The top 10 music festivals in Denmark
Although a relatively small country of only 5.8 million, Denmark hosts an array of outstanding music festivals every year which put it on the European and world stage for the performing arts. In recent years, there has been an explosion of music festivals for every taste in Denmark, from rock, pop and heavy metal to jazz, blues and country music, meaning there is a smorgasbord of choice for festival connoiseurs like me.
I’ve looked at pop concerts in the secluded woods of Skanderborg, perused the quaint jazz bars of Copenhagen (via the epic crowds of Roskilde), and have put together my list of the best music festivals in Denmark.
Roskilde Festival
It had to be number one! Roskilde Festival is the largest music and arts festival in Europe. It's also one of the oldest, dating back to 1971.
Each year, 130, 000 visitors and 30, 000 volunteers descend on the 200 acres of fields outside of Roskilde (Image Credit: Roskilde Festival). The scenes of vast crowds and waving flags rival the biggest global music festivals.
Like its British counterpart Glastonbury Festival, Roskilde Festival began life as a festival for hippies but has broadened its reach to be a pop, rock and indie music festival, boasting 8 stages of live music to attract visitors from around the world to its week-long carnival of music.
Past acts in recent years have included Bob Dylan, Post Malone, Wu-Tang Clan, The Cure and The Rolling Stones.
In 2023, Roskilde Festival will run from Saturday 24 June until Saturday 1 July.
Get more info on the festival on the official Roskilde Festival site.
2. NorthSide
NorthSide Festival, sometimes just called NorthSide, is a three-day music festival held every year in Aarhus.
It has three stages hosting a range of artists and is a ‘must-do’ for any Aarhus resident (as I was for 4 years!). The first Northside began in 2010 and has continued to grow since then, attracted between 40 - 50, 000 every year (Image credit: Northside Festival).
In 2023, Northside Festival will run from 1st June to the 3rd June. Past headliners have included Tame Impala, Major Lazer, Bon Iver, The Streets and The Prodigy.
Get more info on the festival on the official Northside Festival site.
3. TinderBox
Tinderbox is one of Denmark’s largest music festivals. Located on Fynen near Odense, every year Tinderbox presents a star packed and broad lineup of international world artists, the best from the Danish music stage and electronic music, which blasts through the speakers on the explosive, electronic stage, Magicbox (Image credit: Tinderbox).
An immersive festival sight offers visitors parties and happenings, from popup comedy venues, ferris wheels, Moonshine bars and 90s parties. Past acts have included the likes of Muse, Imagine Dragons, Mø, George Ezra and many more.
In 2023, Tinderbox will run from 22nd to the 24th June - get more info on tickets and the lineup here.
4. Smukfest
Smukfest truly lives up to its name.
Situated in a beech forest just outside of the town of Skanderbog in Jutland, Smukfest (meaning ‘Beautiful festival’) is a delight to attend (Image credit: Trap Danmark).
It’s the second biggest festival in Denmark, attracting 50 000 pundits each year and attracting massive names like Justin Bieber, Stormzy, Gorillaz and Britney.
In 2023, Smukfest will run from the 2nd to the 6th August. It looks like it’s already sold out, but you can join the volunteer team of 8000+ people via the Smukfest website.
5. CopenHell
Copenhell is a heavy metal festival held at Refshaleøen in Copenhagen. It began in 2010 as has been heralded as one of the first open-air heavy metal festival in Denmark (Image credit: Copenhell).
For Copenhagen residents, it is a spectacle to behold the streams of thousands of heavy metal fans making their way by bike and bus from the centre of the city to the festival site. Visitors to Copenhell can expect the best heavy metal bands from around the world, alongside good food and beer.
Past bands at Copenhell have included Metallica, Iron Maiden, KIϟϟ, Mercyful Fate and KoЯn. In 2023 the festival will run from the 14th until the 17th June, get more info via the Copenhell website.
6. Stella Polaris
The very first Stella Polaris event took place in 1997 in Vennelyst Parken in Århus. During the next couple of years, the event grew in size to attract thousands of guests.
Since its inception, Stella Polaris has taken place in Aalborg, Odense, Esbjerg, Sønderborg, Silkeborg and Kolding (Image credit: Stella Polaris).
