After launching with the news that their Wednesday night headliner will be Chappell Roan, Oslo’s Øya Festival now amplifies expectations for its 2025 event with the announcement of a host of new names led by headliners Charli xcx (Thursday), Queens of the Stone Age (Friday) and girl in red (Saturday).
There’s surely no artist more of the moment than Charli xcx, who will be bringing her inimitable ‘Brat’ summer flavour to Tøyenparken. Powered by hits like ‘Guess’, ‘Apple’ and ‘360’, ‘Brat’ became a UK #1 and a global smash hit on its way to becoming the most influential album of 2024. Its renown will roll into 2025 as Charli xcx competes for a staggering seven Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year. And Øya fans are in for something special, with her current UK arena tour being hailed by The Guardian as, “a joyful arena show that feels more like a warehouse rave.”
Friday night then brings a different flavour with the consistently excellent Queens of the Stone Age, who make a long-awaited return to Øya after having to cancel last year’s set to illness. The QOTSA live experience is rock at its best: a tight, accomplished and high energy band, led by the indisputable rock star charisma of Josh Homme. And their back catalogue is packed with classics: ‘Go With The Flow’, ‘No One Knows’, ‘A Song For The Dead’, ‘Feel Good Hit Of The Summer’, ‘Make It Wit Chu’ and many more.
Saturday will be a particularly special moment for Øya as long-term friend girl in red steps up to headliner status. The now-global alt-pop star made her festival debut on the tiny Biblioteket stage back in 2018 before returning in 2019, and then performing to a huge crowd in 2022. Now armed with two international hit albums and numerous fan favourites like ‘we fell in love in october’, ‘i wanna be your girlfriend’ and ‘Serotonin’, she follows in the footsteps of fellow Norwegian big hitters Sigrid and AURORA in bringing down the curtain on Øya’s final day.
Elsewhere, the line-up is bolstered by an array of diverse talents. Montell Fish has been on the rise for a while but excitement is mounting following his recent album ‘CHARLOTTE’, which has inspired comparisons with the legendary Prince. Ireland is represented by a triple-threat of artists: Fontaines D.C., whose ‘Romance’ record is hitting numerous album of the year lists; Kneecap, whose attention-grabbing hip-hop attack is complemented by big screen acclaim; and The Mary Wallopers, whose blend of Irish trad and punk energy creates a famously raucous live show. This wave of artists is completed by Nilüfer Yanya, whose career-wide acclaim continued with her latest album ‘My Method Actor’.
Expect news of further artists for Øya 2025 to be announced in the coming weeks.
While many festivals are located far outside of a major city, you can reach Øya from the centre of Oslo in just 10 minutes: 98% of attendees arrive either by public transport or by walking or cycling to Tøyenparken. The location complements the festival’s sustainable ethos which have been acknowledged with wins at the European Festival Awards and A Greener Festival Awards. Examples of its environmentally responsible practices include running the event entirely free of fossil fuels, using renewable power for 98% of its requirements, and hand-sorting waste to ensure that 75% of it can be recycled.
TIckets for Øya 2025 are available HERE. As ever, it provides strong value for money in comparison to the UK’s leading festivals.
