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August 29, 2024 – Solvang, CA – Solvang, California (www.SolvangUSA.com), affectionately known as “The Danish Capital of America,” has been nominated for the Newsweek Readers’ Choice Awards in the category of “Best Christmas Town.” The awards contest and online voting launched for the holiday-themed category on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 12 Noon EDT, and are now live on the Newsweek site: www.newsweek.com/readerschoice. Voting is open to the public and all official contest rules may be found here (limit one vote per person, per Contest List, per day). Online voting runs through Thursday, September 26, 2024, at 11:59 AM EDT.
The Newsweek Readers’ Choice Awards present up to 20 nominees in a broad range of categories to be voted on by readers. All nominees are editorially driven, with contributions from a panel of travel experts. Newsweek editors then determine the final lists of “the best of the best in the USA.” Every two weeks, Newsweek publishes an entrants list of up to 20 businesses, services or products by Awards category for public voting, to pick the Newsweek Reader’s Choice Winner (each a “Category List”). Once a Category List is published, voting runs for 28 days for each Category List and at the end of the voting period, once voting is closed and within 10 days, Newsweek announces and publishes the businesses with the most votes as Reader’s Choice Winners in their respective categories. More information about the Newsweek Readers’ Choice Awards may be found here.
“The Newsweek awards nomination couldn’t arrive at a better time for us, as the city is preparing for Solvang Julefest, our annual holiday event, which runs this year from late-November through early-January. We are accustomed to being referred to as one of the nation’s most ‘Christmassy’ towns, and each time Solvang is named as such our holiday sparkle shines even brighter,” said Randy Murphy, Solvang City Manager.
Solvang, the Danish-rooted, California Central Coast getaway spot with a resident population hovering around 6,000, has been nominated for similar “best of” awards in the past, with a specific Newsweek Readers’ Choice Awards nod most recently, when Alisal Ranch was named as one of the 10 “Best Dude Ranch Vacation” winners in February 2024.
Dog-friendly and ideal for kids, Solvang, known for its Danish-American vibe, architecture and design details, pastries and bakeries, and array of wine tasting options, also boasts dozens of unique boutiques, restaurants and gourmet food purveyors. Carefully-curated indie booksellers and high-end home goods suppliers mingle with fairy tale-like children’s stores and museum gift shops. Solvang’s foodie destinations offer everything from elevated street cuisine – like locally-sourced fish tacos on hand-made tortillas, and comforting ramen noodles – to European-style pretzels and sausages, to Italian standbys or iconic Danish dishes, to elevated new-Californian fare in the form of MICHELIN-honored menus. Solvang visitors sip small-batch, locally-roasted coffee, shop for exotic, hand-bottled spice blends, or enjoy Tiki cocktails and craft beer, all part of an indulgent and one-of-a-kind, year ‘round shopping and playing escape.
Questions, media requests for interviews and/or photos related to this announcement may be directed to Anna Ferguson-Sparks, Stiletto Marketing, at 1-877-327-2656 or solvang@stilettomarketing.com.
About the City of Solvang:
Referred to as “The Danish Capital of America,” the City of Solvang is located in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. Founded by a group of Danish-Americans in 1911 and incorporated in 1985, Solvang offers a taste of Denmark in Southern California. Danish design and Old World charm fill Solvang’s numerous interior courtyards, cozy communal spaces, and open-air venues, where vacation itineraries for all unfold. The walkable town features plentiful free parking options for locals and day-trippers, and more than 20 lodging options for staycation-ers, weekenders and midweek travelers, at all vacation budget levels. The Solvang Visitor Center, located at 1639 Copenhagen Drive, is open daily, 9:30 AM-5:30 PM (closed briefly for lunch). For more information, including travel itinerary ideas and inspiration for things to do (even on rainy days), where to eat and drink, and places to stay, follow our adventures on Instagram and Facebook: @SolvangUSA and facebook.com/VisitSolvangUSA.