Jokkmokk is an important locality for Sámi people and the location of several institutions related to them, including an education centre, the Ájtte museum, and an office of the Sámi Parliament of Sweden.[3]
Jokkmokk Market has been taking place since 1605.[4] On the first Thursday in February every year, thousands of people gather in the town for concerts, exhibitions and trade in one of the most important social events for the Sámi people in Sápmi. Temperatures during the festival can drop as low as −40 °C (−40 °F).
Climate
Influenced by its inland and northerly position, Jokkmokk's variety of a subarctic climate (Dfc) is very cold by Swedish standards. Summers are normally relatively mild, with midnight sun, and the dark winters are long and cold, although polar night is not quite observed with a sun angle of 0.4° at the winter solstice.[5] Combining an elevation of 250 metres (820 ft) with being at the foot of the Scandinavian Mountains, Jokkmokk is both cooled down during the day and experiences temperature inversion during night. This combination makes it the coldest municipal seat in Sweden in terms of winter temperatures, although some rural localities in Lapland are even colder.
Climate data for Jokkmokk (2002–2021 averages, extremes since 1901)