Dalhalla Invests in New Robe iFORTE Moving Lights

	Photo: Bino Rindestig, Erik Larsson, Gavle Symfoniorkester

Dalhalla, an open-air amphitheatre set in the former Draggangarna limestone quarry in central Sweden, is popular for its summer seasons featuring a range of music and artists, including rock and pop, musicals, and sometimes opera performances.

The venue invested in 20 new Robe iFORTE moving lights, delivered for its 2025 season, which has just concluded.

The new iFORTES have replaced 18 Robe MMX Spots that had been in service since 2012. These are now redeployed in another venue operated by Dalhalla's management company, Rättvik Event, in nearby Falun, which runs for the winter season.

Dalhalla still has 12 of Robe's first generation of LED theatre luminaires, DLS Profiles, on the front truss of its main house rig of nearly 200 fixtures, which were purchased in 2014. Earlier, the venue employed other Robe products, such as ColorSpot 2500s, ColorWash 1200s, and LEDWash 600s, now installed in a local hockey arena; a small club venue is also stocked. Robe ColorWash 250s.

Anders "Hebbe" Herbertzon, Dalhalla's head of technical, says, "We just know that Robe works and goes on working, so that's a very good start for any investment; you know that they will be long-term and very stable."

Last year and in 2023, Dalhalla rented iFORTES, mainly to illuminate the environment -- the dramatic sheer 60m drop quarry walls and its turquoise base lake -- for specific shows. The venue is 400m long and 175m wide.

Having seen them in action, Hertbertzon and the team appreciated the fixtures' performance. "We needed bright, versatile, robust, IP-rated fixtures and iFORTE ticked all the boxes," he says. They consulted various visiting lighting designers before making the final decision, and "iFORTE just kept coming up repeatedly in conversations, Herbertzon says. ""iFORTE was a clear choice."

Brightness was top of the list. Dalhalla's current roof was installed in 2009 and provides a decent amount of shade during the daylight, so onstage illumination is important for all productions. The sun sets around 11pm for most of the summer months, so effectively the whole season is "daylight" shows.

The new iFORTES were delivered to Dalhalla by Robe's Swedish distributor, Bellalite, who are always on hand to offer support and backup if needed.

So far, the new iFORTES have been used as part of the upstage house lighting system, which is used by most artists playing Dalhalla. If needed to light the quarry, they can be de-rigged and repositioned to illuminate the vast limestone walls.

Technical production for all Dalhalla concerts is coordinated by a team of eight, led by Herbertzon; since 2022, the technical equipment has been fully owned by the venue.

The 4,800-6,500 capacity venue -- depending on standing/seating configuration -- is renowned for its acoustics as well as the stunning natural setting. It is located about 4.5 miles north of Lake Siljan and Ritvik in Sweden's Dalarna region. The quarry ceased limestone mining operations in 1990, and its conversion into an event space started in 1994, a passion project driven by the late opera singer and cultural visionary, Margareta Dellefors, who died last year at 98.