A thriving domestic scene has helped AEG Presents’ nascent Norway office come flying out of the blocks, according to boss Peer Osmundsvaag.
The veteran promoter heads up the company’s Oslo operation, which currently has arena shows on sale with Norwegian rock band Highasakite, as well as British singer-songwriter Tom Odell and American punk band Dropkick Murphys – as well as Red Clay Strays at Sentrum Scene – with much more to come.
Highasakite will perform their biggest headline date yet at the capital’s Unity Arena (cap. 25,000) on 27 September, with Dropkick Murphys booked for 20 October and Odell performing at the venue on 7 November.
“Highasakite have done about 12,000 tickets at the moment, so the domestic market is really strong,” Osmundsvaag tells IQ. “Tom Odell tickets are also flying out – it’s taken people by surprise – so that’s been fantastic. I’ve hopefully got a lot more to announce over the summer and straight after the summer so it’s going to be busy, busy, busy.”
Osmundsvaag began his career in 1989 as a DJ and party promoter before switching to promoting and founding booking agency Atomic Soul in Norway in 2001.
He has brought international artists such as Eminem, Prince, Robbie Williams, Justin Bieber, Rammstein and Lana Del Rey to Norway down the years, and was also a founding partner of All Things Live, serving a five-year-stint with the Nordic live entertainment giant prior to returning to independence in 2024.
Osmundsvaag, who first partnered with AEG back in 2006, speaks glowingly of its Norway setup, which he has led since March this year.
“PiPFest sold out on the Friday with a completely domestic lineup”
“There’s help, assistance, there’s advice, there’s resources, there’s a whole heap of things,” he says. “Although I’m quite self-sufficient, it’s good to have people you really enjoy working with, who you trust and are there to help if needed. The team is coming together beautifully. Obviously, it takes time to build the right team, and I’d rather spend a little longer getting the right people than rushing and not making the right choices.”
Osmundsvaag, who says the office will also serve as a domestic booking agency, continues: “I feel honoured to be amongst this crowd doing what I’m doing. The energy is amazing and I feel very psyched about it. I only wish I’d done it earlier, but better late than never. It feels really good to have proper discussions about the craftsmanship of what we do, and not just the end results.”
Last weekend saw the latest edition of Osmundsvaag’s Piknik i Parken, aka PiPFest, featuring acts including Faithless, Aurora, Leftfield, Susanne Sundfor, Marstein and Maribou State in Oslo’s Sofienberg Park. The 8,000-cap event’s stellar sales vindicated the promoter’s decision to cut ticket prices by 20% for this year’s edition.
“We sold out on the Friday with a completely domestic lineup – it was just Norwegian bands – and the Saturday was all but sold out, too,” he says. “I think I’ve found a good balance now in my ambition in terms of international and domestic acts. And we had fantastic weather, which made it an even more pleasant event, although Norwegians are pretty waterproof!
“We sold more tickets ahead of time and everything was better than it had ever been. The faster the tickets sell, the faster you reach the thresholds where you need to increase the ticket prices, because we do that twice throughout the sales cycle.”
Tickets have already gone on sale for PiPFest 2026 (11-13 June), with early bird three-day passes priced kr1,560 (€135).
“I’ve already got some solid offers in, so I’m way ahead in the game,” says Osmundsvaag. “If you know what you want to book, just go for it, there’s no point waiting.”
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