G! Festival: Celebration of music and community in Faroe Islands

By Malin Norman

G! Festival in Faroe Islands has been called ‘the wildest event on the festival calendar’. With an incredible backdrop and world-class acts, from metal to folk, electronica and stirring pop, this year’s edition is once again bound to be a not-to-be-missed music festival.

The idea for G! Festival arose from the local grassroots music community in 2002, and already the same summer the first festival took place in Syðrugøta. What was initially a small festival in the seaside village with local bands attended by around 800 people has turned into an award-winning event with around 5,500 locals and visitors from elsewhere.

G! Festival: Celebration of music and community in Faroe Islands

Photo: Régis Peylet

Initially the festival was founded to create an exciting local music event as well as to support music within and outside the Faroe Islands, so other festivals and media from abroad were invited from the beginning. This has led to quite a few visitors from abroad, but the festival still has a strong Faroese identity.

G! Festival has been repeatedly praised by media including WIRED and New York Times, as well as The Guardian which claimed that this is “probably the wildest event on the festival calendar” – whilst WIRED found G! to be “authentic and weird. Almost secret. Yet welcoming, friendly and open. Like the Faroes.” Not surprising considering the stunning backdrop and world-class acts.

Eivør at G! Festival in 2024. Photo: Rolf Meldgaard

World-class music

Over the years, G! Festival has seen many world-class acts, including Swedish band Europe in 2005, with 10,000 people in the audience. “Another highlight was the late Kris Kristofferson accompanied by Faroese Benjamin Petersen in 2017,” remembers Laksá, festival director. “It was an amazing musical experience, and afterwards Kristofferson even donated his fee to the Faroese Childrens’ Home.” Other previous highlights include The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Holmes Brothers, Beth Hart, Fatboy Slim, Faithless, Of Monsters and Men, and Highasakite.

Around half of the bands playing at G! Festival are from the Faroe Islands, about a third come from the Nordics, whilst the rest come from further afield. “Faroe Islands has a vibrant music scene, with plenty of creative freedom often resulting in an edgy expression, so hosting about twenty Faroese bands each year doesn’t get boring,” says Laksá.

Amongst the grassroots community founding the festival was a local girl named Eivør. At that time, she was the singer of a band called Clikhaze. She played at the first festival and has played at most festivals since. “Eivør is incredibly talented and mesmerises audiences with her stage presence and voice,” says Laksá. “She is also the winner of the prestigious Nordic Music Prize, co-writer and singer of the soundtrack for The Last Kingdom, and has millions of fans all over the world.” Amongst other Faroese acts recognised internationally are Teitur, Týr, and Hamferð.

Photo: Henning Dickten

Local community

G! Festival still takes place in the picturesque village Syðrugøta, which has around 500-600 residents. Here, three stages are set up every year; one on the beach, another on the playground, and a small indoor stage in a barn. The festival is a family-friendly event for all ages, with children playing in the sand, happy people enjoying the hot tub and sauna and going for a dip in the North Atlantic Ocean, whilst simultaneously experiencing world-class music.

The extraordinary setting of the festival also comes with its practical challenges. “We’ve learned a lot over the years, for instance how to build a safe stage on the beach, which can become flooded at times,” says the festival director. “The weather can be unpredictable in Faroe Islands, even in July, so we need to be prepared for changes if needed.”

The setting and atmosphere is certainly different from other festivals. G! is held against the backdrop of Faroe Island’s breathtaking landscape. Caught between the peaks and the ocean, Syðrugøta is set in an unrivalled natural amphitheatre. By bringing music and this magical place together, G! Festival is unforgettable.

G! Festival is a non-profit organisation, with all proceedings going back to the music scene in the village. The festival is a community-based project and to many villagers the highlight of the year. Members of the football club build the site, local companies move out of their offices to make room for the festival, elderly people bake bread and cakes to feed the volunteers, and not to forget, almost every house in the village serves as a backstage to the many visitors. “Without this strong local support, this would be an impossible task. I’d like to think that this makes the festival even more special,” adds Laksá.