Recently, 400 people met at Hadeland with one common goal in mind: Finding love. And there were several who did. Among others, 33-year-old Ida Hennie and 33-year-old Eugen Hartvig Fendeland. SUCCESS: Several found the tone at the singles festival. The organizer constantly receives messages from satisfied participants. Photo: Screen dump Finding the tone When Ida Hennie heard about the festival, she had no doubts: – I thought “I’m going there!”. The 33-year-old has been single for around 10 years. She has been on various check-up apps, but has neither been quite ready, nor ready, to find the right one. Together with a friend, Hennie went to the singles festival, which was in Hadeland in June this year. She had not expected to find a lover there, but peer Eugen Hartvig Fendeland appeared, and the two found the tone. They ended up playing horseshoes together. After that, they were with each other for the rest of the day at the various activities that were at the festival. – Then we kept in touch and met a week later. Now we have agreed that we are lovers, so it is very nice, says Hennie, who is happy that she took the chance to go. TOGETHER: – I’m enjoying myself and I’m happy and satisfied, says Ida Hennie after getting a boyfriend at the singles festival. Ida lives in Oslo and Eugen lives at Hønefoss. – There will be distance, but we’ll see each other at the weekends. Then we’ll see, she says. Photo: Private – Has set a Norwegian record in dating Organizer Thomas Engeset believes there is a great need for festivals of this type. – It just so happens that there have never before been so many singles in Norway as there are now. 1.4 million of those over 18 are single now. Then we have to take on the social mission and do something about those statistics, he said before the start of the festival. Engeset published a post on Instagram where he aired the idea of the concept. The feedback was so numerous that he decided to continue. – Many people are tired of the check apps. Our goal was to create something that was less scary, he says. SATISFIED: The singles festival went beyond all expectations. Organizer Thomas Engeset is delighted. Photo: Alexander Nordby / news And to make the participants relax, he did something rather unusual. – We warmed up the group with entertainment on stage, and I came in naked on a horse. Engeset says it was a cunning plan to get the participants to lower the farm. It couldn’t get any more “stupid” than that, he believes. And the festival continued with a bang. The participants had to speed-date for 60 seconds, and the topic of the conversation came from the stage. There were a total of 16,400 dates. – I know that we have set a Norwegian record in dating, says the organizer. Flowing in with messages One would think that such a festival aimed to get as many new lovers as possible. But Engeset sees it differently in retrospect. – We have received many messages from participants who write that they needed this. Now they have regained faith that there are many opportunities out there, he says. Because the feedback has not been long in coming. Engeset’s phone has been flooded with messages from satisfied participants: – It’s insanely delicious. We took some responsibility for these people who came, so it would have been a real shame if people found it uncomfortable, he says. But whether there will be a singles festival next year is still uncertain. – Yes, we’ll see. We are a group that has been doing this in our spare time for half a year, so we have to sit down and find out if we have the strength to do this again. But if there is a festival next year, then 33-year-old Ida Hennie recommends all singles to take the trip. – It was a fantastic experience. Don’t think so much – seize life, she says. Listen to the conversation with the festival organizer on travel radio here:
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Ida (33) and Eugen (33) found love – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
