Happy Food in the Colour Street

This was how it looked in Colour Street during the Gladmat festival last year. Truly a carnival atmosphere! Photo: Cirkus

Happy Food (GladMat) in the Colour Street in Stavanger

This is how this year’s GladMat (Happy Food) will be in the Colour Street: We guarantee a fantastic party!

 

Why travel to forest fires around ‘the Med’ when you can stay in Stavanger?

– Last year was a big success, so we really only take what we did last year and build on that to make it even better, says the ‘Godfather of the Colour Street’ and shareholder in Hanekam, Tom Ur Kjørsvik.

– We will make the street even more vibrant than last year, which was amazing. If the sun shines we guarantee a fantastic party; In fact it will be no matter what!

The four serving places: Hanekam, Circus, Fri Bar and Books & Børst come together to create an incredible party in the Øvre Holmegate – aka the Colour Street (Fargegata) – during this year’s GladMat festival, from July 19 to 22.

It was only last year that GladMat spread to Fargegata, because some of the serving places came together to supply good music and food, in collaboration with the main festival.

The result was a carnival atmosphere in Stavanger, and it was immediately tempting to repeat. We can understand why, because this is more or less how it looked like last year.

Hunting for chili eaters

Today it is ready for a new round with Happy Food – Colour Street style. This year, as last year, DJ’s and music is out in the street every single night. The goal is for the cobblestone to be transformed into one large dance floor.

On Wednesday, Doc Lello and DJ Jazzface invite to dance. On Thursday Doc Lello, Chris Luck and Ingemar Sax are in store. On Friday Doc Lello, Jeremaya Drums, Ingemar Sax and Sumix will do their stuff. Last but not least, on the final day: Doc Lello, DJ Prince, Jeremaya Drums and Sumix will make you rock. Books & Børst will have DJ William scratching vinyl indoors on Saturday.

– On Wednesday we set up a Renaa restaurant table – a long table in the middle of the street. We promise a unique experience for the lucky few, says Ur Kjørsvik.

– We also boast a round of ‘Chili Klaus’ on Friday, but this time out in the street instead of inside our own backyard. That way, he becomes more visible to everyone. Chili Klaus has made a living of offering and selling various chilies to unsuspecting(?) people.

Unique GladMat dishes

– Will there be hot dogs sold this year as well?

– Last year, there were many who got it wrong, and thought that we only sold hot dogs in the street. But we have our own Gladmat dishes we sell inside; just walk inside and ask for the GladMat dish, says Ur Kjørsvik.

– With regard to sausages, there will be a couple of breweries present in the street, and they will probably offer some food to go with the beer. Both Ægir and 7 Fjell attend.

At Hanekam, a dessert is sold consisting of caramelized popcorn, apple cream and this, that & sundry (Tom’s words), the signature dish is made by chef Morten Hagen.

Cirkus follows up with beer-steamed mussels out in the street between 3 and 7 pm every day (steamed using Lervig’s Lucky Jack Grapefruit), alongside a unique GladMat dish signed Sjokoladepiken (Chocolate Girl): Ice cream! Yummi! Yummi!

Bøker & Børst. Their GladMat dish is a Guinness-chili-chocolate cake with peanut cream – a established classic on their menu, which they sell and serve every day. This is made by their two regular bakers, Unni and Solveig

– Additionally, we will collaborate with the ‘Austmann’ craftsman brewery from Trondheim, in the form of, among other things, a presentation of a series of canned beers, says Tom H. Brekke – who, together with his wife, owns and operates Bøker & Børst (Books & Beverage) in Fargegata.

Fri Bar has no events and had as of last week not yet decided on what their GladMat dish is to be.

Extended outdoor serving

If you were at Colour Street during the GladMat Festival last year, you know from experience that there were many others who did. We are talking about packed to the brim.

Both Hanekam and Circus expand their outdoor seating to accommodate more people

– We will have a beer garden across the street from us, opposite the Seventh Heaven store. Last year there were as many as could be crammed in – it’s hard to say how many people actually visited – but there were a lot, says CEO at Circus, Marta Leivdal, adding:

– Last year, enough people were taken by surprise by the whole arrangement – it was a brand new experience for those who passed by the Colour street. This year, expectations are high, so they become more difficult to meet. But I hope for the same Oomph! this year as last year!

As most visitors to Norway are already aware, the when and where of enjoying beverages containing alcohol is very much restricted.

Increased control

– Now we spend our time preparing for Gladmat. There will be a little increase in security this year, in order to achieve better control. People behaved pretty nicely last year, but once they get a beer in their hand, they want to jump into the street and dance, then they are not allowed to bring their beer along, according to Norwegian law.

– Is GladMat in the Colour street here to stay?

– We really want to continue, and maybe even expand the content eventually, he says, adding:

– Those who want to experience the Colour Street at its very best must definitely visit this week.

 

© Byas.no / Norway Today