Christmas greetings from the Liverpool Festival
- Liverpoolfestivalen
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Our chairman, Jonny Finstad, has some thoughts as we approach Christmas and a new year!
Dear Liverpool supporters!
On behalf of the Liverpool Festival Board, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Now that the darkness has fallen and some may have seen a hint of snow, I hope you are taking the time to gather with family, friends and other red hearts to celebrate both Christmas and our shared passion for Liverpool FC.
2025 has been a year of both joy and sorrow for us Liverpool fans. We have experienced magical moments in both the league and cup games. A strong season with Arne Slot's first season in charge, culminating in a league title.
The tragedy
The football holiday had lasted a few weeks when we all received the tragic news that our No. 20 Diogo Jota and his brother André died in a car accident in Spain. Our thoughts go to their loved ones, and we send warm greetings to everyone affected. Unity, optimism and the eternal hope for new triumphs give us strength, even through difficult times. And unfortunately Liverpool FC has had some of them. Football becomes unimportant when such things happen. Nevertheless, Liverpool shows once again that football is important for processing and coming together in grief. Liverpool and the supporters do this in an exemplary way, which I also believe helps those closest to them.
Roller coaster
This year's season has been a roller coaster. The team has not "settled" properly and there is lively and passionate discussion in the media and comment sections about the reasons. Some point to new players who have not hit the ground running or "acclimatized", some point to a lack of form among established stars and some believe Arne Slot is to blame. I will not say anything strong about it, but what I am sure of is that things will turn around. And we Liverpool supporters are also supporters in adversity. According to some sources, Bill Shankly once said that "if you don't support us when we lose or draw, don't support us when we win". Christmas is also a holiday for English football. May Liverpool go through the Christmas celebrations in full swing.
And we Liverpool supporters are also supporters in adversity.
Five-year anniversary
As we write on January 1, 2026, it is almost exactly 7 months until the 5th anniversary of the Liverpool Festival. It is incredible that we are doing this together for the 5th time. The first few years have been successful, but also financially challenging. We have practiced and become better at planning, organizing, operating and finance. Now we can finally call ourselves a healthy, fresh and sustainable festival that has every opportunity to grow further. So then we hope to be able to top all this in 2026 and give you even better experiences. Several former players are ready for the festival; David Fairclough, Gary McAllister, Jan Mølby and faithful Sammy Lee are coming. When we also have fantastic musicians on stage, activities for young and a little older, as well as cheerful and committed supporters, we have great faith in success.
Thank you very much!
2025 was a good year for the festival and we thank our partners who faithfully contribute with both support and good help, such as, Liverpool's official supporter club in Norway, Ringnes, Pizzabakeren, Ecura, Gjøvik Municipality, PT's and more. All invaluable in their own way
But without supporters who want to visit us, we are nothing. You are the most important and we hope that many will find their way back and not least that we will get participation from many "first-time" supporters. It is an incredibly good environment with equality, unity and respect as central values.
Thank you for all the support, commitment and good atmosphere you have contributed throughout the year – both at Anfield, in front of the screen and not least those of you who have been here in Gjøvik.
We look forward to a new year with new opportunities, new battles and hopefully new victories. Don't forget to recharge both your batteries and your singing voice for the next festival – You'll Never Walk Alone has rarely been more relevant than now!
On behalf of the board and staff of the Liverpool Festival, we wish you all a peaceful Christmas holiday, good company, and a red and fantastic 2026!
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