Piknik i Parken (Picnic in the park), shortened to ‘Pipfest’, was my first somewhat big music festival I photographed at (back in 2017), and I’ve always wanted to come back here. It’s a nice little festival that gives picnic’y vibes where you chill below the massive trees right in the middle of Sofienberg Park in central Oslo.
The featured image at top is of Norwegian artist ELIA who I’d never even heard of before this festival, but this photo became my favorite one.
Ella Marie, artist and activist, and one of my favorite heroines, started the festival with some new songs, and finished her concert with a big crowd of Sami people singing/yoiking. I will always support artists using their platform to protest genocide and war crimes. Free Palestine!
One of the biggest hypes this year was Faithless, but it was kind of a bummer as most of the band members looked like it was there to just complete a concert and get on with their tour. Also, RIP Maxi Jazz. It was still nostalgic to listen to ‘Insomnia’.
My personal favorite this year was listening to Leftfield! I remember listening to their album Leftism (released in 1995) back in the late 90’s when I was in high school. I loved every moment of this concert.
And I can of course not forge the wonderful Aurora who I’ve seen live maybe five times, but she’s always such an amazing artist and human being. I’m not too happy with how the photos turned out this year, though, so that’s a bummer.
(I remember back in 2018 when I photographed her in BAKgården in Harstad. I ran home to process the photos and uploaded one on my Instagram. I woke up the next morning noticing she had posted one of my photos (and tagged me) on her thank-you-post to the festival, and I got a bunch of new followers on my account. Hooray.)
ARY is another cool somewhat new Norwegian artist who has this big choreographed dance routine with her four dancers, and it makes for a good show with lots of smoke. Sometimes a bit challenging light, but I felt I did a lot better this time than at Over Oslo last year.
