A Norwegian Island wants to be the World’s first Time-Free zone

Sommarøy, an island in Norway, wants to become the world’s first time-free zone. On Sommarøy, the sun doesn’t set for 69 days in the summer.

Residents argue that normal business hours should not apply to them because they don’t experience time like the rest of the world.

Kjell Ove Hveding, the leader of the campaign, says “you can spot children playing soccer, people painting their houses or mowing their lawns, and teens going for a swim” at 02.00 AM.

The Norwegian island is campaigning to get rid of the concept of time, allowing residents to do “what we want when we want.”

Citizens of Sommaroy in West Tromso, north of the Arctic Circle, argue that normal business hours should not apply to them because they do not experience time like the majority of the rest of the world.

The sun doesn’t rise in winter or set in summer on Sommaroy, leading most of the island’s 300 residents to back a bid for it to become the world’s first time-free zone.

Kjell Ove Hveding, said the aim is to provide flexibility. “All over the world, people are characterized by stress and depression,” he told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

In many cases, this can be linked to the feeling of being trapped, and here the clock plays a role. We will be a time-free zone where everyone can live their lives to the fullest.

Between May 18 and July 26 the sun doesn’t set on Sommaroy for a full 60 days, making it difficult to differentiate between night and day. It’s symbolized by the bridge from the mainland to the island, which is covered in discarded watches and timepieces.

According to Hveding, the move to abolish time would just be formalizing something that happens already.

The campaign gained international attention after Hveding publicly handed a petition to local MP Kent Gudmundsen in June to discuss the practicalities and challenges of implementing it going forward.

Business Insider / ABC Flash Point News 2019.