Public spending at Arendalsuka sparks criticism over Oslo move

Public spending on Arendalsuka, an annual political and civic festival in Arendal, is facing criticism after state agencies reportedly spent at least 20 million kroner on participating last year, NRK reports.

Politicians, businesses, organisations and public bodies gather in the southern Norwegian town each August for debates, networking and meetings. But Labour Party MP Hashim Abdi from Østfold said the spending was excessive.

“It is moving Oslo to Arendal. At times, I think it is questionable how much money is spent to get five minutes with a politician,” he said.

Support from the Conservatives

Abdi’s criticism is supported by Conservative MP Anna Molberg, who believes Arendalsuka has grown too large.

“It is a bubble you live in for almost a whole week. You might ask yourself: What do we get out of it? Especially when it is growing so much in scale,” she said.

Molberg questioned why so many state agencies spend money trying to influence politicians during the event.

“It is a bit like the state influencing the state in Arendal during this particular week,” she said.

She said the reported 20 million kroner in public spending should prompt questions, arguing that politicians should be available to people, businesses and agencies throughout the year.

“Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, not just during Arendalsuka,” she said.

Molberg is nevertheless taking part in the event herself. She said she would spend two days in Arendal, participate in several debates, discuss Conservative policies and seek to be visible.

Sarpsborg mayor defends participation

Sarpsborg Mayor Magnus Arnesen, a Conservative, disagreed with the criticism. He said he was in Arendal to promote issues important to Sarpsborg.

Arnesen said the event gave the municipality unusual access to decision-makers because so many people gathered in one place.

“I have experienced the reach you get here in Arendal, where almost everyone is gathered. It is quite enormous, so I think there is something efficient about it,” he said.

He said the alternative would involve many more journeys to Oslo.

“I think I would have been sitting on the train to Oslo every single day. I cannot do that. I think it is efficient if you have the right approach to Arendalsuka,” he said.

Arendal says event breaks even

Arendal Municipality was listed with 3.5 million kroner in Arendalsuka expenses in figures reported by Altinget. Municipal chief executive Karl Mork said that figure gave a misleading picture of the municipality’s finances.

“That is not correct. We are open about our income and expenses. In 2025, we had expenses of around 13 million kroner and income of around 13 million kroner. So for the municipality, Arendalsuka breaks even,” Mork said.

The municipality is now seeking a 3.5 million kroner grant from the state.

Mork said the event was an important meeting place with national importance and relevance. He described it as Norway’s national democracy festival and the country’s largest and most important meeting place for businesses, politicians and organisations.

He also said Arendalsuka was run efficiently compared with similar events in Sweden and Denmark.

“In an unsettled world, this is more important than ever. We can look to countries such as the United States, where trust in politicians and institutions is breaking down. In Norway, we have very high levels of trust, but we cannot take that for granted,” Mork said.

“This meeting place is not only important, it is absolutely necessary.”

Figures published by Altinget this year showed that several public bodies spent more than one million kroner on participation in 2025. The listed amounts included 1.17 million kroner for the University of Agder, 1.07 million kroner for the University of South-Eastern Norway, 830,000 kroner for the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and 816,000 kroner for the University of Bergen.