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✈️How to get to Notodden Blues Festival
Planning your trip to Notodden Blues Festival? Here's how to get there by plane, train or car, and plan your route to the festival site.
- Nearest airport: Sandefjord Airport, Torp (TRF), about 70 km from the venue.
- Allow about 98 min by car from the airport to the site.
- By train, head for Sandefjord(Torp) or the nearest major station, then finish by bus, shuttle or taxi to the site.
- By car, plan for on-site parking and expect heavy traffic around the venue on festival days.
🛏️Where to stay near Various Venues (Notodden Blues Festival)
Accommodation near the Notodden Blues Festival site fills up fast. Compare hotels, apartments and rentals nearby and book early to stay as close to the stage as possible.
Also consider staying around Sandefjord(Torp), the nearest large city, if the closest options to the site are sold out.
Estimated travel time to the site
| Distance | 🚗 Car / taxi | 🚴 Bike | 🚶 On foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~1 km | ~3 min | ~4 min | ~12 min |
| ~3 km | ~7 min | ~12 min | ~36 min |
| ~5 km | ~11 min | ~20 min | ~1 h |
| ~10 km | ~22 min | ~40 min | ~2 h |
Public transport: depends on the network around Sandefjord(Torp).
Each accommodation's distance to the site is shown on the map above. Rough estimates; allow extra time during festival peak hours.
🌤️Notodden Blues Festival 2026 weather
Weather in Various Venues in July 2026?
Typical weather
Chance of rain: about 50% of days
| 2025 | Drizzle | 22° / 15° | 4 rainy days |
| 2024 | Overcast | 23° / 13° | 1 rainy day |
| 2023 | Light drizzle | 21° / 12° | 1 rainy day |
Based on the last 3 years over the same period.
Hour by hour
Tap a day to see how temperature and rain changed across 24 hours.
🗺️Things to do near Notodden Blues Festival
Many shows happen in the evening, so use your days to explore the area around Notodden Blues Festival. Guided tours, museums, outdoor experiences and local activities can be booked in a few clicks before you go.
Nearby, Sandefjord(Torp) and its surroundings offer museums, walks and local gems to discover between sets.
Bookings via our travel partners. Prices stay the same for you; festt may earn a commission.
📋About
Notodden Blues Festival 2026: Norway's Premier Blues Event
Founded in the 1980s, the Notodden Blues Festival is one of the most important blues festivals in Northern Europe. It takes place in Notodden, Norway, across multiple venues throughout the town, giving it an intimate, city-wide festival atmosphere.
The 2026 edition brings together 17 artists from the blues, rock and americana scenes. Highlights include The Darkness, The Temperance Movement and Raga Rockers.
Expect blues rock, hard rock, glam rock and americana. The blues identity remains the backbone, complemented by mainstream rock and Norwegian acts.
From 29 July to 1 August 2026 in Notodden. An essential stop for blues lovers in Scandinavia — book your visit early.
❓FAQ
When is the 2026 edition and how long does it last?
30 July to 2 August 2026, four days of blues in Notodden, in Telemark county. A festival pass covers more than 80 concerts and guarantees entry to the main stage, Hovigs Hangar.
How many stages, and where are they?
There is no fenced field here, the whole town is the venue. The festival stretches from Bok & Blueshuset on the shore of Heddalsvannet through the centre and up to the Myrens dam. Around Hovigs Hangar you will find Festivaltorget, Bellman Kulturpub, the boat MS Telemarken, Rootsville, the NBF Ung stage, the town library, Notodden church and the Heddal stave church.
What time does it all start?
On Thursday, Festivaltorget opens at 4pm and the opening ceremony begins at 6pm inside Hovigs Hangar, doors 5.45pm. On Friday and Saturday the festival square opens as early as noon.
What is there to eat?
On Festivaltorget, The Grill Pit serves Mississippi-inspired barbecue from 4pm on Thursday until the area closes for the night: pulled pork burger, BBQ kebab with chicken or pulled pork, crispy chicken burger and a fried snack platter, with vegetarian and allergy-friendly options. Storgata, the festival street, adds food trucks plus stalls from local producers and craftspeople. Bringing your own food or drink onto Festivaltorget is not allowed.
Where do you sleep, and is there an official campsite?
Three paid official campsites are bookable: Nesøya, Hydroparken and the Notodden VGS upper secondary school. Riverside Camp, Notodden Camping and First Camp Norsjø round out the options, along with hotels in Kongsberg, Bø and Seljord. The volunteer camp is free but reserved for over-18s working the festival.
How do you get there, and home again at night?
Everything revolves around Notodden bus terminal (skysstasjon): VY Express VY1 coaches link Kongsberg, Drammen and Oslo, with night departures at 00.20, 01.20, 02.20 and 02.50 on the Friday-to-Saturday and Saturday-to-Sunday nights. Hourly local shuttles also serve the neighbourhoods and campsites (Høgås, Skogen, Yli/flycampen, Sjukehuset and Stavkyrkja lines) until 01.55, and a service runs to Bø several times a day. A coach heads for Ulefoss, Skien and Porsgrunn after the concerts. Parking is the awkward part: much of the centre is closed to cars, so aim for the Tuven area, a 15-20 minute walk away.
Can the site be managed in a wheelchair?
Notodden is a hilly town and the centre is cobbled or asphalted: most of it is passable, and the organisers mark routes and build ramps where they can. Accessible toilets are provided in every festival area. Companion tickets are ordered through ticketmaster.no alongside a day pass, with only the booking fee charged, one companion per companion card. No induction loop or interpreting service is available.
Are children and under-18s welcome?
Barnas Bluesfestival puts on a programme for children and families every day. Under-18s can attend if they bring a sober guardian aged over 25: both need their own pass, and they sign a guardianship agreement when swapping tickets for wristbands. Free earplugs are handed out at the entrance to Hovigs Hangar and in every bar.
How far back does the festival go?
The first edition was held in 1988, selling around 2,000 tickets for a turnover of some 200,000 kroner. It won Telemark county council's culture prize in 1998, then was named the world's best blues festival in 2010 and received the Keeping The Blues Alive Award from the American Blues Foundation.
How many people attend?
The most recent figure published by the organisers dates from 2011: 18,000 people bought a ticket and an estimated 31,400 visited the official events, which works out at roughly 7,850 people a day across four days — an approximate figure, since re-entries inflate the total.
