Festivals and Annual Events

This comprises of flashy jazz concerts, award ceremonies, competitions, children’s programs and presents international and national artists. It occurs towards the end of January.

Visit the flea market organized at the Forum in the middle of January and find a wide variety of Danish handicrafts at reasonable prices.

Copenhagen Fashion Week is the right place to go to learn about the latest fashion trends. Events that take place during this week include competitions, fashion shows and a shopping extravaganza!

It is known as the most popular fashion event of the Scandinavian Fashion Industry. Millions of fashion lovers gather here every year to witness fashion shows, glamorous models and purchase fashion accessories.

All the participants race their power boats, equipment and accessories down to the finishing line at the International Boat Show in Copenhagen. Slow but sure winning the race does not apply here!

Looking for entertainment for your kids? Copenhagen offers a forum to collect puppeteers, organizers and people of ages from all around the world. If you are looking for a place to enjoy with your family, Copenhagen Puppet Festival is the place to be!

The Copenhagen Sakura Festival is a Japanese festival with Japanese food, martial arts, Japanese music all on display. If you’re in Copenhagen in April, be sure to stop by for an unforgettable experience and a lot of fun.

As bizarre as it sounds, the Rabbit Hopping Festival is a unique custom in Copenhagen. Danes hop their rabbits as if on a marathon and the excited spectators applaud in admiration.

An annual parade to celebrate the royal event of Queen Margrethe’s Birthday.

A picture is worth a thousand words! Best to watch it come true at Copenhagen’s Photo Festival held annually. It enables artists from all around the world to gather together and exhibit their work on buildings, art galleries, public squares and the like.

Known as Denmark’s largest comic festivals, the Komiks Festival brings together writers, artists, cartoonists from all over. It features characters from Mickey Mouse to conventional characters such as the X-Men. It consists of lectures, presentations and workshops and is one of its kind. The first Komik Festival took place in 2004 but now is an annual event.

Held annually, this festival is organized by the non-profit Copenhagen Tango Society. The society welcomes anyone who wishes to take part in the festival. Tango lessons are provided to new-comers and are held at the Ahlefeldtsgade Cultural Centre in the afternoon. Evening lessons are held at Kedelhallen. The festival has more to offer in the form of live tango music and professional dancing. To sign up or for more details visit the official website.

Copenhagen is known as the hub of all music festivities. The Copenhagen Carnival is an event solely attributed to promoting World Music with 120 bands, 2000 dancers and an audience of over 100,000. The streets of Copenhagen are filled with sights and sounds for three consecutive days, as the Carnival Parade sweeps throughout the city. Separate programs are organized to cater to the children and the youth alike.

The annual marathon race attracts participants from all around the world. It requires participants to race on a traffic-free course which runs through Copenhagen’s most famous monuments. The race track starts and ends at the Royal Library where spectators gather around to applaud and cheer the racers. The race normally begins around 9 30 am.

Universally, the 1st of May is celebrated as Labors Day but it is done differently in Copenhagen. Concerts, speeches, rallies and the like attract more than a 100,000 tourists and add to the festivities, two mobile amusement parks also station themselves on the vicinity.

As suggested by the name, the festival focuses on a cleaner and greener environment. Various awareness campaigns are aired and the importance of an environmental friendly city. This four-day festival aims as advertising Copenhagen as the Environmental Capital of Europe. Organizers not only spread their knowledge but are also open to suggestions from the masses. Contact Details Address: Kalvebod Brygge 45, Copenhagen, 1502 Phone: +45 3366 5800 Fax: +45 3366 7133

Started in 1971, the Roskilde Festival has become one of the five biggest music festivals in all of Europe. It was initiated by two students and now is organized by a non-profit Roskilde Foundation. 2007 witnessed 180 performing bands with a turnout of around 110,000 people. It covers different genres of music which includes rock, urban, Metal, Hip-hop and 3rd world contemporary music. The day of this festival varies from the last Thursday of June to the first Thursday of July. For more details visit: www.roskilde-festival.com

Help for the first time in 1998, the Copenhagen Distortion Festival continues to promote and celebrate the culture of art and music. This five-day music festival is geared towards entertaining the enthusiastic and energetic youth. The event is held at the city’s most famous nightspots, streets and canal boats. Not only does the festival include all genres of music, it is also home to various art and internet exhibitions. This festival truly celebrates Copenhagen Nightlife Culture.

This is the time to kick off your shoes and spend a beautiful day at the beach with bonfires, music, dance and much more. The Midsummer Eve Festival also referred to as the Sankh Hans is held on the 23rd of June every year. The Falledparken is the hub of all festivities where a huge bonfire is created. The evening promises pleasure and excitement.

Gallop your way to Denmark’s biggest horse race held at the Copenhagen Racecourse, Klampenborg. It is known as the most cultured events in all of Denmark since its origin in 1910 and attracts around 6 to 8000 spectators. The fortunate winners of the contest are awarded up to 1 million kroner. Events such as the Derby Consolation, Larch Prize, and Derby Sprint also take place simultaneously.

Founded in 1979, the Copenhagen Jazz Festival still holds appeal for the masses of about a quarter of a million people who visit yearly. This 10-day festival holds over 850 concerts per year; featuring renowned artists from all around the world. There is no specific location for this event. Cafes, restaurants, streets and city parks are all possible locations for this festival.

Another attraction Copenhagen offers to its tourists is its Summer Festival which aims at holding 12 concerts in 12 days! It begins on the 25th of July with Charlottenborg palace as its historical venue. The event stars debut artists and is a perfect forum for celebrating new talent.

Another annual music festival which takes place not only in the nightclubs but also at the strategic locations like Vega, Culture Box and Nadsat. It focuses on promoting electronic music by holding concerts, open-air events and club nights hosted by popular DJs.

The history of the Copenhagen Fashion Fair dates back to the 1060s.the fair targeted women with Danish and Scandinavian fashion tastes. Attracting 50,000 tourists and over 21,000 exhibitors, the Fair hasn’t lost its appeal.