The Roskilde Festival facing a new competitor next year

New three-day musicfest in Odense has set its sights on dethroning Zealand’s big draw

Music fans will have another choice as to where to spend their concert kroner next summer.

The city council in Odense announced yesterday that it has approved a three-day festival to be held for the first time in June 2015, just before the Roskilde Festival which is scheduled to open on 27 June next year.

“The ambition is for this to be a high quality festival with well-known acts and world-class facilities,” Odense mayor Anker Boye said in a statement. “Within a few years it could become one of the largest in the country and help brand Odense as a cultural destination.”

The festival will be held in the 74-hectare park and forest area Tusindårsskoven located near the city centre.

Roskilde cuts final Sunday
Meanwhile, the organisers of the Roskilde Festival have announced that they will be dropping music on its final Sunday next year and closing the party with a big show on the Saturday night.

Many had already been forgoing the closing Sunday line up over the past five years, leaving acts to perform to the sight of concertgoers packing up their tents and leaving.

”The Roskilde Festival is going to go out with a bang from now on,” Christina Bilde, festival spokesperson Christina Bilde told Jyllands-Posten. “By making Saturday the ultimate day, we think more people will stay and party until the very last minute.”

No more senior citizens day
Bilde said that ending with a major act on Saturday night while adding a Wednesday to the front end will ensure that Roskilde closes strong and will help entice major acts to perform.

“Opening up the Wednesday creates a number of booking opportunities,” festival program boss Anders Wahrén told Jyllands-Posten.

READ MORE: Roskilde Festival sells out of full-week tickets

Closing the festival on Saturday also brings an end to the tradition of allowing those over 65-years-old to come on the final Sunday for free.

”We don’t see the need to give people over 65 a free look at the Roskilde Festival, since many of them have already been there,” said Bilde. “All ages are still welcome; they just have to buy a ticket.”




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