Norsk Høstfest
Encyclopedia
Norsk Høstfest is an annual festival held each Fall in Minot, North Dakota
. It is North America's largest Scandinavian festival. The event is conducted in the All Seasons Arena
on the grounds of the North Dakota State Fair
in Minot, North Dakota. Tens of thousands of people attend the Norsk Høstfest to celebrate and partake in the Scandinavian culture and entertainment. Altogether it has hosted cultural touchstones from Iceland
, Denmark
, Norway
, Sweden
, Finland
, Estonia
, Greenland
, Åland
, Faroe Islands
, German-speaking Europe
and the Netherlands
.
Highlights of the event include announcing the annual Scandinavian-American
Hall of Fame
winners. The Hall of Fame is an enduring means of honoring those persons of Scandinavian descent in North America who have achieved greatness in their fields of endeavor and/or whose efforts have contributed significantly to the betterment of mankind.
Norsk Høstfest features a number of Nordic exhibits with internationally recognized artisans, craftsmen and chefs participating. The cuisine as well as the clothes, art and jewelry are authentic, fine quality and exquisitely Nordic. Events include the selection of the annual Miss Norsk Høstfest and winners of various other competitions.
During Høstfest week (end of September through first few days of October), presenters associated with the festival travel to the surrounding area where they introduce Nordic heritage and culture to students. Additionally, Scandinavian Youth Camps are held the weekend prior to Høstfest. Children participating in the camps also perform at Høstfest in scheduled events such as the Troll
beauty contest, Norwegian Folk dance
, Swedish Maypole
dancers, and the Troll parade.
There are several headliner acts booked each night of the event, not limited to the event's Scandinavian theme. Headliners
in the past have included performers from the United States, Canada and Europe.
Hotels, motels, and other available rooms for rent fill up very quickly during the days leading up to Høstfest, with all lodging accommodations in the city approaching 100% at peak occupancy, making it extremely difficult for one to find a suitable vacant room without having had a reservation arranged in advance.
Minot, North Dakota
Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...
. It is North America's largest Scandinavian festival. The event is conducted in the All Seasons Arena
All Seasons Arena
There are two All Seasons Arenas*All Seasons Arena *All Seasons Arena...
on the grounds of the North Dakota State Fair
North Dakota State Fair
The North Dakota State Fair is an annual state fair held each July in Minot, North Dakota. The fair features carnival rides, agricultural expositions, government and commercial exhibitions, and a variety of musical and performance entertainment....
in Minot, North Dakota. Tens of thousands of people attend the Norsk Høstfest to celebrate and partake in the Scandinavian culture and entertainment. Altogether it has hosted cultural touchstones from Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Åland
Åland Islands
The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland...
, Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
, German-speaking Europe
German-speaking Europe
The German language is spoken in a number of countries and territories in West, Central and Eastern Europe...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Highlights of the event include announcing the annual Scandinavian-American
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
winners. The Hall of Fame is an enduring means of honoring those persons of Scandinavian descent in North America who have achieved greatness in their fields of endeavor and/or whose efforts have contributed significantly to the betterment of mankind.
Norsk Høstfest features a number of Nordic exhibits with internationally recognized artisans, craftsmen and chefs participating. The cuisine as well as the clothes, art and jewelry are authentic, fine quality and exquisitely Nordic. Events include the selection of the annual Miss Norsk Høstfest and winners of various other competitions.
During Høstfest week (end of September through first few days of October), presenters associated with the festival travel to the surrounding area where they introduce Nordic heritage and culture to students. Additionally, Scandinavian Youth Camps are held the weekend prior to Høstfest. Children participating in the camps also perform at Høstfest in scheduled events such as the Troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
beauty contest, Norwegian Folk dance
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
, Swedish Maypole
Maypole
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, particularly on May Day, or Pentecost although in some countries it is instead erected at Midsummer...
dancers, and the Troll parade.
There are several headliner acts booked each night of the event, not limited to the event's Scandinavian theme. Headliners
Headliner (show)
Headliner is a TV show produced by Radio Television Hong Kong discussing current affairs in Hong Kong....
in the past have included performers from the United States, Canada and Europe.
Hotels, motels, and other available rooms for rent fill up very quickly during the days leading up to Høstfest, with all lodging accommodations in the city approaching 100% at peak occupancy, making it extremely difficult for one to find a suitable vacant room without having had a reservation arranged in advance.
Additional sources
- Olson, Lori and Olson, Jim Norsk Hostfest: Heritage Comes Alive (Farcountry Press . Helena, Mt. July 1995)