Thank you very much, José Mourinho!
- Liverpoolfestivalen
- Jul 2
- 4 min read
Being a birth attendant at a big festival is a lot of work. But it's also exciting, educational and a lot of fun, the festival director can tell you. And you can thank Mourinho for the festival in Gjøvik!
The idea for the festival was planted on a late December evening in 2018 at Liverpool supporters Gjøvik's former home ground, Hematt. Liverpool had just beaten United 3 – 1 at Anfield and the atmosphere was good. In the bar, several of the board members of LSG were sitting and were quite high on themselves. Just before closing time and after a good intake of the bar's selection, it was rumored that they should create a big festival for Liverpool supporters in Gjøvik.
The next day the idea didn't seem as good anymore, but the seed was sown and eventually the work of realizing this rather crazy idea started. So thanks to Mourinho (who was fired the next day, by the way) and to bartender Kim at Hematt who facilitated the creative workshop around the bar. Without you, the idea might not have been sown!
Just before closing time and after a good drink from the bar's selection, there was talk of organizing a big festival for Liverpool fans in Gjøvik.
Einar Skare was one of those sitting around the bar that night and couldn't let go of the idea of creating such a festival in Gjøvik. As a long-time LFC supporter and with a heart that beats to create activity and life in Gjøvik, the road to becoming festival director was short!
The festival director
Einar Skare is the festival director and of course we had to talk to him about how he experiences leading the work on what has become Scandinavia's largest festival of its kind.
Why on earth is such a festival being added to Gjøvik?
There is a lot in place to succeed in Gjøvik. The city is beautiful and the summer in the hinterland is known to be nice. In addition, we have the facilities, local resources with expertise in developing, organizing and running large events and last but not least, we are a very enthusiastic group who have a lot of energy around this particular festival. It is almost bubbling over!
How many people are coming to the festival and who are they?
There are many indications that we can expect around 1,000 reds in Gjøvik this summer, of almost all ages and from many countries. And from what many tell us, they are really hungry for experiences together with other Liverpool supporters – and this festival will be about experiences, atmosphere and good fellowship. We know how successful the previous festivals have been and we are building on the recipe for success and of course adding new elements that will hopefully make the Liverpool Festival 2025 an even better experience.
What will the festival be about?
Community is most important to us and we know that it is the main reason why people want to participate. Community will be our guiding principle again this year and we seek to create activities, present entertainment and create experiences that are precisely about the sense of community, the sense of community that you have when you are a Liverpool supporter.
It's quite nice to hang out for three days with people you have a lot in common with and with whom you can share both sing-alongs in front of the stage, with some of the musicians we've brought in from Liverpool and elsewhere, or at a table on the festival grounds where many new friendships have been formed since we started the festival.
Community is the main reason people want to participate
How do you work to get legends for the festival?
Jaran is the one who works the most with this, but we have together made a long list of Liverpool legends that we would like to have visit. We are trying to create a good mix of players and most importantly, players that we know will make a good impression at the festival. They must enjoy being on stage and they must enjoy hanging out with the supporters. We have had a lot of good names on the bill since we started and are very happy with this year's lineup too, with Vladimir Smicer, John Arne Riise, Patrik Berger and good old Sammy Lee!
What do you most recommend bringing with you?
It's hard to choose one thing, but it's really nice to meet for an English breakfast at Brygga, it's a perfect start to the festival day and last year many people chose to start the day at Brygga, down by Mjøsa. The supporter dinner is of course also a must on Thursday, where there will be an exciting look back at Mirakelet in Istanbul with Riise and Smicer. If you're one of the girls making the trip, I would definitely recommend the girls' lunch on Saturday with Patrik Berger and Anna Odine Strøm, it's perhaps the most enjoyable 90 minutes during the festival. Otherwise, there's something going on pretty much all the time, with live music on stage and live interviews with legends in addition to activities in our activity park, which we've created for the youngest supporters.
How much are you looking forward to the festival?
It's hard to describe. I'm really looking forward to it but I also know that there will be a lot of work to do along the way. The reward will be the feeling in my stomach when the festival area fills up with red supporters on Thursday afternoon, I'm easily moved so a tear or three will probably come to the corner of my eye. It's the reward for all the work you've done beforehand and I'm guessing that the energy level will also go up so much that I'll have time to enjoy myself a little too - despite the small and big challenges that arise along the way. Maybe you'll even have half a beer and a legend meeting at the festival area during the weekend.
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