The 71st edition of the Bergen Festival is underway. His Majesty King Harald and Queen Sonja arrived in Bergen just after 12 o’clock. There they were received by the mayor of Bergen, Linn Kristin Engø (Ap). This year, among other things, opera singer Lise Davidsen and a brand new play by Jon Fosse are on the poster. In her opening speech, the mayor honored all the “ordinary Bergens” – The city would have been nothing without the people, she told several hundred Bergens who braved the rain to catch the opening ceremony. BIG GATHERING: It’s pouring down in Bergen, but several hundred Bergens brave the weather during the opening ceremony of the Festspillene. Photo: Jan Børge Leirvik / news Then the famous and unknown began to walk on a large catwalk. Portraits of them were shown and small texts lit up on installed screens. One of those who went was Hedvig. She needed a goal to not get sick with grief when her mother died. The goal she set herself was to go alone to the South Pole. She managed that. Two small children cycled across the catwalk. They want candy for dinner when they grow up. The idea behind the ceremony was to showcase different lives and show that there is a lot in each individual person who may see themselves as completely ordinary. But then the flow of nice everyday stories was stopped. Instead, the focus was on climate change. CYCLING OVER THE CATWALK: Two small boys cycled across the catwalk during the opening of the Festspillene i Bergen. Photo: news VESTLAND The coup opening ceremony One of the “ordinary” Bergens who were invited turned out to be a climate activist. During the opening ceremony “What is the city but the people”, climate scientist Christine van der Horst from Greenpeace crashed the show by displaying a poster and refusing to move. The poster read: “Equinor out of the Festspillene”. She sat on the catwalk for seven minutes before being led down by security guards. In a press release, Horst writes that she objects to Equinor being one of the main sponsors of the Bergen Games. COVERED THE CEREMONY: During the opening ceremony “What is the city but the people”, climate scientist Christine van der Horst from Greenpeace hijacked the show by displaying a poster and refusing to move. Photo: Jan Børge Leirvik / news Festspillene i Bergen Festspillene i Bergen, annual music, theater and art festival lasting two weeks, at the turn of May-June. Regarded as Norway’s national festival and referred to as one of the largest and most important in the Nordic region. The festival is the Nordic region’s largest in its genre and hosts a multitude of events in music, theatre, dance and visual arts at a high national and international level. Consists of concerts, theater and opera performances, art exhibitions and children’s events. The operation is largely financed by public funds.
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The festivals in Bergen have been opened for the 71st time – news Vestland
