulse, with a message about daring to be who you are.

ELECKTRA was as dazzling and vibrant as ever and a perfect host for Pride’s schlager night. The first part of this segment began with Cimberly Wanyonyi with the song “Eternity”. A fantastic song in which she sings about finding something better, breaking free, and not being dependent on anyone.

 

Everyone’s Babsan (Lars-Åke Wilhelmsson) sang, among others, the song about living “La dolce vita” that suits a Pride audience and the delightful schlager “Vi borde vara nakna” with the message that all people are equal. Gregor performed his Melodifestivalen song “Mi Amor” from 2006 and 19-year-old Arwin sang the song with the fitting title “Glitter” from this year’s Melodifestivalen.

Siw Malmqvist came on stage to great applause from the audience. Siw spread all the energy her respectable age of 89 could muster and got the crowd to sing along in a medley of some of her most famous songs. ELECKTRA then sang, among others, her wonderful song "Unna daj" and I doubt anyone could resist singing along. Later, in the second part of the schlager night, ELECKTRA performed the equally popular "Banne maj".

The sisters Lilli & Sussie Päivärinta broke through in the mid-1980s and had huge success until the early 1990s. They sang, among others, their major hits “Oh mama”, “What’s the Colour of Love”, "Bara du och jag", and “Sommar inatt”. These were all well-known to both the young and older audience, encouraging more sing-alongs. The sisters told an anecdote about the song “Dansa i neon”, which was actually written for them but TV stopped them from performing it, claiming they were too sexy—so Lena PH got the song instead. Some irony was noticed, but at the same time, there was a twinkle in their eye as they said: “We don’t get it at all.” Sussie’s daughter Nova played bass on stage and Nova’s best friend did backing vocals. 

 

Zara & Jessica rounded off the first segment of the schlager night—and what a job they did. Two women with wonderful charm and musical joy. Their music has roots in folk music, but they create their own sound in their songs.

The second part of the schlager night started after a short break with the glittering group Le Crash, who among others sang the Mello hits "Euphoria" and "Number one". Annika Thörnquist and Per Lidén—the duo from Da Buzz—sang the reliable dance-pop tracks "Do you really want me" and "I'm alive". Shirley Clamp, a beloved artist by the Pride audience, sang "Älska dig", the ballad "Let them be angels", and "Min kärlek" which led to more sing-alongs that almost lifted the roof.

 

Artist Therese Grankvist made her breakthrough with the group Drömhus in the 1990s. In a colorful dress and decorated glasses she entered the stage. When she performed "Vill ha dig," still a surefire party song on the dance floor, the crowd sang along and several other massive hits followed.

 

The group Afrodite, consisting of Gladys del Pilar, Blossom Tainton, and Kayo Shekani, sang the classic schlager hit “Never Let It Go”, among others. Blossom entered the stage with a crutch due to a major knee operation, but this didn’t affect the energy Afrodite brought to the stage.

Andreas Lundstedt, now a solo artist and formerly of Alcazar, sang the immensely popular disco hits "Alcastar”, “This Is The World We Live In”, “Not a Sinner Nor a Saint” and "Stay the Night".

The schlager night concluded with the highly anticipated performance by Dara with the song "Bangaranga",  Eurovision’s winning song of 2026, along with the song “Curse”. Dara had a very strong stage presence and high energy from the start. The dancing on stage was intense in the heat and, with strong immersion, if possible made the Spectrum stage’s colorful party atmosphere even more powerful—a feeling that lingered all the way home.

The entire evening reflected the love that is typically present at Pride from visitors, artists, and an unparalleled joy of schlager. In the Spectrum venue where the concerts were held, it became hot—really hot—and during an unplanned break, someone in the audience was helped out of the crowd. There was no doubt that the Pride audience loves its schlager music and wasted no time showing its love for both the music and all the artists. Such a wonderful night, permeated by love, musical joy, and great performances, can only be given top marks overall. Despite the perhaps less well-thought-out choice of location, Thursday night at Stockholm Pride 2026 gets five stars from me—without a doubt.