Hello, Welcome to the forum!
I have noticed during my 2 and half decades in Sweden that, when it comes to giving reviews about Swedish social life everyone has his/her own truth which one never find it again anywhere.
Most Swedes have friends from social circles they formed at school, so it can be difficult to make friends as adults
Normally a Swede start from nearby secondary school they have in walking distance from home, until they select a suitable upper secondary school which often more or less far away from home that they have to take buss/train, already at this point they lose few of their secondary school buddies, then from upper secondary they select a suitable university out of 31 universities placed elsewhere in this oblong country, that they have to leave even their own families, by this stage they all are taken their own ways and gone to their new places, those who already start to work also move to where the job is, no school buddies are around anymore other than a like on facebook or so.
Then by the time when those who went to university start to work they have to leave even their university buddies and start again each time when they move to a new job or falling in love and moving together, which they do very often, so each time they start again with new friends in a new area in a new circle. They meet their own families during eastern holidays, midsummer and during Christmas/new year and some of them few more other times per year too depending on the family. There are always exceptions to everything but above is the life circle of a normal Swede.
So making new friends as adults is something that happens everyday in Sweden
- lots of the activities/clubs focus on outdoor sports, and that outside big cities there isn't much of a music, art or community scene e.g local festivals
Both yes and No. Festivals are often during the summertime and outside big cities are actually better to be in during summer with lots of music, cultural activities etc. Google "Dansband" "sommar marknader", "folk opera" "kultur utställningar" i Sverige and then use google translate. There are other things too I just mentioned few. But country side vinter is to be inside and have it cozy with the family unless if you are in a place close to a big city.
But for the one who live outside a big city, who really want to do indoor things, there are things to do even in the vinter for instance to join a study circle and learn something together with others, a good way to make new friends. But that exactly is what your worry, in that case you have to be creative yourself and break the ice every time you go to the kindergarten or to the supermarket etc. Swedes are not impossible people rather adjustable and flexible people.
