The History of Bugøynes Festival

The first Bugøynes Fishing Festival was arranged in 1987 by the local Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (RS) association "Havørn".

This festival is considered the foundation of the modern Bugøynes Festival.

The local sports club, IL Bølgen, participated with a focus on the evening celebrations on Saturday.

A few years later, the local health and fishermen's associations also joined when "Havørn" withdrew.

The members of "Havørn" were mostly resourceful and experienced women who were highly active within the Sea Rescue organization.

They withdrew from the festival when it quickly grew beyond their capacity to manage the event.

Undisputed Success

In 1987, festivals were not held on every corner as they are today. Bugøynes was nearly alone in the market and attracted a large audience.

The festival managed to establish itself firmly in the festival scene before numerous other festivals emerged in the following years.

The numbers showed around 300 participants in the early years. The Ranvik March was added to the festival program a few years later and became an immediate success.

The march has only been canceled three times, all due to extreme weather conditions. Weather has played a significant role in the festival's history, but the sun has often smiled on the festival-goers.

Bugøynes and IL Bølgen had an A-team in football back then. This provided a workforce of players, supportive parents, and locals eager to contribute.

As a result, there were no sleepless nights, but rather a calm and structured effort to plan and carry out the festival.

The results today speak for themselves, with the festival achieving professional organization by experts in festival planning.

The Seamen's Dance, or platform dance, was a regular feature for a few years and drew around 500-600 participants at its peak.

However, due to weather dependency, the dance was moved indoors to the community center for better control.

The Saturday night festival dance had, by then, already established itself as a major event and still draws full crowds in the festival tent today.

The Fishing Festival and Ranvik March remain part of the festival and continue to attract outdoor and fishing enthusiasts.

Since 2011, the festival has evolved into a resounding success, drawing both new and returning visitors every year.

Welcome to the Bugøynes Festival!