Guitarist with The National launching new music festival in Copenhagen

Denmark’s capital has been Aaron Dessner’s ‘second home’ for ten years

Fresh on the heels of the news that Copenhagen will have a new folk music and food festival next year, Aaron Dessner, one of the guitarists in the US band The National, has confirmed he is starting a new music festival on Refshaleøen in the Danish capital.

READ MORE: Copenhagen going country with new folk and food festival

The alternative music festival is scheduled to open next summer with space for about 10,000 and 15,000 guests, according to Politiken.

Dessner is married to a Danish women, so it is no accident that the Haven Festival will be located in Copenhagen.

“Copenhagen has been my second home for ten years,” Dessner told Politiken.

“My wife, Stine, is Danish, and our children, Ingrid and Robin, have reached an age that has led us to decide to be based in Denmark.”

Crossing boundaries
Dessner worked with Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon to start an innovative festival in Vernon’s hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and that is the type of festival he would like to bring to Denmark.

The genesis of the festival began when Danish chef and entrepreneur Claus Meyer invited The National to play on Lilleø for 700 people. After meeting Refshaleøen and Meyer, the first tentative ideas for a new festival began to take shape.

“For me, it’s about putting yourself in new situations that may create different music that crosses genre boundaries through collaboration and creates something new on the spot,” said Dessner.

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