Festivals

“People in Sunnhordland have the willingness and the ability to create something exciting and new.  We know how to make festivals and parties in this region, and tourists and travellers come here to enjoy this festival and summer paradise”, says Øystein Vaage in Tysnesfest.

The list of festivals in Sunnhordland is growing every year. The programme offers something for people in all ages and within all genres and categories. Especially during the summer months (May to September), the cultural experiences are literally lined up.

“Alike many other festivals in the region we have experienced growth, and we see that many people visit the region just because of the rich cultural programme. We have the advantage of being an idyllic coastal summer paradise, with perfect distance from the larger cities. About 40% of our visitors are actually people from Bergen”, says Vaage.

Many festivals in Sunnhordland have a primary focus on families and children. Some of them, like the Pippifestivalen and Falturiltu book festival are exclusively for kids. Tysnesfest, which is the biggest festival in the region, was last summer releasing a brand new concept for children.

Pirate show at Tysnesfest, photo Camilla Korsnes - Stiftelsen Tysnesfest

Tysnesfest expanded

2016 Tysnesfest expanded from five to seven days, giving families and children an extra reason to visit Tysnes and Sunnhordland.

“This year we are setting up a spectacular pirate show in Kjevikjo, a theatre called “Piratpappa og jakten på nøkkelen til Shambala”. We are putting a lot of effort into this show, and the location at Tysnes is ideal for a theatre like this. It will definitely be a summer highlight for many kids”, says Vaage.

Tysnesfest has never been a plain music festival, even though music plays an important role in their programme.

“We have a wide range of shows and concerts, and we appeal to a wide audience as well. I think this year’s programme (2016) will reach out to an even wider range, with artists like Anastacia, Zara Larsson, DumDumBoys, Karpe Diem, Gabrielle and Alphaville, says Vaage.

Tysnes is easy to get to by boat from both Bergen and Stavanger, and the festival will arrange bus transport to and from the festival.