Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Festival Special 2017
Rock out under the midnight sun At the very top of Norway, in between mountains, beaches, salmon and reindeer, the outdoor festival Midnattsrocken provides the country’s northernmost region with invaluable culture and gives locals and visitors alike an unforgettable music and camping experience under the enchanting midnight sun. By Eirik Elvevold | Photos: Midnattsrocken
Every summer, something magical happens north of the Arctic Circle. In clear contrast to the dark winters, the sun remains visible until midnight, occasionally for as long as 24 hours a day. The further towards the North Pole you go, the number of days with midnight sun increases.
Midnattsrocken is just that. Since 1984, the festival has transformed the normally barren and deserted peninsula of Brennelvneset, located at 70 degrees north by the Porsanger Fjord just outside the village of Lakselv, into Finnmark’s biggest outdoor festival.
Now picture a music festival taking place that far north, with late-night rock concerts lasting far into the endless, arctic summer nights, offering a well-curated, varied programme and a legendary, vibrant festival camp full of parties with no end in sight.
“Midnattsrocken happens in the kingdom of contrasts, right in between the river and the fjord, surrounded by mighty mountains and arctic beaches. There are no houses or buildings here, just raw north Norwegian nature on all sides. Still, you can easily book direct flights to
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Lakselv from both Oslo and Tromsø,” says festival manager Jon Arne Pettersen.
Dazzling the superstars Even though Midnattsrocken takes place at the very top of Norway, Pettersen always manages to convince great artists and bands to make the trip. In 2017, heavy rock legends TNT, Nazareth and Lita Ford will make heads bang, while Norwegian favourites DDE and Julie Bergan are guaranteed to start a party that will last all night. “We’re always aiming to book a programme with breadth, ranging from heavy metal and rock to country and hip hop, so everyone will enjoy themselves. In the last two years, we’ve had headliners as different as The Boomtown Rats and Scooter. Finnmark is large and scarcely populated, so we’re trying to put together