Join us on Friday, May 23rd and Saturday, May 24th for Elk Horn’s 45th Annual Tivoli Fest! Tour the historic windmill, taste homemade aebleskiver, watch Vikings mint coins, and take in everything the Danish Villages have to offer during Tivoli Fest 2025!

SCHEDULE COMING SOON. Check back for updates or follow our Tivoli page on Facebook. Call 712-764-7472 for more information.

Tivoli Fest shirts now available for preorder at danishwindmill.com! T-shirts will be available for purchase online or at the Danish Windmill through the festival. They will also be sold at the Elk Horn Fire Station on Friday night of the festival. All proceeds go towards funding Tivoli Fest for future generations. 

Tivoli Fest is an annual ethnic celebration in the Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton, Iowa. Every year thousands of people gather in our small, rural heartland to celebrate Danish cultural heritage. Tivoli is a timeless tradition with fun for all ages. Taste classic Danish foods, listen to Danish music, take in a wide offering of Danish culture and traditions, and experience everything local businesses and organizations have to offer in the largest rural Danish settlement in the United States. 

Tivoli Fest is a two-day festival held every year on Memorial Day weekend, capped by a grand fireworks display on Saturday night. Read on to learn more about the festival highlights and everything you don't want to miss! 

TASTE DANISH FOOD
From aebleskiver and medisterpølse to wood-fire pizza, Tivoli Fest has it all. The Danish highlights are aebleskiver (pancake balls), smørrebrød (open-face sandwiches), fresh-baked kringle, and loaded Danish røde pølser (hotdogs). And no Danish meal is complete without an ice-cold pint of Carlsberg beer! 

Beer, hard seltzer, and other beverages will be available at the Tivoli Beer Garden located in the Elk Horn Fire Station. Beers and hard seltzers are $4.00 each including Bud Light, Busch Light, Michelob ULTRA, Budweiser, Carlsberg Pilsner, Truly Hard Seltzer, and NÜTRL Vodka Seltzer.

Aebleskiver & Medisterpølse: Saturday, 7:00 - 3:00 (Fire Station)
Danish Hotdogs: Friday, 6:00 - sold out (Fire Station)
Open-faced Sandwiches: Saturday, 12:00 - 4:00 (Elk Horn Town Hall)

HEAR DANISH MUSIC
Tivoli Fest features great live music from local performers and rising stars to renowned musicians. Anyone interested in hearing some authentic Danish folk music. This year we will have a full lineup of performers from the Dwight Lamb Orkestra!

This year's full LIVE music schedule is:

Friday:
2:00 - 4:00: Dwight Lamb Orkestra *Performance at Museum of Danish America
5:30 - 7:30: Radio Rangers
8:00 - 11:00: Murphy's Law

Saturday:
2:00 - 3:00, 4:00 - 5:00: Dwight Lamb Orkestra
6:00 - 8:00: TBA
8:00 - Midnight: TBA

Thank you to Danish Mutual Insurance for sponsoring this year's entertainment! 

EXPERIENCE DANISH CULTURE
It wouldn't be a proper Tivoli without our folk dancing demonstrations! We have two local Danish dancing troupes, kids and adults, that will perform on the outdoor stage in view of the windmill. Additional performances are given by the Scandinavian Folk Dancers of Omaha. 

Famous Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen, will also be wandering around to regale us with his fanciful tales.

TOUR THE WINDMILL
Walk back in time through our historic windmill! Climb all the way up the windmill and see how the gears turn as the sails spin in the wind. Grinding demonstrations held throughout on Friday and Saturday. The windmill is packed with new exhibits for everyone to learn about the windmill and its rich Danish history. 

We will be offering FREE ADMISSION into the windmill Friday-Sunday. The windmill will be open to enter at any time, but we will also have guided tours running every 15 minutes for those interested in a more interactive experience. 

And don't forget there is stone-ground rye and wheat flour in the gift shop! 

LIVE VIKING ENCAMPMENT
The Vikings are coming! Witness our live Viking demonstrations downtown and around the windmill. Tour our authentic Vikinghjem and take in demonstrations from the blacksmith forge including coin minting. Our demonstrators will be onsite to give lectures and demonstrations on various aspects of Viking culture including battles and one-to-one combat in the field. 

We'll have some axe throwing kits onsite and a wide variety of Viking souvenirs for kids and adults in the windmill gift shop. View some of our selection here.

LIVE VIKING BATTLES: Saturday at 1:30 and 4:00 PM!

