Ball at Svartsjö Castle
Invitation to the ball at Svartsjö Castle 18 October 2025
Summary:
Date: Saturday 18 October 2025
Time: Programme starts at 17.00, ends at 23.20
Price: SEK 1600 per person
Attire: Festive costume in 1770
Registration opens: 28 July 2025 payment information will be published then
Contact: Wilhelm Dahllöf - ville@kristinehovsmalmgard.se
Invitation to a ball at Svartsjö Castle
Dear member of Gustafs Skål and sister associations,
It is with great pleasure that we invite you to a ball at Svartsjö Castle on Saturday 18 October 2025. The year is 1770 and you get to socialise with the cream of Sweden who are invited to the royal couple Adolf Fredrik and Lovisa Ulrika, whose castle this is. The great octagonal hall and other wonderful rooms at the castle offer many opportunities that we will make the most of!
Much of the evening will be dedicated to Lovisa Ulrika and her family: at five o'clock in the afternoon, the programme will begin with a concert of Prussian music. The food served after the concert will also have a Prussian flavour.
Historical recreation in authentic surroundings
Since we are at Svartsjö - where Gustav III's parents often lived - there are unique opportunities for historical recreation of their environment, and we are therefore taking the opportunity this time to make an extra effort to faithfully recreate important details of dress, dance and concert music. This will be an unforgettable experience!
Music programme
The programme starts at 5 o'clock with a Prussian concert. The conductor is the violinist Rebecka Karlsson, who has done a thorough job of finding music from the court circles in Berlin, where the Queen was born and raised. We also hear more about the finely educated Lovisa Ulrika and her musical family. Other musicians taking part are harpsichordist Wilhelm Dahllöf and oboist Kerstin Frödin. If finances allow, an additional musician may be added.
Dinner and dancing after the concert
After the concert there will be dancing and dinner. The dance programme consists of dances that would have been likely in 1770, and we have been careful in each case. For example, the beautiful cadenza Fröken Höpken is omitted because Anders Fredrik Skjöldebrand did not meet Fröken Höpken until 1778.
We will start each dance session with minuets danced in order of rank, and this evening the rank is set based on the number of unbroken years a guest has been a member of the Gustafs Skål Society or sister organisation. The dance will take place to live music under the baton of Wilhelm Dahllöf.
An evening to remember
This ball is something special - a festive evening that marks our presence at Svartsjö Castle. We want to do something really special and give everyone a chance to step into history for an evening. We, the organising team, are making an effort to get close to historical reality in some key areas, and we would like to ask you as a guest to also contribute by really thinking through your costume this time.
Costume guides and preparations
To help you prepare, we have produced costume guides for both ladies and gentlemen. You can read more about how people dressed during this time, get tips on how to build a suitable costume and what is most important to consider. You can find the guides further down the page.
Practise the dances
We would also like to ask you to be properly prepared for the dances. We will present in good time which dances will be performed and mark the level of difficulty. Videos of the dances are available to study in advance, and we will organise a practice assembly at Kristinehovs malmgård on 13 September. Dancing is voluntary, of course, but we hope that many will be willing to take up the challenge of dancing all the dances, including the opening minuets.
Transport and times
It is possible to travel by public transport to and from Svartsjö. The programme of events will be ready by 23.20, so anyone who wants to can catch the bus that leaves at 23.30.
Photography
Photographs will be taken discreetly by one of the organisers during the evening. This is to help create a good and historically authentic atmosphere. It is not allowed for any guest to take out their phone.
Fee and registration
The fee for the ball is SEK 1600. This includes dinner, non-alcoholic drinks (alcoholic drinks must be purchased on site), the concert with period instruments, dancing to live music and good company in incomparable premises. There is room for 70 guests, after which registration closes.
Registration opens on 28 July.
Questions should be directed to Wilhelm Dahllöf: ville@kristinehovsmalmgard.se
We look forward to an unforgettable evening with you!
The organising committee
Thommas Andersen, Wilhelm Dahllöf, Denise Engman, Rebecka Karlsson, Anders and Anna Löfgren, Viveka Sjölund