The 14th annual Norway Day Festival took place this weekend in San Francisco . The Festival was a success with almost 4,000 visitors, as people of all ages gathered to celebrate and experience Norwegian culture.
NORWAY DAY FESTIVAL, May 6 and 7, 2006 – San Francisco
The 14th annual Norway Day Festival took place this weekend in San Francisco. The Festival was a success with almost 4000 visitors, as people of all ages gathered to celebrate and experience Norwegian culture. Not only does the Festival bring together the Norwegian community from the Bay area; people from other parts of the U.S. participated in the fesitivities. The Festival is an excellent promotion of Norway as a travel destination.
In his welcoming speech, Consul General Norheim said that “The Consulate General is a proud sponsor of the Festival. We support the Festival because it is good publicity for Norway, it increases our visibility, it strengthens the bonds between Norway and the U.S., and it brings together the Norwegian community and the friends of the community.”
The program this year was varied. One could experience Norwegian culture in the traditional sense, but also get a good impression of the “Modern Norway”. The thrilling folktronica band “Flunk” was the main music attraction Saturday evening. Young professional Norwegian artists, like Kine and Knut Anders, filled Herbst Pavilion with their amazing voices, and the eminent blues band Woodleg Odd’s impressed everyone present. The talented and experienced keyboardist Håkon Graf gave an excellent performance of jazz music.
It was a joy to see so many people come together to enjoy Norwegian culture and history. Festival-goers could admire all the beatiful bunads, while enjoying traditional Norwegian food, like “gravlaks”, “rømmegrøt” and “Krumkaker”, prepared by Norwegian chefs. A fashion show featuring Norwegian designers and brands caught the audience’s attention as well. The Ibsen Reading of “When We Dead Awaken”, performed by actors from the Aurora Theater in Berkeley, commemorated that 100 years have passed since the world’s perhaps most famous Norwegian, Henrik Ibsen, passed away.
The Run for Artic Awareness was an even greater success this year with 350 participants enjoying the run and the sun. The Run is very much in line with Norway’s advances in environment protection, but it also serves to remind us of the 100th Anniversary of Roald Amundsen’s successful conquest of the Northwest Passage in 1906.
The Festival would never have been such a success if it were not for all the hard working people behind it. The Consulate General would like to thank the members of the Festival board under the able leadership of president Arne Morkemo, and all the volunteers who did such a great job. We are also very grateful to the generous sponsors of the Festival.
Click here to read the San Francisco Chronicle's article on the festival.
To learn more about the festival, please visit: http://www.norwayday.org