In 2019, Sommarøy made headlines around the world with claims that it aimed to become the first time-free zone. Seven years later, the BBC returned to this small fishing village in the Norwegian Arctic to revisit the campaign and life in a place where the sun does not set for more than two months.
Located about 56 kilometres west of Tromsø, the island was presented at the time as a community seeking to cast off the constraints of the clock. The initiative was linked to the unusual summer conditions, when the sun stays above the horizon for weeks and the distinction between day and night becomes unclear.
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As a symbol of the campaign, clocks were hung on a bridge near the island. A hotel owner also handed a petition to a member of the Norwegian parliament. The story spread widely, and Sommarøy was described as a place that wanted to live without relying on the clock.
But according to a BBC report published seven years later, the background to the campaign was more complicated. Many residents were surprised by the international attention and by the idea that life on the island could continue without any reference to time. Such a system would create practical difficulties for work, shop opening hours, schools and tourism services.
It later emerged that the campaign had been supported by Innovation Norway, the state agency responsible for promoting tourism and business. Some residents took part in the initiative, while others, according to reports, had not been informed. After the agency’s involvement came to light, its director publicly apologised.
The clocks were removed from the bridge and the campaign was discontinued. Even so, the story continued to draw visitors and prompt questions about the effect of constant daylight on people’s experience of time.
Sommarøy lies north of the Arctic Circle. The sun remains above the horizon from around May 18 to July 26, leaving no darkness at night. In winter, the opposite occurs: the sun does not rise for an extended period, and residents spend their days in darkness.
The BBC journalist travelled to the island to see first-hand how this phenomenon affects everyday life. From the outset, it was clear that the clock still mattered: the bus from Tromsø left at exactly 11:30, and anyone who missed it had to wait until the next day. The journey takes about one hour and 40 minutes, passing over bridges and alongside fjords and small settlements.
The trip ends in an Arctic landscape of colourful houses, small harbours and mountains where snow remains even in midsummer. Sommarøy has around 300 permanent residents, but the population grows in summer and at weekends, when Norwegians come to their holiday homes.
The island’s 2019 campaign also influenced some tourists’ decision to visit. Ewa Kaczynski, a visitor from Poland, went there after hearing about the initiative. She wanted to see the midnight sun and spend a few days away from the pressure of schedules.
At first, reality did not fully match her expectations: shops and restaurants closed at their usual times, while the hotel reception was not open all night. Kaczynski later switched off her mobile phone and tried to enjoy the island’s slower pace. She felt that simply not worrying constantly about the time was enough to experience her stay differently.
Dutch visitor Wouter De Wit also made the most of the uninterrupted daylight: he went for a swim at midnight while the sun was still high in the sky. He described the experience as incredible, although the water was very cold.
Residents, for their part, view the 2019 story with more reservations. The campaign brought the island to the world’s attention, but it also turned the community’s everyday life into a media spectacle.
A hotel employee who spoke anonymously to the BBC said that living without time was more a topic of discussion among residents than a concrete project. “In summer, we live outside time anyway,” he said, referring to the more relaxed pace of life. If there are no customers, a shopkeeper might close the shop to go fishing. Children might stay up late when they do not have school the next day and many families are on holiday.
He said the publicity initially led visitors to focus almost entirely on the claim that time would be abolished, rather than on the island’s ordinary life. Over the years, things settled down: residents returned to their routines, while the island’s fame continued to attract tourists.
To experience what it is like in a place where night does not bring darkness, the BBC journalist conducted an experiment during his stay. The island was so quiet that it seemed difficult to grasp the difference between time passing and time standing still.
He set his alarm for 03:30 and went for a walk. The streets were empty, there was no sound of traffic and residents were asleep as he headed towards the coast. Seagulls flew over the water and migratory birds moved through the shallows. The houses were silent, and signs of human activity were almost invisible.
In that quiet, the journalist was suddenly overcome by a feeling of euphoria. He could not tell whether it came from the unusual beauty of the landscape or from the sense that, for a few moments, he was free from the constraints of time.
Sommarøy did not become the world’s first time-free zone. The clock still determines bus departures, shop opening hours and other aspects of everyday life. But the island offers visitors the chance to slow down, switch off their phones and enjoy the day without constantly thinking that time is running out.
