KarlsöyFestivalen

KarlsøyFestival

Karlsøya is a small island located in the far north of Norway and has, due to its location in between the larger islands, Kvaløya and Reinøya an colourful and exotic history, something that the festival has a strong connection to. Reaching back to being the “treasure island” of Vikings, the burial place and religious centre of Troms before the City of Tromsö became so. This island became haven for free- thinkers, and during the 70s and 80s islanders experimented with different ways of thinking and self-sufficient sustainable living, something that can be discovered in some of the architecture. The island has been a free haven for artists, musicians and radicals in general for over 40 years. In year 2000 the community started their own festival, reaching out to connect with other with alternative communities and resistance movements all over the world, to share ideas, knowledge and methods on how to sustain an independent community. Being one festival of its kind, this colourful piece is run for the 14^th time this year and is backed up by its very own manifesto, written by the community on the island:

The Karlsöy festival is a special occasion where we gather together to resist and oppose a society with values based on profit, competition and greed. The festival is a protest against razing of the rural communities, environmental destruction and racial discrimination. It is a protest against colonization, exploitation and the brutal oppression of the world’s people.

The festival is a gathering and a celebration of all the positive alternative forces. Its purpose is to reflect, recreate and promote these alternative forces, which are fighting for a different and better world, a world characterised by solidarity, empathy and love.

Focusing on dialogue and the spreading and sharing knowledge on alternative pathways for humanity, open seminaries are held for the visitors during the festival week. Here issues are raised by invited guest speakers and discussed together with the audience.  Subjects range from international, sustainable design, permaculture and indigenous peoples struggles, to global economy´s interest in the arctic region, landing on discussions on the future of the local community.  

This small festival still engages important names, and many well-know artists have been performing at the main stage over the years. For example: Mari Boine, Apex Twins, Mikael Wijhe. For more information see the festivals homepage: 

Link to the festival´s page:

Karlsöyfestivalen