Sommarøy is an island with about 300 inhabitants located roughly fifty kilometers west of Tromsø. This small territory had made headlines in 2019 by declaring its aim to become the world’s first “time-free” zone. The proposal would apply only to the 69 summer days, from May 18 to July 26, during which the sun never sets on the island.
Even though a petition had even been submitted to a Norwegian parliamentarian, this operation turned out to be a campaign orchestrated by Innovation Norway, the government agency responsible for promoting tourism in the country. Its director had also been forced to issue public apologies, recalls the BBC which decided to travel to the island, seven years after “the affair”.
Sommarøy: a life that naturally frees itself from time
Although this story was merely a tourism campaign, the idea retains a part of truth, as our British colleagues observed on the ground. Many travelers are impressed by this life that is almost 100% daylight. “I went swimming at midnight yesterday, the sun was out and I would never have guessed what time it was if I hadn’t had a watch”, a Dutch tourist told the BBC.
The island does anchor itself in reality since businesses indeed have opening hours. “Restaurants and shops closed at the advertised times”, explains a Polish tourist, who nevertheless concedes that the question of time seems to matter less here.
A “bad buzz” that ultimately paid off
The “controversy” surrounding this fake campaign nonetheless managed to have an effect. “Now the world knows Sommarøy”, confides a hotel employee to the BBC who explains that the idea remains amusing. All the more so since in the summer, the inhabitants already live as they see fit according to this source.
If the clocks have not disappeared from the island, visitors can come to admire the colorful houses on stilts, typical Norwegian architecture, perched above small ports in the wild waters of the North Atlantic.
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