Ethno Sweden 1990 marked the launch of the first Ethno camp, held on July 1 in Falun as part of the Falun Folkmusic Festival. Initiated by Magnus Bäckström, the project began as an experimental idea to bring young folk musicians together and explore what would happen if they shared their musical traditions through playing and learning directly from one another.
The camp gathered around 120 young musicians, mainly from Scandinavia, the Baltic states, and the United Kingdom. For the first time, a peer-to-peer learning method was introduced, with participants teaching each other songs from their home cultures by ear rather than using sheet music. Through workshops, jam sessions, and performances, the event created a strong sense of cultural exchange, collaboration, and community. Among the participants was Swedish fiddler and singer Susanne Lind, who later became one of the movement’s prominent artistic leaders.
The success of this first edition led to the establishment of similar camps in Belgium and Estonia, laying the foundation for what would grow into the global Ethno network.
