Julefest Brings Danish Christmas Into Town

Julefest is one of the clearest ways Elk Horn turns Danish heritage into a living town experience. The 2024 celebration brought people into the Windmill, onto Main Street, and into local businesses at a level the organization had not seen in several recent years.

According to the December 2024 Daily Grind, the Windmill promoted Julefest with billboards in Atlantic, Carroll, and Denison through an Iowa Tourism grant. The response was immediate. Visitors came in heavy numbers on Friday and again on Saturday, and local businesses reported unusually strong traffic and sales.

At the Windmill, guests had free admission into the mill, warmed up with hot drinks in the video room, and sampled Danish flavors including hot chocolate, tea, glogg, coffee, Havarti, and Lakrids by Bulow licorice. Gift shop sales for the two-day period were far above the previous year and more than double many earlier Julefest years.

The celebration also added a new event: Santa in the Forge. Volunteers dressed the vikinghjem for the holidays, operated the forge, and welcomed children with handmade trinkets and candy canes. It was a small example of what Julefest does best: blending community, Danish heritage, local creativity, and visitor hospitality into one winter weekend.

Read the source issue: Daily Grind: December 2024.