KARLSØY FESTIVAL

Karlsøya is a small island located in the far north of Norway. The island has been a free haven for artists, musicians and radicals in general for over 40 years. During the 70s and 80s the idealistic youth living there experimented with different ways of thinking and self-sufficient living. In 2000 the islanders started a festival to get more in touch with political alternative communities and resistance movements all over the world. The festival lasts from tuesday trough the weekend and the first three days consists of political and cultural seminars, and workshops with topical themes hosted by representatives from political and cultural alternative movements from all over the world. Among these are activists from Chiapas, Palestine, Christiania and Adbusters, During the weekend there are concerts on the main stage, activities for children and lots of other things happening to both entertain and educate a larger group of guests since the bulk of the audience arrives during the weekend.

ART, MUSIC AND POLITICS

The festival has presented international artists like Aphex Twin, Savage Rose, Edgar Broughton Band and Looptroop. The people working with booking and concerts have many years of experience from different venues and festivals in Oslo, and the Tromsø based sound tech company AudioNor are doing the audio tech so despite the remote location every part of the concert organizaton is professional. Because of the absense of hotels on the island we offer homely lodging with warm hospitality and we usually dont accomodate hospitality raiders outside standard issues and diet preferences. Visiting the island is a breathtaking experience in itself and we encourage artists to check out the fantastic nature and we would be thrilled to take you fishing or swimming on the beautiful beach on the other side of the island from the festival site.

Every aspect of the festival is inspired by the festival manifest written before the first festival in 2000.

THE FESTIVAL MANIFEST

The Karlsoy 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 worlds 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.