The Bjørnson Festival aims to promote interest in literature and writing. The festival was established in 1992 as the first Norwegian literature festival. The Festival is one of the most important literary festivals in the country and takes its name from Norway's first Nobel laureate in literature, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. The festival has an international profile and aims to give Norway an international literary event of high quality. In Bjørnson´s spirit: The events programmed during the festival are based on a variety of differening issues and topic, although Bjørnson's great community involvement and continual struggle for freedom of expression and other human rights are an essential basis for the programme profile and identity of the event.

The festival is held every year in August / September, with about 100 writers, speakers and other guests contributing to the program. The great efforts put in by all the volunteers are essential for creating a successful festival experience for the audience and artists.