High Voltage Rockfest no longer exists. The planned first edition was cancelled before it ever took place, and the company behind the festival subsequently went bankrupt.
High Voltage Rockfest was announced as a new two-day indoor rock festival at Vestlandshallen in Åsane, Bergen, scheduled for 4–5 September 2026. The name was inspired by AC/DC’s “High Voltage”, and the programme was built primarily around hard rock and heavy guitar music. Airbourne, D-A-D, Leprous, Brian Downey’s Alive and Dangerous, Eclipse, Frog Leap, Bokassa, Pil & Bue, Sleggefett, Electric High, Kardang and Morax were among the bands announced for the first edition.
Only five days before the festival was due to begin, the organisers announced that it would not go ahead as planned. King Harald V had died on 28 August 2026, and High Voltage claimed that the resulting national situation had caused ticket sales to almost completely stop. Festival director Geir Carlsen declined to reveal how many tickets had actually been sold, while maintaining that sales had been progressing well until the King’s death.
The explanation was met with considerable scepticism, including from musicians booked to perform. After High Voltage Live collapsed, Leprous drummer Baard Kolstad publicly attacked the organisers’ version of events and described it as “pure lie”. The reaction was particularly damaging because Leprous had been one of the main Norwegian names on the bill.
The handling of ticket refunds created further anger. High Voltage initially described the festival as postponed and said work would begin immediately on finding a new date. Ticket holders nevertheless began asking for their money back, and the Norwegian Consumer Council stated that customers were entitled to refunds. Before the situation could be resolved, High Voltage Live announced that it would file for bankruptcy. Bankruptcy proceedings were opened on 21 September 2026, less than three weeks after the festival should have taken place.
The financial collapse was substantial for such a short-lived operation. Around NOK 2 million worth of festival tickets had been sold, while the bankruptcy estate was reported to have debts of at least NOK 2.5 million and only around NOK 400,000 available. A sound and lighting supplier alone reportedly faced a loss of around NOK 1 million. Many ticket buyers were consequently left trying to recover money from a company that no longer had sufficient funds to meet all of its obligations.
The festival had also received NOK 500,000 in financial support from a bank, adding to the criticism when the project collapsed without staging a single edition.
Festival director Geir Carlsen was already a familiar name in Bergen nightlife before High Voltage. He had previously operated strip clubs in the city, including Dreams Showbar and later After Dark, before becoming involved with festivals and other events. His strip-club businesses had themselves attracted considerable public and political attention during their years of operation.
Only a few months before the planned festival, the organisers had spoken publicly about developing High Voltage over several years and even suggested that it might eventually challenge Tons of Rock. Instead, High Voltage Rockfest disappeared before a single band reached the stage. What was promoted as the beginning of a new Bergen rock festival ultimately became a story of a last-minute cancellation, angry artists, frustrated ticket holders and the bankruptcy of its organiser.
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