Odderøya's Friends was founded on December 30, 1995. Then the defense withdrew from the island and it was taken over by the municipality.

The association now has almost 1,000 members and is one of the largest voluntary organizations in Agder.

Our goal is to convey Odderøya's military history and to preserve the island as a recreational area for the city's population. We preserve and restore historical monuments. We work to increase the population's knowledge of the island's uniqueness through events, tours, lectures and the publication of written material.

Every year we mark April 9, 1940 and honor the fallen. We also organize Odderøyadagen on the first Sunday in June.

In 2013, the Friends of Odderøya received the Kristiansand Municipality Volunteer Award for the work we do. In recent years, we have received several grants to support our projects.

The café at Søndre battery is our largest source of income. It is a popular destination on Sundays for the city's residents and visitors. Renting out Østre barrack, Lavvoen and the café is also a welcome source of income.

Our volunteer team makes a fantastic effort all year round and ensures that the island appears as an attractive hiking area. In collaboration with the Parks Service, they carry out many important missions.

Odderøya's friends are represented on the Operations Committee of Kristiansand Municipality and in the Cultural History Group. We also collaborate with the Vest-Agder Museum on several projects.

Steinar Ose has been the leader of Odderøyas venner for 15 years and has a competent board of directors with him in the important work Odderøyas venner carries out.