Annual Sheep Festival in Sirdal, Norway
If you are ever in the Stavanger area in early September, there is an annual event in Sirdal you don’t want to miss. It’s when the sheep farmers meet to round up the flocks and transport them either to the market or their winter quarters. In the summer months there are over 50 000 sheep roaming around and grazing in higher Sirdal. It is a very large area, and it takes several days of hard work for the men and their dogs to gather all the sheep and force them down to the lowlands. The sheep pens are situated in a place called Kvaeven and the first flocks start to arrive on Friday evening. It really is an incredible scene to see these thousands of animals being driven along an ordinary road by men and dogs. Sometimes you see some of the dogs taking short cuts over the backs of the sheep after hearing whistle commands from their owners. People travel from far and wide to witness this amazing spectacle. Whole families gather together with their friends to have fun and party in the evenings. There are of course long delays and sometimes they even close the roads in the daytime. On the Friday evening there are artists performing, music and dancing, and the party is in full swing. The festival on Saturday is the busiest; with an estimated 6000 people expected every year. It is always a good idea to use the buses on the Saturday. My Son-in-law owns his own transport and this festival is his busiest time of the year. He shuttles the sheep continuously for the whole weekend, Friday to Sunday, along with many other trucks. It is held in the beginning of September from Friday to Sunday
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