Norwegian Festival Oya Is The World’s Greenest Music Event

Oslo’s alternative music heaven Oya Festival has officially become the world’s most sustainable music event. Set in the tree-filled Tøyen Park, Norway’s award-winning music festival shows us that going green is the name of the game. 

Enviable line-ups and idyllic sceneries are two binding checkboxes for every fest – but Oya shows us that festivaling the right way goes beyond the music acts and the perfectly pitched tent. A trailblazer for sustainability, Oya Festival is sourcing 98% of its power from renewable sources.

Forget about diesel-guzzling generators and carbon footprints because the indie music event has been powering its four stages with hydroelectric sources for a decade.

The green festival doesn’t fall short when it comes to recycling waste, either. A guilt-free partying experience is guaranteed at Oya Festival since 75% of all waste is sorted by hand and recycled.

Its progressive stance on climate change further infiltrated the food trucks, courts, and eating areas, with 90% of all served food being organic and 40% being meat-free.

But the icing on the cake is the food packaging – not only is it compostable, but some plates are even edible.

Oya’s attendees are also playing their part in the event’s green ethos, as 95% of festival-goers ditch their cars in favor of bikes, public transport and walking to arrive at the indie haven. 

It is not a secret that Oya Festival’s green vision makes it a lusted-after music event. At the end of the day, the Oslo fest won the title of the world’s greenest festival at the European Festival Awards and the AGF Awards (A Greener Festival).

What really put it on the map is its eager commitment to bringing gender equality on the stage. 

A quick peek at the line-up will display a 50/50 gender split between male and female acts. But that doesn’t mean Oya doesn’t strike a good balance between blue-blooded artists and homegrown talent – on the contrary. 

While A-list music heroes such as virtual band Gorillaz and British electronic legend Ben UFO will monopolize the main stage, hungry newcomers like Norwegian folk duo Kings of Convenience and pop artist Emilie Nicols are also part of the picture.