HISTORY OF THE SNOWBALL
2004
The Snowball was started by Kenneth Norbelie and Mohan Pakkurti, with Helena Norbelie also involved from the beginning. Their vision was to combine a great social swing dance party with the ultimate Lindy Hop workshop, featuring top instructors—all in one big event in Stockholm. The first Snowball took place at the end of December and concluded with a big New Year’s Eve party. Hasse Ling and his Syncopators of Swing were the first band to play at the event.
2005
We found a new venue at the Stockholm Museum of Music and introduced the specially formed Snowball All Star Band as our musicians for the evening dances. The event nearly doubled in size compared to the first year!
2006
This year, classes were held at Stockholm Dance Center, and the New Year’s Eve party took place at Lyran, a ballroom near Hard Rock Café in Stockholm.
2007
The organization of The Snowball expanded. Kenneth and Helena remained as organizers, joined by Hasse and Marie Mattsson. The number of participants increased significantly, creating a need for a larger venue in the future.
2008
All evening dances were held at the brand-new and elegant Clarion Sign Hotel in Stockholm, in their grand ballroom. The New Year’s Eve dinner was served at the hotel, and many participants opted to stay on-site.
2009
The event featured more bands playing over the course of seven nights. The house band included the Gordon Webster Sextet, along with guest singer Miss Naomi Uyama.
2010
Our sixth year of the Snowball introduced a Show & Performance class and a small teachers' show for the first time.
2011
In our seventh year, classes were held at Clarion Sign and at Dansens Hus. The new Balboa floor in the Clarion upper ballroom was a success and became a permanent feature.
2012
During our eighth year, we introduced the now iconic and memorable band battles. The first battle was between the Gordon Webster Sextet and Gentlemen & Gangsters, while the second featured the Gordon Webster Sextet versus the Stockholm Swing All Stars.
2013
Some unforgettable moments this year included bands playing together, the invitational Lindy Hop competition, and the presence of fantastic dancers from around the world. The competitions had more participants than expected, enabling The Snowball to donate 10,000 SEK to the Frankie Manning Foundation! Additionally, the Hot Sugar Band made their debut at the event.
2014
For the 10th anniversary, we introduced exciting innovations: two bands played each evening, the ballroom was redecorated from red velvet to shiny gold, bands performed in the hotel bar on two afternoons, and on the Balboa floor for two evenings. The celebration of the 10th year included 1,000 portions of cake! Like the previous year, the competitions made it possible to donate 10,000 SEK to the Frankie Manning Foundation.
2015
This year, we broadcast all competitions and most performances via a live webcast. Big screens in both the main ballroom and the Balboa room displayed the events as they happened. Naomi and her Handsome Devils made their The Snowball debut, performing for both the Lindy and Balboa floors. We introduced a new vendor area outside the Balboa floor and installed a brand-new floor in the Balboa room.
2016
We experimented with a new competition concept, adding a late-night slow/blues contest. The blues floor featured a live band for the first time—Joakim Falk’s Blue Devils. The competitions enabled us to donate money, and this year we chose to give it to Mr. Chazz Young.
2017
A late-night fast feet competition was added this year, and the ballroom was redecorated again, this time from gold to shiny silver. For the first time, a live band—Hot Sugar Band—performed at Clarion Upper on New Year’s Eve. Once again, The competition raised funds, which were donated to Mr. Chazz Young.
2018
In our 14th year, class venues were consolidated to Clarion Sign and Pelarsalen. To accommodate fewer classrooms, the schedule was extended. After many years with Alexandre as our event photographer, we welcomed Sabina, who did a fantastic job. We also had more vendors than ever and introduced Peter Strom as the new emcee for the Clarion ballroom. Christoffer Johansson made his debut on The Snowball’s blues floor this year.
2019
Our 15th anniversary was a great success at Clarion Hotel Sign. This year, we worked with a new photographer, David Paul, who captured the event beautifully. The Balboa room had its own dedicated emcee for the first time—Taylor Stender—who did an outstanding job. In the main ballroom, Maja Hellsten (for the first time) and Peter Strom shared emceeing duties. Memorable debuts included Enric Peidro Swingtet from Valencia, Spain, and Hornsgatan Jazz Orchestra from Stockholm, Sweden, lighting up the dance floors.
2020
This year was very different due to COVID-19. The Snowball became a virtual event, with all classes pre-recorded. In the evenings, we shared band videos from previous years. It was bittersweet; we deeply missed the good old days of dancing, traveling, and our swing dance family.
2021
Despite coming remarkably close to holding the event, we had to cancel The Snowball on December 22 due to new COVID-19 restrictions in Sweden. Behind the scenes, Marie and Hasse faced new professional challenges and decided to prioritize family, leading to their departure from 4 Swedes Production and The Snowball. Kenneth and Helena quickly found new partners, Henric and Joanna Stillman, who seamlessly stepped into their roles, ensuring 4 Swedes remains a quartet.
2022
Clarion Hotel Sign faced a local regulation prohibiting music after 21:00, forcing us to shift the event to Quality Hotel Friends. While it felt strange to leave central Stockholm, the new venue offered excellent facilities with close and easy access between the Lindy Ballroom, Balboa Ballroom, and Blues Lounge. Despite the changes, we worked hard to enhance the experience and appreciated our participants' understanding.
2023
We decided to stay at Quality Hotel Friends. This year, we introduced a brand-new lounge area where attendees could relax between classes and during evening dances. We were thrilled to host a lineup of 13 bands and artists, including the return of the Gordon Webster Band. New additions such as the Shirt Tail Stompers, Stockholm Hot Seven, Mimmi and the Original Blue, Hot Swing Sextet, and Stef Rosen brought exciting diversity to the music lineup.
2024
The Snowball celebrated its 20th year!
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