The Hamsun Days 2026 is ready for the public, art and literature!

" We have already received a lot of good feedback on this year's program ," says Overelv proudly. 

In a week it will break out again Hamarøy with the cultural festival The Hamsun Days . This year's festival, which has the subtitle "The Ring is Over", has a packed program that will both challenge and embrace the audience in the very best way! 

Some of what you can expect is:

An avant-garde music program that includes Maja Ratkje, Susanna Wallumrød and other greats in the field of art music, from both Norway and abroad. We also offer a silent film concert. Ednama Sjatto/ Growth of the Soil - which was completely sold out during the previous screening The Hamsun Days .

Unique Hamsun tour to Kråkmo farm, premiere performance of Slovak art, book lunches, breakfast talks, literature seminar, book talks entertainment, laughter and seriousness. 

Authors Lars Elling, Sigbjørn Skåden, Helene Uri, Tore Rem and Tore Løding will all be in the narrator's chair. Eirin Edvartsen will tell stories and scare with her LIVE Podcast. 

HamsundageneUNG has a packed program for our young festival-goers, which consists exclusively of free events.

Adventure trip by bus to Kråkmo farm. 

Author and Journalist Billy Jacobsen takes us back to where Knut Hamsun wrote the Nobel Prize-winning novel " Growth of the Soil ". 

Hamsun lived at Hamarøy 1911 - 1916, and spent much of his time at Kråkmo farm - where he became good friends with the young Anna i Markvatnet who worked on the farm. Jacobsen will bring their meetings and friendship to life for us, LIVE at Kråkmo. The tour starts at Oppeid, and advance registration is mandatory, as there are limited places. The tour includes a hot lunch at Hamarøy Hotel, and guiding on the way out to the Farm.

Tore Rem in conversation about the book “A previously healthy man” - featuring DJ Prestefrua

Here we present a new concept, which will give the listener a greater experience of the book being presented. Here, the author will put together a playlist that is closely related to the book being discussed, which will be played by a DJ.

" This will give the experience of the book and the story a deeper dimension, and an even more personal, emotional touch ," says festival director Anita Overelv, who is the idea-maker behind the concept. 

For the young

Fantasy star, Helen Kaldheim with a book talk about "Mørkealven", a fantasy series in the "Nordic manga" genre. Kaldheim will have a book talk with local youth who have her at the top of their reading list. Kaldheim will also have a course on how young people can learn to become Nordic manga artists.

There will be concerts with both Bodø / Hamarøy the hip-hopers in "Kvartal" and Hamarøy's own "Summer Musicians".  

Borghild Aasebøstøl will serve both the little ones and the slightly older ones, the kids good and engaging storytelling.

Artists in residency from Slovakia. 

Boris Vitázek, Zuzana Sabova and Gabriela Zigova are Slovak artists who will liven up the festival with sound installations and LIVE performances. "This is a collaboration we have with Culture SiTy and Trencin 2026, the European Capital of Culture 2026 this year," says Overelv. The artists will be at Hamarøy a week before the festival and will, in both time and space, develop and adapt their art on site. The entire Hamsun Center will become the stage and arena of art. It will be spectacular, and it has never been performed before.

Welcome to a magnificent festival at Hamarøy with kickoff concert 03.08, official opening 04.08, and closing day 07.08 - which also includes HamsundageneUNG.