Norway’s government grants over NOK 120 million compensation for festival sector

Many European governments realised how seriously the cultural sector has been affected by the impact of the ongoing pandemic. Norway is part of this group, where The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Culture secured more than NOK 120 million (€11.7 million) as a compensation for festival organisers and subcontractors.

The amount is distributed by Norway’s cultural council (Kulturradet), which has so far paid approximately NOK 1.4 billion to more than 2,000 applicants through various compensation packages for 2020. The latest one covers the period of May to August 2020 for some of the biggest players in Norway’s festival sector. Live Nation Norway has been granted almost the entire amount of compensation they applied for, receiving NOK 24.7 million as an organiser. Nordic live entertainment powerhouse All Things Live will receive NOK 36.4 million for around 20 concerts that had to be cancelled in 2020; while Live Nation-owned Oslo festival Tons of Rock will benefit from NOK 36.1 million. Other applicants received compensation, including Kristiansand beach festival, Palmesus (NOK 27.1 million), organiser of Ålesund Live and Jugendfest, Momentium Live (NOK 8.4 million), and Fredrikstad-based festival, Idyll (NOK 8.7 million).

 Kristin Danielsen, the director of the cultural council said:

“The largest players in the sector are also large employers and an important part of the cultural sector’s business chain. Therefore, I would have liked to have had the application process completed earlier.At the same time, it has been important for us to process the applications thoroughly. These are community funds, and it is our responsibility to manage them in the best possible way.”

The scheme is designed to compensate organisers and subcontractors that were financially impacted by the Norwegian government’s ban on live events which was extended into late 2020, causing the cancellation of the country’s biggest festivals. Following the example of Germany, Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands, Norway’s ministry of culture also announced a NOK 350 million cancellation insurance fund for festivals earlier this month, allowing organisers to plan for this summer without the financial risk posed by a potential COVID-19 outbreak.

Image Credit: Daniel Lilleeng (via Facebook)