The first festival that started on 1 June 1953, exactly 55 years after its predecessor and source of inspiration, the first music festival in Norway Edvard Grieg's Bergen Music Festival starting on the 26 June 1898. The model was the Salzburg Festival, and the initiative came partly from opera singer Fanny Elstad.
The inaugural celebration took place on June 1, 1953, mirroring the timing of its precursor, Norway's first music festival, Edvard Grieg's Bergen Music Festival, which started on June 26, 1898. The model was the renowned Salzburg Festival, and the concept was spearheaded by opera singer Fanny Elstad.