King Harald and Queen Sonja attend folk festival

King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway visited the municipality of Beiarn in Nordland, where a folk festival was held in Moldjord.

A large crowd at the old school in Moldjord greeted the King and Queen.

Mayor André Kristoffersen welcomed everyone before Bjørnar Brændmo gave a speech about Beiarn as a local community and the importance of the Beiarelva River. The local Youth Council was represented by Sadaf Thorakil and Lenya Naz Farhad Abdulrahaman, who spoke about their experiences growing up in the municipality. 

Photo: Ola Vatn / The Royal Court

There were performances from children and young people.

In a speech, Queen Sonja said, “Thank you very much for the wonderful welcome the King and I have received from you here in Beiarn. Thank you also for the kind words, the dancing, and the music – not least from the women’s choir Korintaran! I have been really looking forward to showing my husband this beautiful place, because I have been here before, in the rain in 2013. That time I arrived by boat, and I will come back to that soon.”

She later added, “When we visit municipalities in Norway, it is places like Beiarn that remind us of how diverse and rich our country is. Because we are truly impressed by everything that happens in you – and in other smaller municipalities. I know about your commitment to local food, and it is impressive what you have achieved in cheesemaking, lefse baking, potato growing, mustard making, and probably more. But also in tourism and innovation – for example, in health technology – the innovation is admirable. It creates jobs, hope for the future and well-being!”