History behind Hoyma

HOYMA takes place in Southern Gøta (Syðrugøta), home of G! Festival. Put very briefly HOYMA is about concerts in people's homes.

20 concerts by 10 different artists take place in the livingroom in 10 different family homes in Syðrugøta. 2 concerts in each venue. Mostly everything is unplugged and there are no sound or lighting systems used.

Jón Tyril, who started HOYMA on behalf of the G! Foundation says:

“The idea for this event started growing already in 2007, after G! Festival went bust that year. I was exhausted from struggling with the big machinery behind the music festival: All the budgeting, sound and light systems, stages, security and so on. All this machinery that also creates a huge distance between the performer and the audience. I realised that many of my most powerful musical experiences had been in small and humble circumstances.
My drive to make something small and authentic became stronger and stronger. I wanted to get back to basics. To cut away the distance between the audience and the performer and establish an as powerful connection as possible between the two.

What better way to do this than to get rid of the technology and set the stage right in the home of the audience? The working title of the event was initially Anti Festival, but it has developed first to Heimafestival (Home Festival) and then to the final brand name HOYMA which is a derivation from the Faroese word for home “heima”, but spelled phonetically according to how it is pronounced in the local Göta dialect.”

According to Jón HOYMA combines two important elements of Faroese culture. The concept of húsagonga, where you go from house to house to visit each other on special occasions, and utilizing the living room that was central to the preservation and creation of the Faroese language, storytelling and singing traditions for centuries, when the Faroese language and culture was not officially appreciated by the authorities.