The King of Norway is coming to the Bergen International Festival

Earlier, it was announced that H.M. Queen Sonja is coming to this year's festival in Bergen. Now, it has been announced that the King will also attend the opening day on 24 May.

'We were very joyfully surprised when we received news that the King will arrive together with the Queen. King Harald has been the Bergen International Festival's high patron for more than thirty years, and his presence on the opening day makes a great day even more momentous,' says Festival director Lars Petter Hagen.

The King and Queen will be present when the 2023 Bergen International Festival opens with a large free event at Festplassen on 24 May at 12:30. They will also be present during the opening performance of Tosca in Grieghallen that same evening, where Lise Davidsen, Freddie de Tommaso and Bryn Terfel, among others, will perform on stage. H.M. King Harald last visited the festival in 2017, while the Queen will be attending for the 35th time.

Norway’s king has been patron of the Bergen International Festival since its beginning in 1953, when H.M. King Haakon became its first high patron.

'The royal couple's importance to the Bergen International Festival is invaluable in both local, national and international contexts. Over several decades, their interest and engagement have contributed significantly to the festival’s standing and unique position with artists and the public,' says Thorhild Widvey, chair of the board of the Festival.