Lakselv (Kven Lemmijoki, North Sami Leavdnja is a town and
administration center in Porsanger municipality in Finnmark. The
town has 2,301 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020. Lakselv is located
in the innermost part of the Porsangerfjord. E6 runs through the
place, and from Lakselv county road 98 goes to Tana bridge.
Lakselv has a medium-sized airport, Lakselv Airport, Banak, with
daily connections to Tromsø operated by Widerøe, as well as charter
flights during the summer season. Here we also find the rescue
helicopter squadron at Banak airport. The squadron has two Sea King
helicopters stationed at Banak. The airport is located about 2.5
kilometers north of Lakselv center.
Lakselv has a large
selection of shops and goods compared to the population, and also
functions as a trading place for surrounding municipalities. Lakselv
is Finnmark's fourth largest trading place.
Lakselv also
houses the Finnmark property (FeFo), which was established on 1 July
2006. FeFo manages 96% of the land in Finnmark.
Leisure activities
In July, the Midnattsrocken festival is
held at Brennelvneset. The festival annually presents 20-25 national
and international artists, and gathers thousands of spectators. The
festival was held in the years 1984–1989 and after a break, the
festival was resumed in 2001. The festival is now one of the largest
music festivals in northern Norway.
The nature around Lakselv
has many opportunities for outdoor life. The salmon river flows
through the Lakselv valley and is known for large salmon. There are
also countless fishing lakes in the area around Lakselv.
Porsangerfjord Idrettspark is located in Lakselv, with a football
hall, sports hall, swimming pool, heating pool, climbing wall and
stadium for football and athletics.