New edition, new challenges! Choosing is hard. Missing out is worse. Especially when every act could be the one that blows your mind.

So here’s a little help — your survival guide through three days of warmth, groove and global magic under the Northern Lights.

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THURSDAY 30.10 – THE GRAND OPENING

The world lands softly this year — with ganavya (IN/US) at Kulturhuset Lillescene.

Her voice floats somewhere between ancient Indian tradition, jazz, gospel and poetry. You cannot listen to ganavya; you sink into her. It’s meditation and revolution at once.

 

Meanwhile, Daniel Herskedal & Ensemble Noor (NO) slides at Amtmandens with the deep sound of tuba and strings melting into the Arctic air. Daniel doesn’t play notes; he paints landscapes with sound. If you ever wondered what Tromsø feels like translated into music, this is it.

Then comes the big one — the official opening night with Efterklang: The Makedonium Band (DK/MK) at Bryggeriet. A film. A concert. A dream that connects Denmark and Macedonia through brass, voices and friendship. It’s cinematic, emotional, and perfectly Tromsø World: bridges, not borders.

 

Still not ready to go home? Of course not. Ko Shin Moon (FR) takes over Bastard together with Mosaicpotamia (KRI/NO) for a night of electronic folklore and Kurdish cosmic disco. Bring your dancing shoes — and your curiosity.

 

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FRIDAY 31.10 – ROOTS, STARS & NIGHT CREATURES

We begin in the North — Šlobotten (SÁ) at HT Scene Øst brings new Sámi energy, raw and brave. This is tradition turned inside out — drums, joik, rebellion in the same heartbeat, and a lot of visuals.

Then Hekla Stålstrenga (NO) returns home to Kulturhuset with their mix of folk, fiddle, and melody that hits straight to the heart. It’s storytelling in music — northern nostalgia, laughter, and a bit of melancholy. Brand new album and 20 years anniversary. 

If you need to move your body, Drongo (NO) at Blårock will shake your bones and spirit. Expect chaos, hugs and sweat — the good kind. Don’t get excited if you suddenly text your ex.

 

At Bastard, Indus (CO) brings Colombian psychedelia with rhythms that make even the ice melt. 

 

 

For the late-night wanderers, Máras (NO/SÁ/FI/US) at Amtmandens. Sámi roots meet jazz, folk and free improvisation — a perfect ending for a Friday that refuses to sleep.

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SATURDAY 01.11 – FREE, WILD & BEAUTIFUL

We start early — and free! Tromsø World FREE takes over the city center from 10:30.

Expect food from every corner of the world, theatre for kids, street performances, and spontaneous jams that make you forget you’re in November.

When the evening sets in, Johanna-Adele Jüssi Trio (NO/EE) brings violin-driven Nordic folk to Kulturhuset Lillescene — playful, intimate and beautifully human.

At the same time, Fado på Nordnorsk at HT makes Portuguese saudade meet the Arctic. You’ll smile, then cry, then smile again.

Then the roof lifts — Leyla McCalla (HT/US) at Kulturhuset Hovedscene brings the voice of Haiti and New Orleans, full of soul and resistance. Then Pumpegris (NO) and Mie Bergh (NO), add wild Nordic textures to the mix. It’s tradition meeting protest — and it grooves.

 

 

Night falls, and things heat up fast:

At Blårock, Dutch post-punk power Tramhaus (NL) shows chaos, joy and sweat.

 

 

At Amtmandens, ADG7 (KR) mixes shamanic energy, Korean folk and pop madness with DJ Nefertiti (SO/NO) keeping the pulse alive. It’s impossible not to dance.

 

 

And at Bastard, the Tanzanian masters Sisso & Maiko (TZ) close it all with singeli — the fastest, wildest, happiest music on earth. This is how you end a festival.

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AFTERTHOUGHTS (AND AFTERPARTIES)

Tromsø World is not just a festival. It’s a state of mind.

It’s three days where the Arctic becomes the center of the world — and everyone belongs.

Bring your coat, bring your smile, bring your wild side.

We’ll handle the rest.