The blue cultural town

Sortland has lively cultural scene. The town itself is an artwork, with its characteristic blue buildings. Even the bridge is decorated with blue lighting effects. This is a result of an idea dating back to 1998. The local artist Bjørn Elevenes pictured Sortland as a three-dimensional blue-coloured painting. Since then, most of the town centre has been painted using a blue colour palette. “Writing on the blue wall” is also a contribution to the project. The well-known author, Lars Saabye Christensen has, in collaboration with young people in Vesterålen, written words, poems and texts on the buildings. If you keep an eye out, you might be able to spot some of the sayings. 

In the centre of town, you will find the culture house, called The Cultural Factory (Norwegian: Kulturfabrikken), which holds decorations from both local and national artists. Inside you have a museum, movie theatre, library, café, cultural school and other spaces where it is possible to host concerts, theatres, parties and other events. Famous musicians like Sivert Høyem and Adam Douglas have had concerts here, and comedians like Dagfinn Lyngbø and Are Kalvø have had success with their comedy shows.

If you are interested in art, you should pay a visit to The Artists’s House (Norwegian: Kunstnerhuset) or Gallery Vesterålen. The old trading post at Jennestad is also a great arena to explore the art and culture of the region. Here you can experience different visual arts, sculptures, concerts and sometimes literary evenings. Every summer there is a main exhibition, where you can witness great art from well-known artists. Previously Her Majesty Queen Sonja and Pushwagner have had exhibitions here. In the summer, you should pay a visit to Lihallen Cultural Farm located on top of a hill in Sigerfjorden. Previously it used to be a nursing home for people who suffered from tuberculosis. Today the married couple Tove Hov Jacobsen and Hans Jørgen Jacobsen lives there. Tove is an artist and has her own gallery at the farm. While you walk around the historical property, you can admire her special paintings and the fantastic views of the nearby fjord and mountains.

Would you like to attend a festival? Then you cannot miss Fæsterålen! Every year there is an entire weekend of entertainment, music and activities where you can listen to famous and upcoming artists, as well as participate in singalongs and dances with festive locals. Among others, Alphaville and Dagny have performed on the festival.

You should also attend Vesterålen Food Festival. This is a local food event that takes place in August every year. Here you will learn more about arctic food traditions, meet the producers, buy local products of high quality and have an overall great food experience. You can even attend classes and learn how to cook ingredients harvested from the shoreline, make sushi or prepare typical “hiking food”.

In addition, there are plenty of other events all over Vesterålen. Here is a list of upcoming cultural happenings in the region.