Kid Andersen returns to Longyearbyen with a heavy blues history, J.T. Lauritsen & The Buckshot Hunters come in award-winning form, Ben Poole offers British blues rock, and our own JG Hansen gives us Svalbard stories from Longyearbyen and Svea.
– has become a festival highlight, and it continues this year with interviews held during the lunch concerts at Kroa on Friday and Saturday.
Dark Season Blues 2026 adds Grammy-winning Mike Farris in full band format, guitar phenomenon Laura Chavez, raw delta and Mississippi blues from Big Creek Slim & Kent Erik Thorvaldsen and a Swedish rock’n’roll comeback with the Slaptones.
Dark Season Blues 2026 releases three new names: Grammy-nominated Sugaray Rayford with powerful soul blues, Danish Mike Andersen in close solo format and Norwegian-British Krissy Matthews with explosive blues rock and international band.
Dark Season Blues 2026 adds four strong new names to the program: southern stories from Grayson Capps, Swedish banjo punk from Baskery, Notodden blues from Spoonful of Blues and dark, poetic harmonica magic from Richard Gjems & The High Rollers.
Dark Season Blues 2026 opens the artist program with four strong names ranging from new Norwegian blues stars and soulful power to Notodden groove, raw pub rock and Swedish electric blues from the deep forests of Värmland.
We’re about to launch this year’s artists for Dark Season Blues 2026, and we can’t wait to share what’s in store during the dark season in Longyearbyen.
If you love the blues and want an unforgettable cultural experience in one of the world’s most exotic settings, Dark Season Blues in Svalbard is a festival you won’t want to miss!
Join us for the epic conclusion of this year’s record-breaking Solfestuke! ☀️ On Saturday 14 March, Norway’s party favorites, Rotlaus, will take over Longyearbyen Kulturhus to celebrate the return of the light with genuine rural rock and sing-alongs. We invite you to both a free youth concert and the evening’s big party
The twenty-second Dark Season Blues is history, and we would like to thank all of you who participated in this year’s festival and made the event possible.