The festival celebrates electriconic, jazz and dub in a family-friendly atmosphere, encouraging attendees to bring picnics and chill out to enjoy the mellow sounds.
In 2023, Stella Polaris will take place from the 28th to 30th July.
7. Distortion:
As a resident of Vesterbro I can vouch that Distortion is a festival you can’t miss. Huge crowds, street parties and amazing music overwhelm the streets of Copenhagen during this 5-day festival of fun.
Distortion started as an experimental party project in 1998. In 2000 it became a 5-day-long party-crawl going through one Copenhagen district per day. The magic started with plenty of intimate backyard grill parties, raves, chill happenings, party buses and champagne boats, all over the capital, with 30-200 people at each get-together (Image credit: Danmarkmedmere.dk).
The guests keep coming, with 3000 attending a street party in 2007 and 100 000 turning up for the whole festival in Vesterbro in 2011. Past acts to play Distortion have included Four Tet, Todd Terje, Peggy Gou and Bedouin - plus hundreds more.
31st May to the 4th June, find out more via the Distortion Festival website.
8. Copenhagen Jazz Festival
Copenhagen Jazz Festival has been taking over Copenhagen as one of Europe’s most important international music events since 1979.
The festival welcomes over 250.000 guests every year to live jazz across clubs, cafés and concert halls, and at open-air night venues – all in the very heart of Copenhagen.
Copenhagen’s legendary status as one of the jazz capitals of Europe grew in the 1950s and 1960s, when a whole host of leading American jazz icons had their creative base in the city. Among those who have called Copenhagen home are Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Ben Webster, Stuff Smith, Ed Thigpen, Thad Jones and Kenny Drew.
Last year the festival saw legends like Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves and Oumou Sangaré take to the stages of Copenhagen. In 2023 it will run from June 30th to July 9th, you can get all the info via the Copenhagen Jazz Festival website.
9. Grøn Koncert
In 1982, Tuborg gave a free concert to Dyrehavsbakken (an amusement park north of central Copenhagen - see my guide to Klampenborg to find out more!), to mark the occasion of the amusement park's 400th anniversary (Image credit: Migog Aalborg).
The following year, the concert was renamed Grøn (meaning ‘Green’ after the brand colour of Tuborg) Concert. The concert toured Denmark, playing with the same lineup each night and with all proceeds going to help people with muscular dystrophy.
Since the 80s it has grown to become a mainstay of the Danish summer, marking a party for thousands of Danes each year. You can catch Grøn in your nearest Danish city, stopping off at Aarhus, Aalborg, Esbjerg, Kolding, Næstved, Odense, Amager and Valby. Get info on the 2023 dates and lineup on the Grøn website.
10. SPOT Festival
SPOT is city-wide music festival in Aarhus, celebrating up-and-coming Danish and Scandinavian talent from across genres at a range of amazing venues (Image credit: Spot Festival).
Close to two hundred artists and bands from most genres of contemporary popular music - including rock, hip hop, electronic and reggae - play 200 concerts during SPOT. With venues based around the Academy of Music, the concert halls of Musikhuset and Godsbanen - it all takes place in the centre of the city, so you can roam from stage to stage easily.
As well as discovering amazing new music, SPOT attracts great food trucks and is a fantastic social occasion for Aarhusianers and visitors alike.
Get more details on the lineup and dates of the festival in 2023 via the SPOT Festival website.
A festival-loving nation
There you have it, my own top 10 list of the best music festivals in Denmark. In my view, the best festivals are the ones which bring people together from across different walks of life to celebrate amazing music in amazing settings. I hope the ones I’ve mentioned above can give you the best glimpse into that incredible feeling which the best music festivals can create.
Of course, there are loads I haven’t mentioned, from reggae and techno festivals in the capital to the ever-popular Skive, Skagen and Samsø festivals and newcomers like the Syd for Solen festival in Søndermarken.
Are there any which I’ve missed off the list which you think should be included? Leave a comment below and let me know!
Planning a trip to Scandinavia?
Why not check out my guides to Aarhus and Gilleleje in Denmark, or explore the rest of the Scandi Culture Experiences to find out what’s on offer.