Read news from:
Austria
  • Europe
  • Austria
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Norway
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
Denmark's news in English
The Local
  • News
    • Today in Denmark
    • Covid-19
    • Travel news
    • Cost of living
    • Brexit
  • Politics
  • Practical tips
    • Danish citizenship
    • Visas
    • Living costs
    • Taxes
    • Pensions
    • Reader questions
  • Property
    • Renting
    • Find rentals
  • Language
    • Danish language
    • Danish Word of the Day
  • Jobs
    • Working in Denmark

Sections

Latest newsCovid-19Practical tips
Denmark: Learn about DenmarkDenmark: Learning DanishTravel news

Membership

My accountLog inStudent accessCorporate
NewslettersHelp centerGift voucher

The Local

Search siteContact usWho we are
Send us a storyAdvertise with us

Editions

AustriaEuropeGermanyNorwaySweden
DenmarkFranceItalySpainSwitzerland

Services

Jobs in DenmarkNoticeboard
Property rentals

SOCIAL

10 things you might not know about Roskilde Festival

10 things you might not know about Roskilde Festival

The 2015 Roskilde Festival opens its doors on Saturday and the full music schedule begins on Wednesday. Before you head out there, here are ten things you might not know about Denmark’s wildest party.

×
❮ ❯

<b>It wasn’t always called Roskilde Festival</b><br>  High school students at the time, the dynamic duo of Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, aided by music promoter Karl Fischer, organised the first Roskilde Festival back in 1971. Twenty bands played over two days, at what was known as Sound Festival at the time.Photo: Roskilde Festival
<b>Paint it Orange</b><br> Orange is Roskilde's official colour, inspired by the indomitable Orange stage. With space for 60,000 spectators, the Orange stage was originally purchased from England in 1978, where it had been used by the Rolling Stones as part of their European tour a couple of years before. Photo: Lars Just/Polfoto
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xMuJZV7rtHY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br><br><b>The stages are a work in progress</b><br>It could be very easy for the Roskilde Festival to rest on its laurels but it isn't afraid to shake things up. This year, it will roll out a brand-new design for its Apollo stage and just two years ago, the festival got rid of the two stages Odeon and Cosmopol, replacing them with Avalon. It’s probably a safe bet that the Orange stage will remain, however. Photo: YouTube
<b>People get naked</b></br>In addition to the famous Naked Run held every year, nudity is a common sight at every Roskilde festival, as conformity flies out the window. Dr Hook famously performed nude in 1976, at a festival whose future hang in the balance at the time, on account of some conservative loons who proposed putting an end to Roskilde. Photo: Jason Moisio
<b>It’s run by volunteers</b></br> Some 32,000 volunteers, roughly the population of Hillerød, rally to make the festival what it is every year. With only 50 paid employees, Roskilde is one of the world's best examples of volunteer-driven initiatives. The majority of volunteers hail from cultural and sporting organisations from Roskilde and Copenhagen. Photo: Khanh Nguyen/Roskilde Festival
<b>"We are the champions"</b><br> As the Danish national football team won Euro 1992, word of their triumph reached the festival and was broadcasted in these iconic words at one of the main stages. Unsurprisingly, beer drinking records were also soon broken and total pandemonium broke loose as the nation celebrated.Photo: Uefa
<b>It learned from tragedy</b><br> Following the well-documented deaths of nine fans during a Pearl Jam performance in 2000, festival security throughout Europe was tightened. At Roskilde, crowd sections are now divided into pits, separated from each other by steel fences, in order to prevent surging and to aid the flow of people in and around stages. Photo: Christian Hjorth
<b>It often rains. A lot.</b><br> The weather in Denmark is always a gamble, and while <a href="http://bit.ly/1eeDf6s">this year looks great</a>, more often than not it seems that Roskilde loses. Few will forget the 2007 festival, when the heavens broke and thousands of revelers were soaked to the skin by 100mm in 35 hours, creating scenes that resembled the trenches of World War I.  Some went home defeated but many soldiered on in the muck. Photo: Christian Jensen
<b>It's a non-profit</b><br><a href="http://bit.ly/1jfkSjS"> 2014 was a record year for the Roskilde Festival</a>, with more than 100,000 tickets sold and a record 26.7 million kroner profit. The festival doesn't hold on to that money, however. It donates its profits to a variety of causes. Organizations that have benefitted from Roskilde throughout the years include Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, Support the Victims in Iraq, Save the Children and the World Wildlife Fund, among others. Who would have thought that dancing the night away for days on end could create global economic value of such proportions? Photo: Barrett Hall/Flickr
<b>It's a lot more than music</b><br> Dream City is the name of one of Roskilde's biggest initiatives aimed at promoting co-creativity and sustainability into the ethos of the festival. This audience-propelled section of one of the camping areas gives people the opportunity to share the uniqueness of their festival abodes with other “dreamers,” in a sky-is-the-limit sort of way.Photo: Dream City - Roskilde Fetival/Facebook


More galleries

In pictures: Roskilde Festival 2017
Celebrating Copenhagen beer – in Boston
Santas from around the world come to Copenhagen… in July!
The Local’s 25 best photos from Roskilde Festival 2016
Capturing the good vibes Roskilde Festival 2016
Roskilde Festival 2016: Ghettoblaster in East City
Sunshine and chill-out vibes at annual Stella Polaris festival
Roskilde Festival street style
Copenhell metal festival rocks Danish capital
Filming of The Danish Girl in Copenhagen
Successful debut for Sónar Copenhagen
10 things to know about Fastelavn
Five things to look out for at Copenhagen Fashion Week
Through Different Eyes: Danish project accused of racism by Swedes
Vanguard Festival: Rocking the mic
Vanguard Festival: Checking the mood
Top 10 concerts at the 2014 Roskilde Festival
IN PICTURES: The best photos from Roskilde Festival
IN PICTURES: Life in Roskilde’s skatepark
IN PICTURES: Eating your way through Roskilde Festival
IN PICTURES: Roskilde fashion
IN PICTURES: The Roskilde Festival party begins
The Local Europe AB
Vasagatan 10
111 20 Stockholm
Sweden
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Become a member
  • My Account
  • Newsletters options
  • Advertise with us
  • Post a job ad
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookie Settings
App store App store
modal logo Please whitelist us to continue reading.

So this website can function correctly please whitelist The Local with your adblocker, antivirus software or browser add on.

Please visit the help centre for more information