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Music & Culture Festivals in Roskilde
Roskilde Festival
A historic town on Zealand west of Copenhagen, seat of a UNESCO-listed medieval cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum, and each summer the site of Northern Europe's largest music festival.
Run by Roskilde Festival, with published dates and a real program.
Dates & details verified against: Official event site ↗
Why here
Roskilde Festival is Northern Europe's largest music festival and one of its most distinctive, a non-profit built on volunteers rather than a corporate promoter. Founded in 1971 and held on the Dyrskuepladsen fields outside the town, it draws up to 130,000 people for eight days at the turn of June and July, with the four big main-stage days closing out a week that starts with camping, art projects, talks and a famous run of warm-up days. It is run by the Roskilde Festival Charity Foundation, powered by more than 30,000 volunteers, and every krone of profit goes to humanitarian, cultural and youth causes, which shapes the whole feel of the place. The line-ups are broad and adventurous, mixing global headliners with a deep bench of new and experimental acts across the Orange Stage and beyond. It is as much a temporary city as a concert.
Best months
The festival falls in late June into early July, Danish high summer, with long daylight and the usual chance of both heat and rain, so pack for mud as well as sun. The eight-day format splits into the warm-up days, when campsites open and smaller stages run, and the four main days when the full line-up plays. It is a camping festival; day tickets exist but the site is built around staying over. Book tickets and travel well ahead, as it regularly sells out.
Getting there & around
Roskilde is about 25 minutes by frequent train from Copenhagen Central, with festival shuttle buses and a signed walk from the station to the site during the event. Most people camp on-site; book a pitch or a ready-set tent with the ticket. The town itself, with its cathedral and Viking Ship Museum, is worth a day either side of the festival.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
Roskilde Festival
OrganizerNorthern Europe's largest music festival, founded in 1971 and staged each summer on the Dyrskuepladsen fields outside Roskilde. It is run as a non-profit by the Roskilde Festival Charity Foundation, powered by more than 30,000 volunteers, with all profit given to humanitarian, cultural and youth causes. Up to 130,000 people attend the eight-day event, whose four main-stage days close a week of camping, art and debate.