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Scandic Hotels – in all major cities from north to south
Nordic Choice Hotels – a different hotel company
Thon Hotels – with fantastic breakfast
Radisson Blu Hotels – discover your favourite destinations
Citybox – modern and affordable hotels in a central location
DanCenter – your specialist in holiday homes in Norway
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Vy – travelling by train has never been easier
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Widerøe – the largest regional airline in Scandinavia
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AutoEurope – always a smooth car rental experience
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Arctic Campers – Norway’s camper van rental
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Hurtigruten – "The World’s Most Beautiful Sea Voyage"
Fjord Tours – Home of Norway in a nutshell® - Norway’s most popular tour
Authentic Scandinavia – Travel created by locals
Up Norway – Bespoke luxury tailored by insiders
Norrøna Hvitserk – expeditions and adventure holidays
Booknordics.com – hundreds of activities, tours and day cruises in Norway
Brim Explorer – silent fjord tours by electric catamaran
Fjord Travel – let us show you the beauty of Norway!
Go Fjords – tours and activities all over Norway
50 Degrees North – unforgettable tailor-made and small group tours to Norway
Discover Norway – skiing, biking and hiking tours in Norway
Norwegian Holidays – low-price package holidays with Norwegian. Flight, hotel and rental car
Stromma – sightseeing, excursions and experiences with bus, boat and train
Rauland – Skiing holidays in stunning mountain scenery
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In Norway, you can choose from more than 900 festivals every year, around 300 of which are art and culture festivals.
“In Norway, there is approximately one festival per 5,000-6,000 people. The festivals are fairly evenly distributed between the country’s regions. About two-thirds of the festivals take place in cities, while the rest are in the countryside or in smaller towns,” says Anders Rykkja, research fellow and former CEO of Norway Festivals.
Being a dedicated festivalgoer himself, it makes perfect sense to Rykkja that so many people choose to go to festivals.
“Festivals provide wonderful opportunities for people to immerse themselves intensely in artistic and cultural experiences in a limited period of time. People get the chance to meet artists, watch performances, productions, and concerts they would otherwise not have experienced,” he says.
Here are his five recommendations for unusual cultural festivals.
“The festival has been voted one of the best festivals in the world within its genre by Songlines Magazine,” says Rykkje.
This is the largest festival in Scandinavia for music and dance from all over the world. The festival was established in 1990 and takes place every year.
“A celebration of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s masterpiece, with events, concerts, lectures, and performance. An open-air production of the famous play is staged beside lake Gålåvatnet,” says Rykkje.
Every year since 1967, the Peer Gynt festival has been held in the Gudbrandsdalen valley to celebrate the local legend that inspired Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt.
The festival takes place in August every year.
Go to: The Peer Gynt Festival at Gålå in GudbrandsdalenThe festival takes place in August every year.
Rykkje calls it “a unique Sami music and cultural festival.”
The mission of the Riddu Riđđu festival, which was established in 1991, is to promote and develop the Sami coastal culture.
According to Rykkje, this festival features “quality music, magnificent scenery, and numerous outdoor stages.”
The festival is hosted in venues throughout Bodø and invites you to sample classical music, jazz, folk music and pop, both indoors and outdoors. The festival takes place each March.
“A gathering place for world-class performing arts and culture, right in the heart of Oslo,” sasy Rykkje.
This festival will enliven all your senses with international rhythms, music, dance, and food. Mela was first held in 2001 and attracts around 300,000 festivalgoers every year.
Rykkja holds a Master of Arts (MA) in Music Business Management from the University of Westminster (UK).
He has worked in the cultural sector for more than 20 years as project manager, artist manager, and concert organiser.
He is a former managing director of Norway Festivals, a network comprising 75 arts and culture festivals, and is a research fellow at the University of Agder.
He specialises in the funding of arts and culture projects, with a particular focus on alternative funding sources like crowdfunding.
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