‘Time-free’ island where sun doesn’t set for 69 days as kids have 2am kickabouts

Residents of a remote island where the sun doesn’t set for nearly a fifth of the year and kids can go for 2am kickabouts have spent years trying to become the world’s first time-free zone.

On Sommarøy, which sits north of the Arctic Circle in West Tromsø, Norway, the sun doesn't set for almost 70 days during the summer from May until the end of July.

The 70 days of sunlight comes after a bleak winter, where the sun doesn’t come up for three straight months.

The bizarre day-night cycles that the 300 residents of the island have to face every year have frustrated them, and they have been calling on Norway to allow them to be the world’s first time free zone.

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Resident Kjell Ove Hveding explains in a campaign video: "If you want to paint your house at '2am', it's OK, if we want to cut the grass at 'midnight' we will, if we want to take a swim at '4am' we will.

"For these 70 days time simply is no object to us, that's why we want to be officially recognised as the world's first time-free zone.”

The island residents have already begun leaving the conventional day-night structure behind, with many of its businesses, most of which are fishing or tourism, opening at bizarre hours.

Kjell told a broadcaster: "All over the world, people are characterised by stress and depression.

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"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."

However, not everyone on the island is as keen to change their lives so drastically.

Malin Nordheim, a receptionist at a hotel, also told the broadcaster: "It will be challenging with the guests in connection with check-in and check-out, opening hours at the bar and restaurant."

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