THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - The Scandinavian Festival will provide affordable family fun when it returns to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks on April 16 and 17.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 16 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 17 with food, entertainment and demonstrations highlighting the Nordic cultures of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

This year, a gammal dans (old-time dance) will be held 5 to 8:30 p.m. April 16 under a big tent. Several new entertainers will also perform at the festival this year. They include a Finnish-American duo, a young performing group that will sing songs by Abba and other groups, and a professional storyteller who will bring Hans Christian Andersen stories to life while demonstrating the Danish art of paperklip.

The festival will open with the traditional colorful parade of flags featuring Scandinavian dignitaries and Old World costumes and will continue with ongoing music, dancing, demonstrations and lectures.

The festival offers many activities for children including Dala horse croquet and a lawn game called kubb. Children can explore the cultures of five Scandinavian countries by completing crafts related to each one including flower head wreaths. Aspiring woodworkers can sand butter knives in one of the most popular booths. Visitors can also dance around a Maypole and explore a Viking encampment and Sami village in Kingsmen Park.

A variety of Nordic delicacies and handicrafts will be available. Vintage Scandinavian vehicles will be exhibited. Lutheran pastors from Scandinavian churches throughout the area will lead a worship service at 10:30 a.m. April 17 in Samuelson Chapel.

A Swedish-American professor and Norwegian-American administrator started the festival 37 years ago to showcase Scandinavian culture and the CLU campus. The university, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, was the dream of Scandinavian immigrants and it was built on land provided by the son of Norwegian pioneers. The cultural celebration has expanded from 600 participants at the inaugural event to more than 6,000 visitors a year today.

The Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation is sponsoring the festival.

Admission is free for children 11 and younger and $7 for everyone else. Parking is free. CLU is located at the corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. For more information, visit http://www.scandinaviancenter.org or email Sandra Grunewald at sgrunewa@callutheran.edu.