24th Ekko Festival 2027

Ekkofestivalen is an annual festival for experimental and electronic music, sound art and related artistic practices in Bergen, Norway. Established in 2003, it grew out of a local community of musicians, producers and organisers and the need for a professional platform connecting this community with international artists. 

In 2027, the festival will present its 24th edition. The festival operates across contemporary music, electronic underground and club music, improvisation, traditional music and sound-based art. Its programme is open in terms of genre, but clearly curated. What matters is not which category the music belongs to, but whether the artists develop distinctive practices and challenge established ways of creating, performing and experiencing sound. International pioneers are presented alongside new Norwegian projects, local performers and artists at an early stage in their careers. Ekkofestivalen is more than a series of individual concerts. The programme is conceived as a whole, bringing together concerts, commissions, new compositions, club programmes, installations, audiovisual works, talks, workshops and publications. It provides a setting in which new works can emerge, new constellations can be tested, and artists can meet audiences through formats that are not always accommodated by larger or more commercial venues. In-house production and collaboration with artists, festivals and specialist organisations are therefore central to its work. 

Østre – House for Experimental and Electronic Sound – is the festival’s home and main production venue. Projects can be developed here through residencies, rehearsals and technical adaptation before being presented to the public. The festival also uses churches, art institutions, historic buildings, natural environments and other locations across Bergen and Western Norway. The choice of venue forms part of the artistic process: acoustics, architecture, history and geographical location influence both the development of a work and the way audiences encounter it. The artistic programme is closely connected to EKKO’s year-round concert series. Activity throughout the year enables the organisation to build long-term relationships with artists, follow the development of new projects and initiate productions that can later receive a larger presentation during the festival. This continuity creates valuable opportunities for local performers and international artists working outside established mainstream circuits. Ekkofestivalen aims to be accessible to a broad and diverse audience. A large part of the programme is open to all ages, with particular efforts directed towards young people between 10 and 18, as well as older audiences. Guardian arrangements, free or affordable events, volunteering and the involvement of young organisers help lower the threshold for entering the field. The festival also works towards broad representation in terms of gender, cultural background, geography and artistic expression. EKKO develops editorial content that places artists and their work within wider artistic, historical and social contexts. Electronic dance music, experimental sound and sound-based contemporary art are treated as equal artistic forms without losing their immediate physical and social qualities. Since 2003, EKKO has presented more than one thousand artists from around the world. Its role remains the same: to create space for artistic risk, concentration and community, and to make practices with few other platforms available to a wider audience.