Notodden Blues Festival

What Notodden Blues Festival does

Notodden Blues Festival (NBF), legally Stiftelsen Notodden Blues Festival (org. no. 993 399 019), is a Norwegian nonprofit foundation that produces an annual four-day blues festival in Notodden, Telemark, first held in 1988. The festival operates across a portfolio of distinct physical venues — including Hovigs Hangar (main stage), Festivaltorget (central square), Bellman Kulturpub, MS Telemarken (canal boat operating since 1988), Heddal stave church (UNESCO heritage), Notodden kirke, and the Bok- og Blueshuset headquarters — and is supported by sub-brands Little Stevens Blues School (youth music education since 1989), Rootsville (Americana/roots stage), Bluesshop.no (merchandise), Blues Business, and Juke Joint Studio.

Revenue is generated primarily through 4-day festival passes and single-day ticket sales distributed via bluesfest.no and TicketMaster, with early-bird pricing tiers. Ancillary revenue streams include camping and accommodation sales (Nesøya, Hydroparken, Notodden VGS, plus partnered campgrounds), Bluesshop.no merchandise (t-shirts, caps, hoodies, coffee), on-site food and beverage concessions (operated cashless across all sales points), and enterprise sponsorship from a core group of partners led by LO (Landsorganisasjonen i Norge), Notodden Energi, Kongsberg, and public funding from Kulturrådet (Arts Council Norway).

Go-to-market is event-driven and seasonal, relying on phased artist announcements to drive ticket sales, a multi-channel digital presence (website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify playlist, email newsletter), and direct consumer ticket sales via the website and TicketMaster. The festival served 35,000 ticket buyers and over 50,000 visitors in its record-breaking 2024 edition, was voted the world's best blues festival in 2010, and received the Keeping The Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation.

Name

Notodden Blues Festival

Legal name

Stiftelsen Notodden Blues Festival

Website

https://bluesfest.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Notodden Blues Festival is a Norwegian nonprofit foundation that produces one of Northern Europe's largest annual blues festivals in Notodden, Telemark, serving 35,000+ ticket buyers and 50,000+ visitors across multiple distinctive venues, with revenue from ticket sales, merchandise, camping, and enterprise sponsorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Festival Events

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Music & Dance Festivals (Non-Commercial/Local) (MPAGAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Live music festivals
• Blues music events
• Festival ticketing services
• Music education programs
• Festival merchandise retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Notodden

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Festival Tickets: The primary revenue stream comes from selling festival passes (4-day) and single-day tickets to attendees. The festival offers early bird pricing incentives for advance purchases and sells tickets through their website and TicketMaster.
2. Merchandise: The festival operates Bluesshop.no, an online store selling festival merchandise including t-shirts, caps, hoodies, coffee, and other branded items.
3. Camping and Accommodation: The festival sells tickets to official camping sites including Nesøya, Hydroparken, Notodden VGS, and partnerships with external campgrounds and hotels in the region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Notodden Blues Festival organizes and operates an annual four-day blues music festival in Notodden, Telemark, Norway, featuring international and Norwegian blues, roots, and americana artists across multiple venues including Hovigs Hangar, Bellman Kulturpub, MS Telemarken canal boat, and Heddal stavkirke. It also runs the Little Stevens Blues School youth education program and sells official festival merchandise through Bluesshop.no.

Product overview

Notodden Blues Festival is a comprehensive blues music event ecosystem comprising the main annual festival (July 30 - August 2, 2026), multiple venue stages (Hovigs Hangar as primary venue, Festivaltorget as the central gathering hub, Bellman Kulturpub, Bok og Blueshuset, MS Telemarken Blues Cruise, Rootsville Americana stage, NBF Ung Scene for youth, Notodden kirke, and Heddal stavkirke), the Little Stevens Blues School youth education program established in 1989, the Bluesshop.no merchandise store, and ancillary services including official camping facilities and coordinated transportation. The festival has operated since 1988 and was recognized as the world's best blues festival in 2010.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Little Stevens Blues School: Youth blues music education program for musicians aged 13-26, established 1989
• Rootsville
• Bluesshop.no

Products and services

• Notodden Blues Festival (Annual Festival) Annual four-day blues music festival held in Notodden, Telemark, Norway, recognized as one of Northern Europe's largest blues festivals, featuring multiple stages, camping, and visitor services.
• Festival Pass and Day Tickets

Quantifiable outcome

• 35,000 tickets sold in 2024, over 50,000 visitors - record-breaking year

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• LO (Landsorganisasjonen i Norge)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGeneral sponsor with close collaboration. Many of LO's confederations have been main sponsors for several years. The 'LO family' backs a large solidarity concert on the festival's closing day.
• Notodden EnergimajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor of Notodden Blues Festival, providing sponsorship support.
• KongsbergmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor supporting the festival's operations.
• VY (Norwegian Railway Company)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerTransportation partner providing bus services to and from Notodden during the festival, including night buses and express routes from Oslo, Drammen, and Kongsberg.
• FartemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal bus company in Telemark providing transportation services between Notodden and surrounding areas including Midt-Telemark, Nome, and Seljord during the festival.
• SkuestiftelsenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration partner on youth concerts at Bok & Blueshuset, including the youth concert with Byting.
• Kulturrådet (Arts Council Norway)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic partner providing cultural funding support.
• Norsk BluesunionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner representing Norwegian blues music community.
• Visit ClarksdaleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister city partnership with Clarksdale, Mississippi - the 'home of the blues' - from which Super Chikan and other artists have performed at Notodden.
• Suwałki Blues FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational industry partner from Poland, part of the festival's network of blues festival collaborations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hellfest: Very large European music festival held annually in France. Broader in genre (rock/metal) but comparable in scale, multi-stage model, and ticket-driven operations.

Direct peers

• Øya Festival: Major Norwegian music festival held annually in Oslo with multi-stage programming and similar ticket-driven model. Comparable in target audience and Nordic market dynamics.
• Way Out West: Swedish annual music festival in Gothenburg with multi-stage programming and a similar ticket-driven, multi-day format. Comparable in Nordic market positioning and audience profile.
• Bergenfest: Norwegian annual music festival with a multi-genre lineup blending rock, blues, and americana. Comparable in geographic market, multi-venue setup, and audience demographics.
• NorthSide Festival: Danish multi-day music festival held annually in Aarhus. Comparable in Nordic regional positioning, multi-stage format, and scale.
• Roskilde Festival: Large annual Nordic music festival in Denmark; nonprofit foundation model with similar multi-stage, multi-day format. Comparable in scale, audience, and nonprofit operating structure.
• Chicago Blues Festival: One of the world's largest free-admission blues festivals, produced by the City of Chicago. Directly comparable in genre focus and category leadership, though operates with public funding rather than ticket revenue.
• Suwałki Blues Festival: Polish blues festival and direct international partner of Notodden. Highly comparable in genre focus, festival format, and audience profile.
• Byron Bay Bluesfest: Major Australian multi-day blues festival with international artist programming. Comparable in genre focus, multi-venue format, multi-day ticketing, and global artist acquisition.
• Moldejazz: Annual Norwegian music festival in Molde with similar format, ticket-driven revenue model, and Nordic target audience. Closest comparable in scope, duration, and audience profile among Norwegian festivals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NotoddenBluesFest
• Facebookfacebook.com/notoddenbluesfestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/notoddenbluesfestival/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/notoddenbluesfestival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Notodden Blues Festival