Danish Windmill

05/28/2026

We're so happy to have shared our festival with our friends at the Scan Design Foundation! This year's Tivoli Fest was a special milestone for us and to share that moment with so many close partners and supporters was such an honor. Skål!

05/28/2026

Now that Ærø Arts is officially open, we’re looking to welcome a few more consignment artists into our creative mix!

During opening weekend, our customers were especially loving handmade and fine art pieces with local themes or with functional use. From small giftable items to thoughtful artisan goods, we’re building a carefully curated collection that feels unique to our community.

Send a message or stop in—we look forward to meeting you and taking a look at what you create!

05/27/2026

Tivoli Fest 2026 🇩🇰🇺🇸

Our community is a beautiful thing. Here in the Danish Villages, home to the largest rural settlement of Danes in the United States, generations have worked to preserve and share the traditions, stories, language, food, music, and hospitality that connect us to our heritage.

Over time, our Danish traditions have blended with American culture, making our community a rather unique place. In the Danish Villages, we are proud of where we come from and the community we have built. We believe culture is meant to be shared—and that anyone can be Danish (or Danish American) for a day.

Every Memorial Day weekend, our communities come alive in celebration of Danish heritage, and this year’s Tivoli Fest felt especially memorable. We welcomed Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen, celebrated the Danish Windmill's 50th anniversary on American soil, and introduced visitors to our Thomas Dambo Troll, Fjord Færgemand, during her very first Tivoli Fest. Across the Museum campus, we greeted record numbers of guests eager to experience Danish culture and community.

We danced and folk danced, listened to music fill the streets, mixed æbleskiver batter by the gallon, adorned the streets with Danish flags, shared meals and laughter with old friends and new visitors, and celebrated the traditions that continue to bring people together year after year.

To every performer, vendor, volunteer, sponsor, organizer, and guest: thank you. Your passion and dedication are what make Tivoli Fest so meaningful. Tusind tak for helping keep these traditions alive for future generations and for reminding us that community itself may be the greatest tradition of all 🇩🇰

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

What a weekend! We could not be happier with the turnout for this year's Tivoli Fest! From the weather to the crowds, this year's festival came as close to perfect as could be for our 50th anniversary. We wish to thank our staff, board members, and all of the volunteers who made this special weekend possible. This will be a year to remember for a long, long time.

Please enjoy some of our early photos. We have many more on the way!

05/25/2026

We will be closed today in observance of Memorial Day.

50 years ago, our community put on a grand celebration centered on dedicating the new windmill which was still under construction. There were raffles and bake sales, a large parade, and more. Contests were held and a community gathered, united by their shared interest of honoring heritage and those who served.

A rejsekrans (raising wreath), an evergreen wreath adorned with red and white, was placed on top of the mill as it stood to dedicate the windmill. The ceremony touched off a new era, igniting a red and white (and blue) fervor that still channels through our streets 50 years later. The traditions of Tivoli Fest continue to bind Danish heritage with national pride.

And what a whirlwind this weekend was. We'll be back to share all of the highlights of the festival in the coming days, but for now enjoy some of these clippings of the windmill's first Memorial Day celebration 50 years ago.

05/24/2026

We are having a blast this weekend, but need to get the word out today. We ran out of Dane Country yesterday, but managed to secure a few more cases. It will sell out today and we will not be getting more. Today is the last chance to get some before its gone. We will be open 8 - 5.

05/22/2026

Today marks the beginning of Tivoli Fest 2026, the 50th Memorial Day celebration our windmill has been a part of since its arrival in 1976. This year is a special year for us and we anticipate that many of our returning festival-goers will notice something a little different outside.

In 2025, we purchased the Old Danish Workshop from local treasure, Gene Thomsen, who is now enjoying full retirement. Many remember Gene for his birdhouses and kind heart, and we suspect a lot of people will be around looking for him this year.

The good news is he is still here, and he will be in and out of what will become our Education & Preservation Center this year. The woodshop has been spruced up, and the retail space is being converted into a classroom for workshops. Our mission for this space is to offer programs that teach and preserve the skills, crafts, and knowledge of the Danish immigrants who built our communities so long ago. The space isn't quite ready yet, but we hope to have it open this Summer.

You can read more about the Center and what it means for us in the latest issue of our publication, The Breeze, out in print now at the windmill. Members will have copies mailed to them next week.

And tonight, don't miss the coronation of this year's Tivoli Fest King & Queen, Mike and Lou Howard at 5PM at the fire station. Mike & Lou graciously sponsored the acquisition of this new space for our organization and we could not be more grateful for their support of our initiative to produce a new generation of builders and creators who can help preserve our windmill and community for generations to come.

Find copies of The Breeze at the windmill or download it here: https://danishwindmill.org/The-Breeze

05/21/2026

Our sign is finally back up and just in time for Tivoli Fest Elk Horn Iowa! We want to thank all of those who lent us help to get it up before the weekend including Andy Anderson, Mike Howard, Bruce Poldberg, and Mike and Lucas from Mike's Welding.

05/20/2026

COMING UP: We have the return of the Tour de Tivoli Bike Ride this year on Sunday, May 24. Register online or the morning of and join us for a breezy 26-mile ride beginning and ending at the windmill, with stops at Prairie Rose State Park and the Little Mermaid in Kimballton.

Support stations will be available at all 3 locations. Need your bike fixed? Jody LaCanne of Ærø Arts will be on site during registration with tools to get you the adjustments you might need. A SAG car will also be available for rescues if need be. Please note there is no set start time. Participants are free to begin once registered to ensure you have the time you need to complete the route at your own pace. We are also making additional signs to warn traffic on Highways 44 and 173.

Riders can just stay the course for $25, or get a breakfast voucher and free 50th t-shirt for $50. Register at 8AM at the windmill or online at https://www.danishwindmill.com/product/2026-tour-de-tivoli-ticket/ - if registering online, just leave your t-shirt size in the comments.

All proceeds go towards our campaign for new millstones and other upgrades we have planned for the windmill this year and next year.

We wish to thank our volunteers, including Elk Horn's SCSB branch, for managing support stations for us. We can't wait to see the turnout this year!