The summer in Kristiansand has been canceled because of Palmesus!

It’s about time the facts came on the table after a long series of undeserved criticism of Scandinavia’s biggest beach party.

There is criticism from the city council’s pulpit that Palmesus does not give back to the community. It is claimed that large profits are taken out and that it comes at the expense of the people who have to be without the city beach for 10 days in the summer.

In 2023, Palmesus had costs of over NOK 115 million, large parts of which went directly back to the local economy and the cultural industry. More than NOK 12 million went to charity groups, charitable associations, Russian groups, sports clubs and others who have contributed labour.

In 2023, Palmesus also organized a “Duck race” which generated NOK 250,000 for charity, in addition to the prize being awarded with free tickets for Palmesus junior to the entire Møvig school, both pupils and staff.

In 2023, Palmesus paid a total of well over NOK 3 million in rental costs and other costs related to renting areas for the festival (the city beach, the fortress, Aquarama, etc.). The agreement that is on the politicians’ table and the recommendation from the land and environment committee is a quadrupling of the current rent to the municipality. In comparison with other festivals in the city, it is at least 17 times as much.

Critics say that Palmesus should be moved to Odderøya. For several reasons this is not possible. First and foremost, Palmesus would then no longer be Scandinavia’s biggest beach party, but another factor is that there is room for fewer audiences on Odderøya. This would make it virtually impossible for Palmesus to be able to compete nationally, as the arena will be too small to be able to defend the booking costs of the biggest artists. The predicted quadrupling of rental costs is an existential threat to Palmesus and will undoubtedly force the board and management to look at alternative solutions that can give the festival long-term predictability and security. Furthermore, it is also not possible to hold Palmesus elsewhere in the municipality without having to change to a completely different type of festival. It is precisely this type of festival that is unique in Norway.

Palmesus is a national and international brand builder for the city, and the festival stands out markedly in relation to other festivals and cultural events in the city: no other event in the city reaches as widely a desired, attractive young target group as Palmesus does nationally. This helps to build positive relations with the city as a place of study and a potential place to live and work.

When the city lost the Quartfestivalen, there was simply a “vacuum” in our city in the first week of July. The hotels, campsites etc. failed to fill the beds. The city went from having full houses to having a lot of vacancies and far too low prices. The holiday traffic did not “take off” in the city before the start of the joint holiday and the premiere at Sabeltann. This did not change until after Palmesus had managed to establish itself as a national and international phenomenon 2-3 years after its inception.

Kristiansand municipality has an unflattering history to show when it comes to making arrangements for festivals. Quarten is a glaring example of that. We thought the municipality had learned from this. Do we want to be a city that facilitates the creation of events and festivals that put the city on the map? For one thing that cannot be measured in kroner and øre, but which is undoubtedly of value, is the positive reputation-building effect Palmesus has for Kristiansand and Sørlandet.

The fact is that the municipality and Palmesus have agreed on an agreement which is now on the table. The agreement is far more expensive for Palmesus than for other actors in the municipality and not least in comparable municipalities and festivals. Øyafestivalen pays NOK 810,000 for the entire Tøyenparken for four weeks and in addition they receive NOK 1.6 million in support from Oslo municipality.

The majority in the area and environment committee refers to Palmesus’ profit. A company is measured on the profit’s share of operations (operating margin). In festivals, this is low, in this case 3 per cent, and then it does not take a great deal for a company to no longer make money. The political majority therefore feel more competent to make such assessments than the result of the negotiations between Palmesus and the municipality has led to. So remember that the rental price after these negotiations is already in the top tier in Norway, and we fear the consequences for the city’s business life if this is a new practice for business policy.

It should be irrelevant to look at the accounts of the companies, as they vary from year to year. One can also ask whether it is normal practice for elected officials to delve into the accounts of companies to find rental prices for other purposes.

Kristiansand municipality as the regional capital in Agder and the number one summer destination must be cheered on and play on a team with the cultural and business world, including those who make money.