The Quart Festival was an annual popular music festival that took place in Kristiansand, Norway in the beginning of July, from 1991 to 2008. It was the most visited music festival in Norway.
It was first named Qvadradurmusivalen in 1991, but changed into the more ear-catching Quart Festival the following year. For several years Quart was the largest music festival in Norway, but went bankrupt in 2008 in part due to tough competition from the Hovefestivalen in Arendal and some Oslo-based festivals.
Scandals
There have been some scandals during the years.
A local band Flying Crap fired a shotgun from the stage in 1995.
Eight musicians from hiphop group Equicez were arrested for drug offences in 2003.
Kristopher Schau attached an engine to a dead pig and used it as a boat in 2003.
Two persons from rainforest charity group Fuck For Forest had live sex on stage during a concert with The Cumshots in 2004.
2008 cancelling and bankruptcy
On the evening of 6 June, citing low ticket sales (14,000 against a budget of 30,000), the festival management officially decided to cancel the 2008 festival (due to start on 1 July) and as well file the managing company for bankruptcy. Following the 2007 festival, the company had a deficiency of roughly 16 million kroner.
2009 – The festival returns
The Quart Festival was revived by one of the original organisers and was held on 30 June to 4 July 2009. Slash's performance was backed by Teddy Andreadis,[1]Jason Bonham, Chris Cheney, John 5 and Frankie Perez, and included guest performances from Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie Wood and Fergie.[2]
The festival was an economic disaster[3] with low attendances and slow revenues. The festival was by mid-September 2009 still not able to pay their employees and is now threatened by bankruptcy.
28 and 29 June 2016, the Quart Festival will be revived at Odderøya. The occasion is the 25th anniversary since the first festival. The organisers promise major Norwegian and International names.[4][5][needs update]