USF Verftet is a cultural centre and live music venue at Georgernes Verft 12 in Bergen, Norway. Established in its present form in 1993, it occupies a former industrial complex on the western side of the Nordnes peninsula, overlooking Puddefjorden. The centre includes several concert and performance spaces alongside artist studios, rehearsal rooms, offices, a cinema and an art gallery. Its largest concert hall, Røkeriet, has a standing capacity of around 1,250, while Sardinen holds approximately 450 and Studio USF up to 250. The programme covers a wide range of music and performing arts, including rock, metal, jazz, pop, experimental music, theatre and dance.

The history of the site dates back to 1784, when Georg Brunchorst and Georg Vedeler established a shipyard there. A large knitwear factory designed by architect Peter Andreas Blix was built in 1886, and the complex was later taken over for canning and sardine production by United Sardine Factories Ltd., the company that gave USF its name. The factory expanded considerably during the early 20th century, reaching around 15,000 square metres by 1915. Sardine production ended in 1983, and artists began moving into parts of the disused factory the following year. This gradually developed into a permanent cultural centre, with Stiftelsen Kulturhuset USF established to manage the site and dedicated stages and public areas opening in 1993.

Much of the old factory character has been retained throughout the complex. Røkeriet, whose name translates as “the smokehouse”, is the main concert room and features a balcony, several bars and a flexible standing floor. Other spaces include Sardinen, Studio USF, Hallen and Dikken, allowing several events to be held at the same time. The complex is also home to Cinemateket USF, the Visningsrommet gallery and a number of independent cultural organisations and creative businesses.

Rock and metal have long been part of USF Verftet’s concert programme. The venue was used by the Bergen extreme-metal festival Hole in the Sky, which ran from 2000 to 2011, and later became one of the main venues for Beyond the Gates. The festival continues to stage major concerts at USF, with artists such as Electric Wizard, Beherit, 1349, Warning and The Ruins of Beverast appearing there in 2026. Bergen’s own Enslaved has performed at USF on numerous occasions since the 1990s, while Mayhem played a retrospective set at the venue during Beyond the Gates in 2024. Alongside the festivals, USF regularly hosts individual rock and metal concerts and remains one of Bergen’s most important larger venues for heavy music.

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ADDRESS:
Georgernes Verft 12, 5011 Bergen, Norway

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