Miniøya: A Child’s Paradise

By Jenna Herrick

Miniøya festival at Tøyenparken offers everything an adult could ask for on the weekend: food, music and live entertainment. However, there’s one catch: it’s for kids only.

Sure, kids are accompanied by their parents, but if adults arrive without a child under the age of 16, they won’t be allowed in.

An annual Oslo event, Miniøya is billed as the biggest children’s festival in Norway and prides itself on maintaining the same high standard of entertainment quality as festivals for grown-ups. The event is entirely child-oriented, and according to their website, even has children as festival managers.

The wide range of musical and cultural experiences was mirrored in the food vendors and entertainment. Hungry kids could choose from a wide array of food from sushi to burgers to grilled cheese and take part in activities such as mini tractor riding, karaoke, theater and skateboarding.

The festival had an extensive lineup of musical guests and performers, including headliners such as hip hop artist Hkeem and pop performer Sondre Lerche.  My personal favorite was the skateboard demo by prodigies Sky and Ocean Brown from Japan.

This year Miniøya’s theme was the ocean. Children were taught the importance of recycling to help save the ocean and given recycling tips. It was also a balloon-free festival to protect nature from lost balloons. Additionally, the festival bracelets each guest was required to wear were made from recycled plastic.

For more information about Miniøya, you can visit their website.