Held for three days from the first Thursday in February, every year since 1605, the Jokkmokk market (Jokkmokks Marknad) is a fascinating and unique cultural experience. The town of Jokkmokk is north of the Polar Circle and is a peaceful gem on the border of Laponia which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its natural importance. The Swedish King, Karl IX, is credited with helping to create the market to observe what goods the Sami were trading in an effort to charge more taxes. Although the market was originally a place to meet and trade, it quickly evolved into an annual social event too.
The market has an energetic festival feeling offering not only traditional Sami goods (some genuinely beautiful arts and crafts from some of the Sami people’s best artist) but plenty of cultural activities such as lectures, dances, the Sami joik concerts, the ever popular reindeer races and the incredible gastronomic experiences but above all the people the locals reunite with. All this while winter is at its coldest as it’s not unusual for temperatures to plummet below the –30 degree mark!
The market causes the normally small sleepy town to swell as tens of thousands of visitors from around the world visit to experience Sami culture and hospitality. The Sami maybe outnumbered by the visitors, but the market remains the primary social event for Sámi peoples from across the Sámi lapland region.
Make sure you come prepared to Jokkmokk to get the most out of your experience and that mainly means bring plenty of warm clothing considering it is the dead of winter! You will need multiple warm layers the best being wool, thermals covered by a heavy-duty down jacket, your best gloves and winter boots with thick woollen socks. Maybe you can purchase a reindeer fur hat while at the market and you’ll be prepared to make the most of your time in and around Jokkmokk!
To get to Jokkmokk you can fly to any of these airports from Stockholm and transfer from there; Luleå, Gällivare, Arvidsjaur or Kiruna which is 220 km north of Jokkmokk and a great place to visit the ICEHOTEL and see the Aurora Borealis while you’re in Lapland.
You can also reach Jokkmokk by train from Stockholm or Kiruna and disembark in Boden or Murjek. There is a regular bus transfer to Jokkmokk to and from these towns during the market week. Trains and the bus transfer can be booked through Swedish Trains.
For more information on the Jokkmokk Market visit the Jokkmokks Marknad site, the Jokkmokk Guide or see the Jokkmokk tourist information site - Destination Jokkmokk.
