On Top Of The World: How A Group of Norwegian School Friends Created One of Europe’s Finest Boutique Festivals
Categoria: Musica
Norway is on top, in just about every meaningful way. Its 5.6 million population is blessed with an enviable standard of living, world-beating Winter Olympians, everyone’s new favorite soccer player, and a crop of standout recording artists, from electronic DJs and producers Kygo, Röyksopp and Alan
Por Billboard | 29/07/2026
Norway is on top, in just about every meaningful way. Its 5.6 million population is blessed with an enviable standard of living, world-beating Winter Olympians, everyone’s new favorite soccer player , and a crop of standout recording artists, from electronic DJs and producers Kygo , Röyksopp and Alan Walker , to indie artists Girl In Red , Aurora , Kings of Convenience , and the legendary new wave act a-ha . With Bergtatt Festival , presented in Luster, Western Norway, on an epic fjord, the Nordic country also boasts one of Europe’s most specular and remote festivals, with a killer, curated lineup. Billboard’s Lars Brandle made the journey for the 2026 edition, hosted on the first weekend of July, and discovered an event like no other, a musical wonderland powered by a small army of volunteers, all of it playing out in a spot that could be lifted right out the mind of Tolkien. Bergtatt Festival 2026 opening concert at the Berge. Aksel Xavier Rustad A holiday in paradise The Norwegian summer isn’t like currency. You can’t bank it. In a place like Luster, a municipality and village Vestland county on the inner, eastern end of the Sognefjorden, Europe’s longest fjord, the four seasons can make their appearance before breakfast. No biggie. After those long, cold winters, summer in this part of the world is a reward. It’s earned, a coming out party where everyone is invited. Presented several days after the summer solstice, Bergtatt Festival 2026 invites all those elements. Snowcapped mountains nearby, and days so long a mind can be tricked into considering dinner plans well past midnight. This party, a camping fest, welcomes about 1,500 guests, including 1,000 ticket-buyers, the rest comprised of friends, family and guests. It’s a swift sellout. Founded in 2018, and opening its gates for the first time in 2019, Bergtatt is led by six school friends from Oslo: Oskar Skulberg (booking manager), Anders Mageli (community leader), Nicolai Frantzen (creative leader), Johan Stang (operational leader), Ole Kristian Knudsen (technical leader) and Aksel Mjøen (commercial leader). The seed was planted on a trip to visit the Mageli cabin, the lads sampling some wine. Today, the event boasts some 30 core, unpaid volunteers. That number grows to about 150 for showtime. And like the co-founders, each helper has their own, specific role to play. Most of that initial launch crew, numbering 10 to 20, remain part of the team. Each of the founders has a “normal jobs, which I think gives a certain perspective,” remarks Stang. Bergtatt “is our hobby.” Bergtatt is different. “Our booking budget is proportionately way too high compared to what’s normal,” Skulberg reckons, “because we do it for fun.” This year, 30 acts and 30 events are booked. As the fest has matured, it has remained right-sized. Like every other live event on earth, the pandemic did its damage. Two editions were wiped out, and co-founder Mathias Apeland exited to pursue other ventures. The fest