Last week I visited the tiny Arctic settlement of Longyearbyen. The town of about 2,000 people is the largest settlement in Svalbard, a Norwegian territory. It so happens that this place is the northernmost human settlement on Earth, just 1,300 km short of the North Pole. So what could possibly interest an event photographer to spend a week in sub-zero temperatures in a tiny town wedged between a glacier and frozen ocean?

Well, plenty…like this:

Things are much more colourful indoors…

And this:

And this:

It’s called Dark Season Blues, and it’s been going for 14 years. The festival is held during the last week Longyearbyen sees sunlight before it slips into the polar night for four months.

The festival showcases diverse blues artists from around the world who play in an eclectic group of venues, such as:

The festival was a great time for locals and visitors alike:

 

It’s a great excuse for one last night out, before for four months…it’ll always be night.

To see photos from the concerts, visit my Dark Season Blues 2014 gallery.