TAKE IN DANISH HISTORY
Explore the creative exhibits and beautiful grounds of the Museum of Danish America (10am - 4pm) all weekend with Free Admission. Their feature exhibits include: 

Danish Ceramics: Beyond Blue and White: 
2025 marks the 250^th anniversary of Royal Copenhagen and its iconic blue-and-white porcelain. Danish Ceramics: Beyond Blue and White celebrates this anniversary by looking back at the entire history of Danish ceramics. Featuring new acquisitions from Denmark and the USA, this exhibit celebrates the diversity and innovation that lies behind the most popular designs.

Lay Of(f) the Land: Nordic Narratives: Profoundly shaped by Nordic culture and nature, the Art Alliance of the Arctic South (A-A-A-S) offers a diverse range of works reflecting a deep connection to the environment. From intricate collages to life-size sculptural installations, eight Scandinavian artists intertwine personal and collective identity against vast landscapes, urging us to consider our collective path and the pressing need for change.

Dwight Lamb | Music of Two Continents: Dwight Lamb (1934-2024) was an Iowa native who lived in Moorhead and Onawa. He was also internationally renowned as a fiddler and accordion player. Over his long career as a folk musician, he preserved versions of Danish tunes virtually unchanged from the 19^th century. This exhibition is the first complete retrospective on his career, and features the documentary “Dwight in Denmark.”

Also check out the museum's Genealogy and Education Center (10am - 4pm) located on Main St. Feature exhibit: Greenland: Shared History, Evolving Future.

Bedstemor's House – 12pm - 4pm: Travel back in time and tour a Danish Grandmother’s house from the early 1900’s.

Jens Jensen Prairie Landscape Park
30 acres of prairie, located on the Museum of Danish America grounds, picnic areas, authentic homesteader’s cabin, mowed and hard surfaced walking trails, outdoor fitness equipment and green roof.

Contact Museum of Danish America for more information.

STROLL THE STRØGET
Explore the craft and antique booths of the open street market steps away from the amazing Egg Krate Antique Mall.

Discover retro, vintage, rare, and unique items of all kinds in addition to delicious jams, preserves, and baked goods. 

Food trucks will also be available. 

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Tivoli Fest has fun things to do for the whole family from caricature art to axe throwing! Be sure to check out the Kids' Lego Contest held at the Elk Horn Public Library. 

Contestants can submit one creation per class. Limit of 2 people per group. The classes are:
1. Read - Renew - Repeat
2. Danish
3. Book Theme

Bring your creations to the Elk Horn Public Library between Wed. May 22nd and Friday May 24th, 12:30 - 4:30PM. Entries will be displayed from 12:00 - 3:00 on Saturday. Entries available for pickup 3:00PM Saturday or following week during regular hours. Winners receive free Tivoli t-shirts! 

Saturday activities at the library include indoor games, a car race challenge, a canvas painting contest, and Iowa PBS's STEAM trailer! Visit the library's website for more information. 

Saturday, 3pm - 4pm: The library will be hosting a Joke Contest at the Elk Horn Fire Station. 

RHUBARB REIMAGINED COOKING CONTEST
Hosted by the Museum of Danish America

Friday, 5:30 - 7:30*

You’ve made traditional rhubarb crisp or pie, now it’s time to reimagine the possibilities. Savory dishes or sweet treats, we’ll taste them all!

Deliver to the Elk Horn Fire Station on Friday, May 23 between 3-5 pm

Judging begins at 5:30 pm by the Museum of Danish America staff and volunteers

Winners and prizes for Best Tasting, Most Authentically Danish, and Best Presentation will be announced at the Elk Horn Fire Station between bands at 7:30 PM. 

MILL TO MERMAID 5K

Saturday, 8:15 AM
Start at Windmill
$5 / person
Registration table in parking lot near windmill

Race finishes at the Little Mermaid fountain in Kimballton. T-shirts given to winners by age-group. 

TIVOLI PARADE

Saturday, 11:00
Start at EEHK School on Madison St., runs North to South down Main St. 

Free to participate, no registration. Line up on Madison St. in front of the school.

Parade winners announced at fire station at 3:00. 

TIVOLI FIREWORKS

Saturday, After Dark
Downtown Elk Horn

Presented by the Waymire Brothers

FLASH TATTOOS
Seneca Studios

Danish hand-poked flash tattoos
Friday by appointment
Saturday walk-ins: 10:00 - 7:00

Book your appointment today: handpokedbyashley@gmail.com

DANISH WINE
Danish Countryside Winery

Open Daily: 12:00 - 5:00
19 varieties of locally-made wine and quality chocolate in a rustic setting

DANISH WOOD CRAFTS
Old Danish Workshop

Birdhouses, canes, crosses, pencil holders, windmills, wooden toys, and more.

DANISH PASTRIES
Kringleman Bakery

Enjoy fresh-baked kringle in a variety of flavors plus Danish letters, stroopwaffels, creamed-horns, and more.