EUROPEAN FESTIVALS – ØYA
ØYA FESTIVAL’ S NEW CEO LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
( Pål Bellis)
On the back of a year that saw Norway’ s Øya Festival on the receiving end of boycotts and protests, its new CEO Henry Leeves discusses how he is developing the event’ s delivery while building resilience against attacks on its democratic values.
The 20,000-capacity Øya Festival has, since it was founded in 1999, grown to become something of an institution in Norway, and a cornerstone of the European festival industry.
Øya has won countless awards for its sustainability efforts, and has a long history of providing a platform for free speech. However, last year its team found themselves facing a series of protests and boycotts.
The Oslo-based event was bought by Superstruct Entertainment in 2018, which was acquired by KKR in 2024. Despite Superstruct making it clear it is run autonomously, KKR’ s links to Israel led to many Superstruct-owned festivals, including Øya, facing pressure from pro-Palestine groups last year.
Having taken over as Øya’ s CEO in October, Henry Leeves is focused on taking the event forward, while learning from the past. Among his plans are to diversify the entertainment offering, invest in creative stage designs and enhance sustainability efforts.
You were appointed CEO in October, having originally started out as a volunteer at the event. It must be satisfying to have come full circle?
Yes, it really is. I started out volunteering at Øya years ago, so to come back in this role feels very good. I have a strong connection to the organisation and the people behind it. Back in 2001 – 2002 the festival was already well established in Norway. It was well known as somewhere you could see new music that you wouldn’ t see elsewhere. We didn’ t travel internationally in the same way back then, so having that access here was
Henry Leeves
special. Øya was never about the biggest names, it was about the complete programme, and that’ s remained central.
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