Every Swedish summer has a soundtrack of voices. Here is what Sommar i P1 is, why a radio monologue makes national news, and exactly how to listen — including the episodes you can hear in English.
When you need this
A colleague asks whether you heard “her sommarprat”. A radio is on at 13:00 in a café, on a boat or at a summer cottage, and everyone goes quiet. Or you are learning Swedish and want long, clear, personal speech on every subject imaginable.
It also helps if you play an old episode in autumn and wonder why the songs stop after a few seconds. There is a reason, and a deadline.
What Sommar is
Sommar (“Summer”), almost always called Sommar i P1, is a daily programme on P1, the talk channel of Sveriges Radio, Sweden’s public-service radio. Each episode belongs to one sommarvärd (summer host): they talk about whatever they choose and play music they picked themselves. There is no interviewer.
The idea dates from spring 1959, when Tage Danielsson asked producer Jörgen Cederberg for “light music and talk with meaning”. Sveriges Radio now calls it Sweden’s biggest podcast of personal stories.
The 2026 season shows the range: it ran from Midsummer Day, 20 June, to 16 August with one host a day — actors, scientists, athletes, the archbishop, comedians, a neurosurgeon and a firefighter chosen by listeners.
Why Swedes care
Being invited to host is treated as public recognition, and the June announcement of the year’s hosts is national news. Because hosts speak alone for an hour, an episode is often the first time a well-known Swede tells a personal story in public. Newspapers quote it the same day and people argue about it over coffee.
The reach is real. More than 2.8 million people aged 12–79 listened at least once during the 2026 season, according to Sveriges Radio’s figures reported by SVT. The most-listened 2026 episode was Russia expert Martin Kragh’s, about world politics and his life with cancer; he died weeks after it aired.
Treat single-episode figures as indicators: Sveriges Radio’s headline numbers combine podcast starts with counted P1 listeners, which it says itself is not statistically exact.
How and when to listen
Every episode is free. The podcast comes first, so by lunchtime people may already be discussing the day’s host.
| What | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Podcast release | 07:00, daily in season | Sveriges Radio app, sverigesradio.se |
| Radio broadcast | 13:00–14:30 | P1 |
| Season | Midsummer Day to mid-August | National, the same everywhere |
| Host presentation | Early June (9 June in 2026) | Sveriges Radio |
The radio slot is 90 minutes; the podcast is shorter — the last 2026 episode ran about 66 minutes. If you only want the talk, the short-music option makes an episode quicker still.
Learning Swedish? Sommar is ideal listening practice: one clear voice, everyday vocabulary, no crosstalk. Start with a host you already know of; for courses see learning Swedish.
The music rule: full songs until mid-September
This is the detail most guides miss. Until mid-September of the year an episode is released, Sveriges Radio lets you choose full-length music or short music. After that, only the podcast version with shortened music remains, and the songs play as brief clips for good. The reason is music rights.
In the Sveriges Radio app you pick the version the first time you start an episode, and can switch through the three-dot menu.
- Want the full playlist? Listen to that summer’s episodes before mid-September.
- Only want the story? Choose short music at any time.
Episodes in English
Sommar is in Swedish, with no translations or subtitles. A handful of hosts recorded English versions, and they sit free in the same archive:
| Host | Year | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg | 2014 | YouTuber |
| Johan Rockström | 2015 (and Vinter 2019–20) | Sustainability scientist |
| Maher Zain | 2016 | Singer |
| Ingrid Wall | 2018 | Sommar host 2018 |
| Greta Thunberg | 2020 | Climate activist — Humanity has not yet failed |
A general podcast search for “Sommar” won’t surface them. Search the host’s name or the episode title in the Sveriges Radio app or on sverigesradio.se.
The deep archive goes back further than most people expect: more than 2,000 episodes, with most seasons since 2000 in full and selected programmes back to 1960 — the oldest preserved one is Georg “Tuppen” Eliasson’s.
How hosts are chosen
There is no application. Sveriges Radio’s Sommar team invites the hosts, and programme chief Bibi Rödöö has led the programme since 1997. The list is presented in early June.
One slot each summer is different. Since 2007 Lyssnarnas Sommarvärd (the listeners’ summer host) has been a usually unknown person chosen through a listener vote. The 2026 listeners’ host was firefighter Robin Larmérus, talking about the calling to help where help is needed.
