UKA i Ås during the 2000’s:
The UKEbook, MICROrevue and miniUKA
UKA 2000 is in itself worth noticing as an anniversaryUKE, as this was the 40th time UKA in Ås broke loose! Thanks to the UKEboss2000, Sigmund Bjørgo, and the rest of the UKEboard2000, the UKEbook about all the studentUKEs from 1924-2000 was published. This year would also have effects right up until this year's UKA 2024, in the form of starting new traditions that have influenced and added new events and festivities to the festival.
For you who have read about UKA i Ås’ origin as a festival, you probably remember that the UKErevue was the start of this adventure. In connection to this, the MICROrevue “Pøbelhav revy” was started during UKA 2000, which focused on being a miniature revue, shown to the comitee leaders so the revue groups could test themselves and warm up before the UKErevue 2000 “Midt i Maneten”. The concept with a UKErevue in miniature was continued in 2002, when UKA came to Ås once again. At the same time, UKA i Ås’ 2000’s MICROrevue was transformed to the larger concept Midt-UKA, mid-way to UKA i Ås, that also embraced UKA’s spirit for volunteering in the form of a miniature-renovation and cleaning of Samfunnet before UKA i Ås with “dUKAnadstyre”.
UKA i Ås 2002 set up the revue “Må ikke tildekkes”, and it had many musical features to offer, including Ole Paus, Gatas Parlament and Gåte who has become better known after they represented Norway in Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Midt-UKA also held its own in UKA i Ås 2004, with renovation and preparations before the festival and the revue “Stilig før stormen”. In the period 2000-2004, midt-UKA stayed pretty closed off for students outside of the UKEcircus. This changed in 2006 when the UKEchild got renamed to the well-known miniUKA. The rebrand was intentional, because the UKEboard wanted miniUKA to be a bigger test of the different departments of UKA, with both a concept and a miniUKErevue to create greater attention and engagement around the festival by recruiting new volunteers, but first and foremost give a little taste of what UKA had to offer of revues, concerts and as a festival concept.
UKA i Ås 2008 took over the miniUKA-baton and carried the concept from UKA i Ås 2006, with spring cleaning, concerts and a miniUKErevue to the catchphrase “Alt er mulig”. UKA i Ås 2008 went off the rails with the UKErevue “Why so SeriÅs?”, and booked among others, the band Valkyrien Allstars. This period of UKA i Ås’ history appears as a development of the festival in miniature, where miniUKA originally centered around a revue, and has developed to contain so much more today. Therefore, one can say that both UKA i Ås and miniUKA originated from the tradition of revues in Ås.