Urkult is a Music Festival organized in the North of Sweden, in the small village of Nose fields: the latest edition took place from 1st to 3rd August in a place known to the Human Race for thousands of years, in fact it was possible to admire near the site of the Festival of very ancient cave paintings dating back to about 5000 years ago.
The name of the event derives from the union of the Swedish words Ur and Kult, the expression thus composed (Urkult) means Cult of Origins. All this has been designed to honor the sacredness of such a place ... numerous prehistoric engravings are placed on the rocks adjacent to the Nämforsen waterfall. And the symbol of the event depicting a boat comes from those engravings.
The event takes place in a splendid park and the atmosphere you breathe is one of the most welcoming and relaxed imaginable. Before the festival area there are numerous stalls of various crafts, and once you enter you are immediately faced with a festively decorated environment: huts serving organic and supportive food, a main stage, a secondary stage, and a splendid wooden house used to Folk ballroom.
Urkult opens with the Fire Ceremony in a sort of natural amphitheater: when the Ice Age ended, the ice which covered Sweden retreated and created in these places a recess in the ground surrounded by gentle slopes which closely resembles a theater with bleachers all around, in this ancestral place juggling shows and theatrical improvisation welcome visitors on the night of the first day of the festival with sacred and intimate atmospheres.
Just to name a few in this edition there were: the Alternative Rock sounds of MaidaVale, rap with a socio-political background by Familjen Kaos, the crackling Hip Hop Reggae rhythms by Mama Dunder, the sibylline songs of the acclaimed artist of Sami origins, Mari Boine, Hard Folk Rock of the band that played at the first edition of the festival, Hoven Droven, frenetic Reggae rhythms of the The Swedish Academy and even a intense concert with a political background of Pussy Riot!
At Urkult Festival the entertainment offer is really vast, there are concerts, poetry reviews and typical Folk dances swedes in the cozy ballroom that can last until late at night. There are also presentations and speeches, in the latest edition Masha of Pussy Riot gave a touching speech about her experience as a political-humanitarian activist in Russia which lasted more than an hour.
It is also about a cultural event open to all, every age group is represented, there is a young and party-going public but there are also many families and for this reason there are even activities that focus particularly on the little ones. The motto of the festival is to be able to create an event aimed at all types of audiences and all "types of ears".
To conclude, the surrounding Nature is amazing and the camping area as well, it is simply a joy for the senses to wake up in the morning lulled by the gentle rush of water from the Nämforsen waterfalls in the distance: To get up here it is possible to take a seat on the train or on the dedicated Festival buses which leave from Stockholm, a cheap and pleasant solution with music played by the Festival visitors for the duration of the trip!
If you want to celebrate the Cult of the Origins of Humankind surrounded by forests and wonderful waterfalls, come to the North of Sweden, to the Urkult Festival.
All the photos in this article were taken by Gerardo Iannacci and all rights to the above are reserved to him
