We are on a first-name basis!
- Liverpoolfestivalen
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
We like to think that our festival is very special and different. Different because we feel like we know most of the people who come!
Supporters all over the world!
When you are a Liverpool supporter, you always meet other supporters when you are out and about. Here in Norway we have over 50,000 paying members in the official supporters club, a formidable number of members, in fact around 1% of the population of Norway. In addition, the number of people in this country who choose Liverpool as their favourite team is probably 10 times higher. Then suddenly we are talking about around half a million who feel their hearts beat a little faster when Liverpool wins games.
Around Scandinavia you will also find large and solid supporter communities who, when they really want to dress up, wear a red shirt with Liverbirds on the chest. Also down in Europe you will find local and national LFC supporter clubs, in fact all over Europe, from Russia in the east to Portugal in the west, and of course Malta and the small island of Gozo, off the coast of Malta. In 2023 we actually had a visitor to the festival from the small idyllic island in the Mediterranean.
You can also find big Red supporters clubs in the rest of the world. In the USA there are supporters clubs in most major cities, and in Asia you can find big communities in Japan and Thailand as well as both Korea and Vietnam. It should also be mentioned that there is also a good group of LFC supporters in Iran. And when we first take a trip around the rest of the world, we should of course mention Africa and especially Egypt, thanks in large part to an Egyptian footballer with a Liverbird on his chest.
Many new friends
In the years we have worked with and organised Liverpool Festival, we have met an incredible number of fans. We communicate weekly with people all over the world. Many are curious about our festival, and many wonder where Gjøvik is. Some even wonder where Norway is. We really appreciate all enquiries, and in most cases we keep in touch because we are curious about what it is like to be a Liverpool fan right where you live.
Through all the contact we have with supporters throughout the year, between festivals and during the festival, we have met an incredible number of lovely people. Some have actually been to the festival since we started, some we meet again at various events elsewhere, and of course during trips to Liverpool. We have simply made a lot of new friends since we started the festival.
Never alone!
We also know that Liverpool Festival has been a place where supporters have met each other and started what have become new and wonderful friendships. We also know that people have come to the festival alone, people who have felt the pain of being alone all too often. There they have been welcomed with open arms by other supporters and have formed bonds that they might not have had anywhere else, but which we think are natural when you meet other LFC supporters. As a Liverpool supporter you never walk alone, you never walk alone!
When we, who organise the Liverpool Festival, walk around the festival site, we don't get very far before we have to stop and start a conversation with someone we know, someone we've gotten to know over the years we've organised the festival, someone who's there to hang out with new and old supporter friends. We're on a first name basis at the Liverpool Festival, and everyone's there to feel the community that is being a Liverpool supporter!
The Legends
Ever since we invited the very first legends to the festival, we have been keen to ensure that it wasn’t just former LFC players and legends, but also outgoing people who would be a part of the festival. When they’re not on stage, they hang around the festival grounds and are happy to sit at the table right where you are. It’s only natural for us to be that way, and it’s only natural for them. The festival is really about community!
The music
We've also selected musicians with hearts that beat for LFC and people who enjoy hanging out with festival goers between sets. The Ragamuffins, Andy Hodgson and Kieo have all been to the festival before and know how to have the best time. It's all about hanging out with the fans, they are fans themselves.
See you?
We check how many festival passes, tickets for the Livergirls lunch and the supporter dinner we have sold every single day. And we notice that there will be even more supporters at this year's festival than before. We are also happy that supporters will come from Liverpool, Scotland (in a camper!) and Ireland. These are cities and countries that have not been represented with supporters before. We hope that you will make the trip and that during the three days in Gjøvik we will be on a first-name basis!
Please come on Wednesday!
Many people are coming to Gjøvik already on Wednesday. Then we will arrange an official preview at our local Liverpool pub, PT's. There you will meet many of the artists and legends who will be at the festival, and the program for the evening is really just hanging out and waiting for the festival area to open the next day. For many who have been there before, this has been one of the most fun things about our festival.
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