Roskilde Festival
No one needs an excuse to travel to “wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen” (for those familiar with the 1952 Hollywood musical Hans Christian Anderson) but there is one on offer regardless. Roskilde Festival is the largest Northern European culture and music event and is held in its namesake town of Roskilde, Denmark.
With event organisers being the Roskilde Festival Charity Society, it could be easy to assume that the event would be soft and low-key. Yet while a large portion of proceeds are directed towards local humanitarian work, the musical offering is impressive, and big on adrenalin. Revellers party to a soundtrack of heavy metal, urban pop, hip hop and rock, and many come to partake in the event’s infamously wild campsite parties.
The headliner bill is flush with established names, with past acts including Paul McCartney, Disclosure, Florence + The Machine, Queens of the Stone Age, The Strokes, Pharrell Williams and Danish heroes, Mew. Attendance is made easy by the festival’s location too. Roskilde is an easy 25 minutes by train from Copenhagen’s city centre and festival buses are on offer too.
This is an impeccably organised event that knows how to satiate die-hard music fans across a wide range of genres. Performers enjoy their experience here just as much, and everyone who attends at least considers taking part in the organised Naked Run.
WORDS OF WISDOM
- Arrive early for the warm up. It’s become a trend to set up camp before the music starts and provides the perfect opportunity to make new friends to party with. However, it can be difficult to secure a site, and travellers might not wish to bother with set up. In this case, opt for more luxurious, hassle-free lodgings by booking a Festival Trailer or Rockwool Shelter in advance. There is a comprehensive guide to sorting accommodation on the Roskilde Festival website.
- Do good, party hard. Become a more conscious festival-goer and purchase Making A Change tickets. Full proceeds are sent to a different non-profit organisation each year.
- Pack for temperatures of around 17° Celsius. Nights can be even cooler.
Visit Roskilde Festival
