Two months ago, the Carnival queue wrapped around AF-Borgen, with kilometers of students lining up until Mårtenstorget in three centimeters high snow. This event was the foundation, and the unofficial start of students bundling in queues all around Lund, to plan ahead for the best possible spring and summer. 

The atmosphere in Lund has adjusted, with students spilling out onto the tables outside Inferno, lunch breaks stretching across the University Library steps. Life has begun to feel a little lighter. The tenta-period is slowing down, and with the birds and bunnies escaping from hibernation, the city is beginning to wake up. This shift can be felt all around – orbi is filling up with öl-mil events, and nations have begun releasing 10-minute long videos in an attempt to lure you to their Valborg events, dropping artists every week as if a new Lollapalooza has arrived in Skåne. This sets off the scramble for students to urgently find their newly packed-away ski pants and camping chairs, convince their friends that their subsequent nation will be the best Valborg event, and commit to spending the night outdoors.

While many would argue, myself included, that camping overnight for tickets in sub-zero temperatures is unquestionably a part of the student experience, it is quite intimidating to approach as a first-timer. Especially those not yet acquainted with Sweden’s ability to swing from 5° to -10° in thirty minutes. As an international student, I initially felt lost on how to survive an event like this. Now, with some hard-earned experience, this is how I can pass on my knowledge and skills to those who come after me. 

First of all, this is not a solo event. While attempting things alone is an essential part of university, this is a special situation where being alone is a more than uncomfortable experience. Unless, of course, you are an expert at making friends with other students who at that moment are the grumpiest versions of themselves. My only other willing friend, Nova, and I braved the queue as a duo. And while her company is among my favourites, there is a small pit of FOMO you feel when bigger and louder groups seem to manage to keep themselves entertained all night. A recommendation of upwards of three in the group is essential, otherwise finding a friend who is skilled at making friends with strangers in the dark could also suffice.

A fact you learn from experience is that if you are wearing so many tight layers of socks that your feet lack blood supply, this offsets any benefit of warm socks. Small tricks come in handy for an event like this, but overall, mental preparation is far more important for the queue than one may believe. 

Not only training your finger to be able to move at a reaction speed similar to F1 drivers in an attempt to win the STUK battle of Lund’s NSA tickets (I even missed the early tjänsteman sale because I clicked 5 seconds later), but also preparing for the psychological battle where you may have to challenge your expectations, patience, and maybe even your own belief system along the way. 

Sometimes, tough decisions need to be made for comfort. Ones that possibly go against your character. I, for one, experienced this when I went to Malmö and persuaded them (aka paid the considerable fee) to join their nation so that I could stand in their exclusive “members” line for their Yran queue. It is important to note that this time last year I was a member of Smålands Nation. After having changed nations maybe five times, this was not a huge shock to my StudentLund history. However, the experience of the soft grass in contrast to the concrete that non-members were experiencing, made the price of the extra 150 SEK fee (and biting my tongue) almost acceptable. In this breath, I tell you, make comfort your priority. If it is necessary to change nations five times in the same week, this must be done. 

VG and Halland’s Kvalborg event does, of course, allow minimal favouritism by allowing more tickets to be sold to their members. But you cannot say they do not care for students’ networking abilities. By allowing only one line, there is no choice but to be bundled together to show minimal hierarchies. Alongside this, their extended empathy allows you a tent to sleep in overnight. This is immensely helpful, as the queue this year began two days before the sale started. It makes sense that the front of the queue was LTH students, who have probably dealt with more intense conditions in A-huset’s classrooms. 

But, I would of course not exclude the scariest and most intense queue of all: Sunwing… I did not have it in me this year to try and win my luck at these tickets. The event last year cannot really be faulted, but the night took a turn for the worst, when the only food my friends and I could get our hands on were some terrible vegan hotdogs. However, the conditions this year were not as bad as they seemed. While Malmö’s queue played Olivia Dean until 5 AM, Sunwing was in a much calmer state, with the line only being permitted to begin in those same early hours. Already by 6 AM,  150+ people were sat in line, losing their will to live, but the atmosphere was overall positive. With a real queue system, the only sadness felt were the friends who were stuck in the ‘maybe ticket’ section that left empty handed after their efforts. Alongside those far enough in the queue that the early April sun never quite reached them on account of being blocked by Helsingkrona’s polka-dot building. Of course, it is relevant to disregard the general discontent towards Helsingkronas nation for allowing förmän, workers and residents what seems like an unlimited amount of tickets. Maybe my advice instead should be to become friends with these people. 

Valborg 101, according to me: 

• Earplugs, or noise cancelling headphones. The playlist “Deep Sleep 2026: 432 hz Healing Music” on Spotify was of great support to me. 
• More clothes than you think you need. Way more than you think, and when you think you have more layers than you need, put on another. 
• Poncho for the rain, which, being April, there will most likely be a lot of. 
• Be prepared to sit, sit and sit. Do not be prepared to sleep. And most importantly, do not give up on the queue. (If you saw me escaping Malmö’s queue at 4 AM with a 10 kg Ikea bag… No you didn’t). 

Last of all, good luck! This really is a game of luck, and who you know v.s. where your friends want to go. There is no shame in coming straight from CASA to the queue, but there might be regret in leaving Lund and not having your own personal horror story of your overnight experience. After all, if all else fails, the real winners are people who refresh Förkop Lund at the perfect moment and score their ticket (with an only minimal inflated price). 

Happy Valborg, and happy Spring!