20 things you might not know about the Liverpool Festival!
- Liverpoolfestivalen
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
Some of the things you might know, but there are definitely a few things you didn't know about the Liverpool Festival!
1,321 days!
A lot has happened over the years with the Liverpool Festival and the story is actually longer than the four festivals we have organized. It all started on December 17, 2018 at a bar at the local football pub in Gjøvik. It actually took 1,321 days of planning, frustration, laughter, tears, procrastination and determination before we could open the door to the very first festival in 2022.
We were pretty high on ourselves and had absolute faith that we would make it happen. Looking back, we have learned and experienced an incredible amount, and we have tried to develop the festival to be more than just an ego trip that should be exactly how we wanted it to be. We have played in teams with supporters in several countries to end up with the concept that has gradually become a festival for everyone, regardless of whether you claim to be a nerdy supporter with an overview of everything that has happened since 1892, or if you just like being part of a large and generous community. The festival should be a place for everyone, everyone should feel at home, never alone!
20 fun facts about the Liverpool festival.
Here are some fun facts about the Liverpool Festival that might be nice to know. This isn't something you need to know, but it might be nice to know.
Did you know that:
...we were originally going to host the Liverpool Festival for the first time in 2021 but chose to cancel due to Covid 19 and the restrictions we had to deal with. They were not compatible with how we wanted the festival to be.
...David Fairclough was the first legend we booked.
...we have had visitors from 13 different countries. Here we are of course talking about all the Scandinavian countries but also about countries like North Macedonia, Malta and more.
...we have had our own official festival beer during all the festivals. It has only been on sale during the festival and has become a collector's item
...we have had visits from 13 legends since we started the festival.
...The Liverpool Festival was named Supporter of the Year 2024, awarded by the official supporters' club in Norway.
Fun facts continue below the picture
...is the only festival of its kind in all of Europe. We have also tried to find out if we are possibly alone in this concept in the whole world, but cannot confirm it so we are being modest and sticking to Europe.
...we've sent the guys from The Ragamuffins waffle mix back to Liverpool. They fell in love with waffles during their first visit to Gjøvik.
...has collected and contributed around 150,000 kroner to various charities through the festivals.
...was the place where "Lucho" was played in public for the very first time. It is also part of the story that Andy Hodgson and The Ragamuffins first met during the Liverpool Festival and recorded the song about 14 days after they returned to Liverpool
...owned and operated by local supporters, everything is based on volunteerism.
...we have had 8 musicians over from Liverpool
...we have over 60 festival participants who have been at the festival since it started and who will be returning this year.
...we almost went bankrupt in 2023, but through tough prioritization, benevolent creditors and faithful festival participants, we have turned the tide and made a profit the last two years.
...this year's legends have a combined 1,235 appearances, 252 goals and 202 assists for Liverpool. They have won the league, FA Cup, League Cup and of course conquered Europe multiple times.
...we have around 100 volunteers who work before, during and after the festival every year
...we've been featured in the official LFC match programme that is produced before every match, and we've been invited to hang out in the players' tunnel at Anfield after the match.
...we have had visits from two Olympic champions in ski jumping, Maren Lundby and Anna Odine Strøm, and a world champion in skiing, Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset himself
...we have been on a live broadcast on Viaplay with both interviews and a report on the atmosphere from the festival area. This was during the Community Shield match against Manchester City in 2022.
...several drafts were made for our festival logo which were then sent out for "consultation" with supporters across the country, before we ended up with the final version.
This is how our logo turned out. Can you see the letters LFC? The colour codes are also the same as those used by Liverpool FC. The logo was created by Profil Grafisk, a sharp and creative team based in Toten, just 10 minutes from Gjøvik.
So you became wiser?
No, what you've read up on now is not something you need to go around knowing, or something you can impress others with. It falls into the "Nice to know" category. But regardless, we've accomplished something during the years we've both planned and organized the festival. We're quite proud of what it has become and at the same time incredibly humble towards all those who have been involved in making the festival what it has become, without the supporters it wouldn't have been such a festival.
We have received an incredible amount of feedback, input and opinions over the years. We have taken all of these comments into account and many have resulted in us doing things differently than we originally intended. And overall, this has helped make the festival better and better every year. Now we hope that even more people will make the trip to Gjøvik from July 30th to August 1st to celebrate the world's best club!
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