Gimlehallen

The Gimlehallen is an indoor arena in Kristiansand that does not confine itself to a single sport. It opened in 1975 and sits in the Gimle neighbourhood. Kristiansand IF call it home for their handball, and while the men’s team competes in the Eliteserien , the gym also serves as a venue for basketball and athletics.

The hall was the stage for a defining moment in local sport. On 21 December 1980, the handball final for the King’s Cup took place here. KIF beat Refstad IL 20–18 to claim their only title of that name. The crowd for that match was reportedly around 5,000.

Beyond sport, the arena has hosted concerts, including a performance by a-ha in 1987 during their World Tour 86/87 . There is a shooting range in the basement, managed by Kristiansand Pistolskyttere , which adds another layer to the building’s purpose. It does not have a standalone website; information is routed through the municipality’s general pages for sports facilities.

The playing surface is a standard sports floor, designed to handle the demands of handball, basketball and gymnastics. It is a multi-purpose hall that has seen different events over the decades, from major finals to local games, without undergoing any official renaming.