Been To A Festival In The Arctic Circle
3rd August 2022 - New Experience Number 50.
As it was new years eve, and there were only a few hours until the clock struck midnight to welcome in 2023, I was doing the usual scramble of finding things to tick off to reach my goal of trying fifty two new things in the year.
Racking my brains to think back over the year for anything that was worthy of a retro-claim, I remembered something we’d done on our road trip in Norway.
We’d been to a festival. But not just any festival. We’d been to a festival in the Arctic Circle.
Lofoten Islands
Our Norwegian road trip in July/August saw us drive from Kristiansand on the south coast up to the Lofoten Islands in the Arctic Circle. I can highly recommend a trip to this majestic and beautiful archipelago if you ever get the chance to go. It is jaw-droppingly beautiful.
Whilst we were on the islands, we stopped off at a little fishing village called Henningsvær. We’d heard it was a pretty little place, popular with tourists and climbers. The long winding drive from the main road to the heart of the populous did not disappoint. Craggy mountains lined the road whilst pristine beaches peeked out from behind boulders, the clear sea tickling the white sand as the waves rolled in.
The car park was heaving. Tents were pitched on every available patch of grass, and vans had clearly been parked up for a night or two. We managed to find ourselves a spot, and took to Google to check what was going on – surely it wasn’t always this busy. Especially on a Wednesday!
We discovered from a quick poke about online that the high influx of people was due to the Trevarefest – a three day festival held in the village. We’d arrived on the final day, so decided to go and have a look to see if we could join in.
Discovering Trevarefest
A short walk from the car park, over the tall bridge and down into the cute village to the festival, we were welcomed at the ticket desk by some very friendly volunteers.
Norway is quite an expensive country to visit from the UK. We had mostly been wild camping in our van during our roadtrip which had kept our costs down, and meant we could just about justify the £75 each for a day ticket.
We headed to the bar where there was a talk in progress. I was having doubts about this. The bar was incredibly quiet as everyone listened intently to the speaker. It was all in Norwegian, and unfortunately I hadn’t acquired that much of the language in the time that we had been there. I did understand the occasional word that was said which didn’t need translation, such as ‘internet’ and ‘Steve Jobs’.
We ordered a beer each and winced at the excruciating cost of it as we handed over the notes. Agreeing to nurse our drinks, we settled in and soaked up the atmosphere.
Although we couldn’t understand what was being talked about, people were leaning in and paying full attention to the topic of discussion which was wrapped up to rapturous applause.
As well as talks, the three day festival hosts a variety of entertainment and activities. From wine tasting and yoga, running groups to thought provoking talks from experts, and live music from bands and DJs.
Festival Funk
Whilst we hadn’t been able to appreciate the talk, we could appreciate the music. The stage set up outside was great. The weather wasn’t so great, but we’d gone prepared and donned our waterproofs and continued to bop away to a fantastic set from Leroy Burgess.
Leroy is a man of many musical talents. An American singer, songwriter, keyboard player, recording artist, arranger and record producer, and here he was playing a festival in the Arctic Circle with a backdrop of ocean and mountains. Wow. He funked his way across the keyboard whilst his singers caressed us with silky soulful words. What a brilliant uplifting set that saw lots of jumper-clad welly-booted festival goers raising hands in the air and dancing in the puddles.
After the main stage closed down, the party headed inside where DJs kept the music going long into the night. The crowd were well up for a party, even those who had been there for the full three days found something left in their legs to keep dancing.
A Warm Reception at a Festival in the Arctic Circle
The people at the festival had been so welcoming. We didn’t come across any other Non-Norwegians while we were there, but we did chat to locals and some people who had travelled further across the country to join the festival fun.
Light At Night
We staggered out of the festival around 2am. Tired, weary, and much lighter in the pocket, we were exhausted and happy as our endorphins had well and truly been topped up.
Making our way back to the van was a little disconcerting as it wasn’t dark. The midnight sun confused us over the time, but meant there was still enough light in the sky for us to be able to find out way to our home on wheels and collapse contentedly into bed.
Want To Try It Yourself?
Take a look at Travarefest on line if you would particularly like to visit this festival.
If you fancy experiencing a festival with a difference, there are lots of options.
- How about going to a festival which is completely different to the sort of festival you would usually attend? So, if you like a music festival, why not try a book festival, or a food festival? If you like a rock festival, why not try a pop festival?
- Maybe just go to a festival you’ve never been to before? Perhaps there is one in your local area that you’ve never attended previously?
- How about finding a festival in a different county, or a different country?
- What about trying a festival that’s not in your language?
Cost Of Experience
Festivals vary hugely in costs, so it’s really hard to give a ballpark figure for this. It will depend on the type of festival you attend, how long it has been established, where it is, the duration, the line up etc. It’s worth researching to find one that fits your budget.
- Travarefest was expensive, but it was good value for the location. We paid £75 for a day ticket.
- Don’t forget you’ll need to factor in the cost of travelling to the festival, and some money to buy food and drink, (and maybe an event t-shirt), when you’re there.
Recommendations
Festivals are usually brilliant fun. They often bring together people from different walks of life, who all share a similar interest in live entertainment.
Have a look around for something that takes your fancy and matches your budget.
Skiddle is a great site which lists a whole host of different festivals and allows you to buy tickets.
Perhaps there’s a festival that you like the look of which you could incorporate into a holiday.
Wellies aren’t always essential!
- Don’t forget your camera and get some snapshots of your new festival experience!