Saxophone
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Polarjazz
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When:
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30 Jan - 3 Feb 2008 (annual)
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Where:
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Longyearbyen
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| Costs: |
Free-NOK450
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| Opening Hours: |
Various
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The northernmost jazz festival of them all, Polarjazz takes place each year in Longyearbyen in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, just a few hundred miles south of the North Pole.
The festival is framed by the weird perpetual darkness of the Arctic winter night, when the sun disappears beneath the horizon for months. Nature becomes a battleground between the frail, blue polar light barely breaking over the horizon and the looming frozen darkness of the wastes.
Many artists, both national and international, are attracted to this strange setting and the festival is surprisingly well attended. Performers in 2008 include Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg, Kari Bremnes, Mambokameratene and Unni Wilhelmsen. For full details of the programme, please visit the festival website.
Longyearbyen is the main administrative site of the Norwegian government on Svalbard, a thriving community of about 1400 hardy souls. Roads between the various little settlements on the island are non-existent and consequently snowmobiles are the main mode of transportation. What limited accommodation there is sells out quite quickly, so make sure you book well in advance.
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