Some seasons add short extras, such as 2025’s Fråga Värden (“Ask the host”) follow-ups. Sommar was also nominated for Podcast of the Year at the 2026 Guldörat awards.
Vinter i P1
Vinter i P1 is the winter edition: same format, one host a day from 25 December to 1 January. The 2025–26 season had eight hosts, from a lawyer on why we all lie to a chemist explaining how to sleep better. Winter episodes sit in the same archive, under Sveriges Radio’s programme Sommar & Vinter i P1.
| Swedish | Means |
|---|---|
| sommarprat | one host’s episode |
| sommarvärd / sommarpratare | summer host |
| Lyssnarnas Sommarvärd | the listeners’ host |
| kort musik / lång musik | short / full-length music |
| podd | podcast |
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free — radio, app, website and archive |
| Season 2026 | 20 June – 16 August (Midsummer Day 2027 falls on Saturday 26 June) |
| Daily times | Podcast 07:00; P1 broadcast 13:00–14:30 |
| Full-length music | Until mid-September of the release year; afterwards short music only |
| English episodes | Kjellberg 2014, Rockström 2015, Zain 2016, Wall 2018, Thunberg 2020 |
| Vinter i P1 | 25 December – 1 January |
| Hosts announced | Early June |
FAQ
What is Sommar i P1?
Sommar i P1 is a Swedish Radio programme that has run every summer since 1959. Each day from Midsummer to mid-August, one invited host — an actor, scientist, athlete or ordinary person chosen by listeners — talks about their life and plays music they picked themselves. There is no interviewer. Swedes treat being asked to host as a public honour, and episodes are discussed nationwide.
When is Sommar i P1 broadcast?
Every day from Midsummer Day to mid-August. In 2026 the season ran from 20 June to 16 August. Each new episode is released as a podcast in the Sveriges Radio app at 07:00 and broadcast on the P1 channel at 13:00, in a 90-minute slot. The winter edition, Vinter i P1, airs from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day.
Can I listen to Sommar i P1 in English?
Mostly no — the programme is in Swedish without translations. A few hosts recorded English versions, all free in Sveriges Radio’s archive: YouTuber Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg (2014), scientist Johan Rockström (2015 and Vinter 2019–20), singer Maher Zain (2016), Ingrid Wall (2018) and Greta Thunberg (2020). Search the host’s name in the Sveriges Radio app.
Why is the music cut short in the Sommar podcast?
Music rights. Sveriges Radio lets you choose full-length or short music until mid-September of the year an episode is released. After that only the podcast version with shortened music remains, so older episodes play the songs as brief clips. To hear the full playlist, listen to that summer’s episodes before mid-September.
How are Sommar hosts chosen?
Sveriges Radio’s Sommar team invites them; there is no application process, and programme chief Bibi Rödöö has led the programme since 1997. The year’s hosts are presented in early June. The exception is Lyssnarnas Sommarvärd, the listeners’ host: since 2007 one slot each summer goes to a usually unknown person picked through a listener vote.
Can I listen to Sommar i P1 outside Sweden?
Sveriges Radio publishes every episode free in the Sveriges Radio app and on sverigesradio.se, and P1 can be heard live online. We found no geographic restriction in Sveriges Radio’s published information, but music rights shape what you hear: full songs only until mid-September, after which every listener gets the shortened-music version.
What is Vinter i P1?
Vinter i P1 is the winter version of Sommar: the same format of one host talking and choosing music, broadcast daily from 25 December to 1 January. The 2025–26 season had eight hosts, from a lawyer on lying to a chemist explaining how to sleep better. Episodes stay in the same archive as Sommar, under Sveriges Radio’s programme Sommar & Vinter i P1.
Related guides
- Allsång på Skansen — the other great Swedish summer broadcast, where the audience sings along.
- Kulturskolan and Swedish pop — why so many Sommar hosts are musicians.
- Swedish news in English — Sveriges Radio’s English news service and other sources.
- Learning Swedish — courses to pair with Sommar as listening practice.
- Midsummer in Sweden — the day the Sommar season begins.
Facts verified 2026-10-06. Sources: Sveriges Radio (open programme and episode data, Sommar FAQ), SVT — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.