The True Nothern Arts Festival 2023 consists of over a hundred events for the public, plus a number of workshops, trial screenings and meetings for the professional network, especially for artists with connections from the north.

It is a week-long festival that celebrates art and culture, both for children, young people and adults. We will inspire and give the audience good experiences. The festival will contribute to the good life in the north.

Buy tickets here.

During the day today, you will get the entire program here. But we can already reveal a number of things:

We have national artists such as Ane Brun, Isah, Undergrunn, Stein Torleif Bjella, Fieh, Ola Bremnes, Ondt Blod, Han Herman and Thomas Dybdahl. And not least the Danes' new star artist - Jada, who opens the festival weekend in an international way.

We have a strong Sami program this year, with artists such as Emil Karlsen, Arvvas, Vokal Nord, Niilas, Hilda - and not least the dance performance "BIRGET; Ways to deal, ways to heal" - a very current, playful - and critical - look at the state's way of handling the colonial legacy. Here, two former festival profiles collaborate in a piece that is a reaction to the Norwegian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which in June 2023 will deliver proposals to reconcile the Sami and Norwegians. Another dance performance in the Great Hall is "Skaut", where choreographer Hallgrim Hansegård and five co-creating dancers take a closer look at the themes surrounding covering, uncovering and control of the body. There are also two Kven premieres during the festival week.

We get a visit from new music's classic supergroup - the British Riot Ensemble. There will be two concerts, one in a completely darkened hall. It will be a unique experience for the audience.

The children can experience shows and workshops - and the SNN park is of course in place - with the sea as their theme. We also let the children manage a bar, where, in addition to drinks, you can get life advice, get a tattoo and get a haircut. All by children. We also let them show how they would govern Harstad if they were allowed.

This year we are organizing the Youth Festival in close collaboration with NUK. While NUK is for those who want to participate in creative workshops, the youth festival is an activity offer for young people who want to go to concerts and see performances, make new friends and participate in a number of other activities together with young people of their own age.

We have a number of premieres where we help develop new voices from the north, in addition to giving established artists an arena to show off, such as in the festival exhibition, curated by Pikene på broen. Trygve Luktvasslimo premieres his film Bitcoinbilen, which is a musical feature film in which international currents collide head-on with the village in the north.

Nordnorsk jazz center is participating and marking its 25th anniversary, as part of our jazz and folk music series, where it is a short distance between the rhythmic arenas Nordic Hall and Nordic Pub. They can be easily combined. This year we have put together packages for people, so that it will be easier to choose.

This year there is also less overlap in the programme, and we have chosen to lower the ticket prices slightly, unlike cultural actors in the rest of the country. We also have a good number of events that are free to attend. It is important to us that it is not finances that prevent the public from being able to participate in the Festivals in Northern Norway.

On the last Saturday, we make room for other types of local events, with the same good festival feeling. We call it FolkeFestspill, and we think this will be good for both the festival and the audience. Here you get lucky fishing, and you can take part in the cycling campaign for children injured in burns, as it was in 2008.

This year's festival program has therefore been put together in such a way that it gives room to reflect between the performances, see between the lines and really feel the pulse of the festival. We think the audience will find their way back to the halls this year, after a few festival years with corona.

The festivals in Northern Norway are organized from 24 June - 1 July.
Ticket sales start at 20:00. Until Friday 31 March at 20:00 you get four tickets for the price of three.

Buy tickets here.