Nata Vestnorden

Festivalhöll – 1000 year old history and Viking festival

July 19, 2021
Grants
July 19, 2021
Grants

The Viking Festival Festívalhöll was held in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands by Viking Events 9th-11th of July. Viking Events was granted support from NATA in 2020, but due to Covid-19, the festival could not be held until 2021. Vikings from the Faroe Islands and other countries, including Iceland, participated.

The purpose of the Viking Festival was to ignite a public interest to the 1000 year old Nordic culture heritage. For three days, the visitors experienced living history through events, shows and authentic activities, that were showing how our ancestors lived a 1000 years ago. This included a display of historical craftsmanship, way of life and music. The visitors also had the opportunity to participate in the “Ting” (Closest to parliament nowadays), which typically resulted in Viking battles between counter parties. In addition, more subtle activities included handicraft, taste of Viking food, and listening to Viking music that was played both with historical as well as modern instruments. A holistic experience where most senses where stimulated through all the activities.

The vision is to arrange an annual Viking festival in the Faroe Islands, that is so authentic and peculiar, that the festival will grow to be a center of attention for Viking enthusiasts in the Northern Atlantic. In addition, the purpose is to collect money to build a “Longhouse” and in time also a Viking settlement, that will be the center of dissemination of Faroese, and thereby North Atlantic settlement history.