Canal Street (Arendal, Norway)
Canal Street is an annual music festival in Arendal, established in 1996.
The festival is known for its use of unusual venues, such as the Lille Torungen Lighthouse, the city's main graveyard, the island Merdø, and even the local landfill, Heftingsdalen. This is referred to as "Magical moments in unique places".
The name stems from Arendal's history as a town of canals, with a nudge to the New Orleans street parades.
History
The festival was first presented in 1996 as Arendal Jazz & Blues Festival, and, for a long time, it was one of few Norwegian festivals in which jazz and blues were the main genres. Through the years, jazz remains a staple of the festival programme, though the genres rock and pop – and even the odd opera concert – have also been introduced.The festival grew from a weekend event in 1996 to a full week in 2006, but has since remained a four-day event. It has an unusual ownership structure, with originally two public – Arendal Municipality and Agder County Municipality – and two private – [NOV Inc.|APL | NOV] and Arendals Fossekompani – owners. In 2024, Agder County Municipality transferred its shares to Arendal Municipality, and the festival currently has three owners.
Besides a full-time festival director and a couple of part-time employees for marketing and production, the festival relies solely on the efforts of volunteers. Each year, approximately 350 people from the area help with the stage setup, security, bar service, and various other duties.
Canal Street was certified as a "green venue" in 2006 as one of the first festivals in Norway. The festival joined the UN's Carbon Neutral Network and supported Earth Hour 2009.