Summer Festival Preview | Festivals on your doorstep

Last weekend’s NorthSide in Aarhus marked the start of a formidable 2013 festival season in Jutland, but with Roskilde leading the charge, the capital region offers an equally combative line-up

One of the great things about living in Copenhagen during the summer is the diverse availability of music festivals in the region. Choosing where to go, however, can be tricky, so we have put together a list of some of the options available.

Trailerpark Festival
More alternative and covered in graffiti, the Trailerpark Festival returns this year. Currently, the line-up features a nice selection of Denmark’s dark underground and household names. The headline acts include synth rockers Turboweekend, hipster-disco boy Vinnie Who and When Saints Go Machine. The festival is held by artist community Artrebels, so all forms of art and creative expression will feature prominently at the event. The festival is held in Copenhagen’s indoor skate park by Enghave, which means that many of the activities can be enjoyed with your feet dangling into a skate bowl, hanging off a ramp or sitting on rails. 
Copenhagen Skate Park, Enghavevej 80; starts Aug 1, ends Aug 3; festival pass: 450kr, limited early bird offer: 300kr; www.trailerparkfestival.com

Roskilde Festival
The mother of all Danish festivals is Roskilde. Founded in 1971, it still has all the filth and fury that a festival should have. Headlining this year are Metallica, Kraftwerk, Rihanna, James Blake, Queens of the Stone Age, and Sigur Rós, alongside an ocean of lesser-known artists.
Roskilde; starts 29 June, ends July 7; festival pass: 1,910kr, one-day tickets: 970kr; www.roskilde-festival.dk

Vanguard Festival
The new kid on the block this year is the Vanguard Festival, which will take place in Søndermarken in Frederiksberg. The final line-up will be announced as the festival draws nearer, but as of now, the headlining acts mainly hail from the ‘90s East Coast rap scene. Hip-hop legends Wu Tang Clan, De La Soul and Pharoahe Monch are all set to play, with Malk De Koijn and Marvelous Mosell representing Denmark. Sweden’s Håkan Hellström will also feature, as well as Sixto Rodríguez, who gained international fame through the Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man. 
Søndermarken, Frederiksberg; starts Aug 2, ends Aug 3; festival pass: 975kr; www.vanguard-festival.com

Langelands Festival
The self-described ‘Denmark’s best garden party’ is a nice event for the whole family. Headlining this year are Thomas Helmig, Rasmus Seebach, Vinnie Who and Alphabeat. 
Rudkøbing; starts July 20, ends July 27; festival pass: 1,715kr, under-12s: 870kr, one-day tickets: 620kr, www.langelandsfestival.dk

Nakkefestival
Head up to the most northern part of Zealand to Rørvig for the family-friendly Nakkefestival, which features many Danish bands, including one-hit wonder Safari Duo. 
Søndervangsvej 43, Rørvig; starts July 24, ends July 28; festival pass: 520kr, with camping, one-day tickets: 200kr, under-12s free adm; www.nakkefestival.dk

Henry’s Dream
A new Copenhagen-based festival, Henry’s Dream, is possibly the most idiosyncratic of the bunch. The location is top secret – ticket holders will be told to go to a specific location and wait to be picked up by buses that will take them to the festival. Festival guests will then be transported back to Copenhagen when the festival is over. Thirty-five bands will perform and a big focus will be placed on the perfomative part of the festival, or as is explained on their website: “to challenge both the current performance and concert set-ups”. 
Festival site TBA; starts July 18, ends July 21, festival pass:  575kr; www.henrysdream.dk

New Note Festival
Take a trip up north to Hillerød to enjoy the lively New Note Festival. Headlining the festival this year are Danish indie rock bands Efterklang and The Rumour Said Fire, as well as singer-songwriter Oh Land.
Fredensvej 12A , Hillerød; starts Aug 7, ends Aug 10; festival pass:  349kr, www.newnotefestival.dk

Vig Festival
The tiny town of Vig is really only known for one thing: Vig Festival. The event offers a lot of activities aimed at the whole family. There are kids’ areas, stand-up comedy and, of course, a lot of music. This year’s headliners are household names such as Rasmus Seebach, Nephew, Barbara Moleko, Thomas Helmig and Infernal. 
Vig; starts 11 July, ends 13 July; festival pass: 1,075kr (with camping), 975kr (without camping), one-day tickets 500-625kr, under-12s free adm; www.vigfestival.dk

Ringsted Festival 
Ringsted Festival claims it doesn’t want to be the biggest, but the most hyggelig, and it certainly is cosy. This year the music will be a nice selection of Danish acts such as Thomas Helmig, Kato, Østkyst Hustler and Rasmus Seebach, as well as British glam rockers the Darkness.
Ringsted; starts Aug 1, ends Aug 3; festival pass: 695kr, under-12s: 195kr, one-day tickets 295-395kr; www.ringstedfestival.dk

Don't miss our previews of festivals in other regions
 

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