Here in Norway, Robin and I have begun our own little tradition…of hosting a Viking Party! Where Robin grew up is the absolute perfect area to invite a bunch of friends and just have a weekend full of good food, games, swimming, drinking and other sorts of party shenanigans.

Others in Robins family have of course had parties here before, but they were Cowboy themed, etc….never had there been a Viking Party, until we held the first one last summer. It was a total success.
Robin invited all of his friends (and Robin has some pretty great friends), and for three days, there were close to 30 of us dressed up, and we had an absolute blast. So I decided to write a little bit about last years party, what we did, what we are doing to prepare for this years party etc. I have tried both years now to do some Googling about viking parties to get some inspiration, but all I get is pictures and blog posts about childrens parties that are viking themed…but let me tell you folks…this is nothing like a childrens party. Nothing is made out of cardboard here, we’ve got real weapons and are all drunk.

What could possibly go wrong?

So, first of all…the location.

 This is what we’re dealing with here. A huge lawn, a river, a beautiful dock, two firepits, enough firewood for the next five viking camps and a little hytta (cottage) for the King and Queen of the camp. People set up their tents on the flat bit next to our hytta, and someone even brought a camper last year to sleep in. Quite a few of Robins friends live on the river as well so we had people coming in on boats, all dressed up in viking gear and ready to party.

We have this beautiful table and bench that can sit 25 people, and last year Robin built an ingenious set up out of trees he cut down to hold a tarp over the table in case it rained (and oh did it ever).

The first photo is of the set up this year, similar to last year but we have new benches around the fire. The other two photos are from last year. It rained all Friday night last year, but it turned out great because we all sat at the table under the tarp and had a great time all together.

Next up: props. What would a viking party be without props?? Last year we had a few, but we added to the collection this year.

Building shields. As Robin is the Earl of this camp, he must have the biggest shield…..so we found a few pallets and ripped them apart and fashioned a few shields.

Robin constructed the back of the shield so he could hold it comfortably. It may not be completely right for battle, but it is perfect for photos and bragging rights.

Last year we made two small shields, also out of pallets.

The shields apparently had more than one use.

Then came one of the biggest details….costumes! We spent a long time researching what get-up would be best for a viking camp, and we searched in every thrift store we could find. Last year when we were home in Nova Scotia, we went to every Frenchy’s and Value Village we could think of, and filled a bag and checked that as extra luggage on our flight to Norway. Dedication. This year we’ve had one more trip to Fretex here in Norway and have added a few pieces to the collection. Here is a little sneak peak of our clothing and what types of things we found and made…

These are most of my clothes that I’ll be rocking at the party. Something for every occasion!! All of the clothes pictured here I bought at used clothing stores, except the dress…which I found at a little tiny shop in Rome, where I also bought my sword.

Robin also lucked out at the thrift shops. He found this brown dress that his lovely grandma used her magic on and made it into a tunic. He also bought this black leather jacket, and cut off the collar and sleeves, and threaded some thin brown rope all along the front. He ordered his battle axe and drinking horn online, which go perfectly with the brand new shield.

Here is some of the jewelry we had and bought that goes perfectly with the whole theme. You’d be surprised at how many of those hair beads Robin can fit into his beard so we made sure we bought lots for the both of us!
Also, our weapons! These are just a few of the many that were brought to the party last time.

Last year we had some canoe races, which were a blast, but as you can see it didn’t really work that well. This year we have an idea for a different type of race that may work better…

All in all I think everyone had a great time. Everyone had awesome costumes and we had a hilarious three days together. We are so excited to be able to be home to host a Second Annual Viking Party, which is coming in less than a week. Let the Shenanigans begin again!!!

When you run out of candles but have plenty of moonshine.

Sarah