Highlights from the festival calendar include:
ARTS & CRAFTS
DOK # 1 Arts & Crafts Fair, 5 – 6 September 2008, Aalborg
Taking place in the new Toldbodplads in Aalborg, DOK # 1 is a new, ambitious design, arts and crafts market, representing Danish designers and craftsmen working in the fields of pottery, jewelry, glassware, textiles and design.
http://www.dok1.dk KIC - Arts and Crafts Fair, 7 – 9 November 2008, Aarhus
KiC is the largest censored fair for arts and crafts in Denmark. KiC is held every year in the centre of Århus. Participants come from Denmark, England, Germany and Holland, and work within the disciplines of jewellery, textiles, glass, ceramics, and mixed media. Each year, craftsmen from foreign countries are invited to exhibit their work at KiC as well. DKK40.
www.kic-aarhus.dk BEER October Festival, 2 – 4 October 2008, Aalborg
Aalborg’s C.W. Obels Plads is always a lovely place to visit and even more so in October when the annual beer festival takes place in a large marquee in the middle of the square. Fitted with benches and tables, sample the best of Denmark’s beer and join in the festivities.
http://www.soegaardsbryghus.dk/default.asp CARNIVAL Carnival in Aalborg, May, 2009 (dates TBC)
Ideal for all the familyAalborg - a middle-sized city in Northern Denmark - plays host to the largest carnival in Northern Europe every year attracting over 100,000 people both as participants in the parade and as spectators. Joined by carnival groups from around the world, the celebrations span over a week offering an excellent opportunity to experience the great diversity and uniqueness of carnival traditions. Following a specific theme each year, the main carnival parade takes place on the final Saturday with a vibrant parade through the streets, culminating in the ‘Battle of Carnival Bands’, DJ’s, dance acts and fireworks in the Kildenparken. Entrance to the Kildeparken is DKK 100.
www.karnevaliaalborg.dk/english/jetcom.htm CHRISTMAS Christmas in Den Gamle By, 22 November - 30 December 2008, Aarhus
Ideal for all the family The open air museum of The Old Town is made up of 75 different period houses. During the Christmas period the streets are decorated beautifully with 16 of the houses displaying more than 35 different Christmas exhibitions. It all adds up to an exciting atmosphere with a true Christmassy feeling, where the houses come alive with period-dressed personnel. The Christmas market takes place every weekend in December. DKK90.
www.dengamleby.dk/english.htm H. C. Andersen Christmas Market, 29 – 30 November 2008, 6 – 7 December 2008, Odense
Ideal for all the family The old part of Odense where Hans Christian Andersen's childhood home lies, forms the setting of a period Christmas market with all the fun of the fair, illuminations, merry-go-round and stalls selling all sorts of goodies. A Hans Christian Andersen Parade performs daily with the winter show.
http://www.hcajulemarkedet.dk Christmas Market, 23 November - 25 December 2008, Aalborg
Ideal for all the familySailing by ship direct from Greenland, Father Christmas is scheduled to land on the quayside opposite Aalborghus Castle to launch the festivities for the annual Aalborg Christmas Market which includes Christmas theatre, concerts, carols and a large colourful market where shops are open until 10pm leading up until Christmas.
www.visitaalborg.com
CULTURE & MUSIC Nibe Festival, 2 – 7 July 2008, Nibe, Near Aalborg
Just 20 minutes from Aalborg, Nibe Festival has been acknowledged as one of Denmark’s best music festivals. Set in the beautiful Skal Forest on the outskirts of Nibe, it offers 4 days of great music and atmosphere. This year’s offerings include Thomas Buttenshcon, Rugsted & Kreuzfeldt, Beth Hart, Suspekt, Blue Foundation, Michael Falch & Boat Man Love.
www.visitaalborg.com/international/en-gb/productpage/produktside/gdk022482/nibe-festival-.htm?CallerUrl=1
www.nibefestival.dk Aarhus International Jazz Festival, 12- 19 July 2008, Aarhus
Summer in Aarhus is not really summer without Aarhus International Jazz Festival. Now in its 20th year, the festival includes over 200 performances over the eight day period, covering a wealth of different jazz artists and varieties: from international stars to young local jazz musicians, from traditional Dixieland jazz to electronic experimentation and from world music to popular Danish singers. Many of the concerts are free, and a variety of the city's many music venues are involved together with street corners and squares all over town.
www.jazzfest.dk/?a=&lang=en&s=&arrangor=&kryds_id=&
date=&id=&aid=&fn=&location=&band_link Opera at Rebild Bakker, 10 August 2008, Aalborg
Combine arias and picnic at nature’s finest concert hall with a walk in the forest at the annual open air opera concert in Rebild Bakker. Soloist and chorus from Den Jyske Opera perform highlights from well-known operas and operettas, accompanied by Aalborg's Symphony Orchestra in a beautiful outdoor setting.
www.operairebild.dk
Opera in the Meadow, 17 August 2008, Odense
Exactly what is says, an open air concert in picturesque meadow surrounds featuring extracts from the upcoming opera and concert season in Odense Concert Hall. Presented by the Odense Symphonic Orchestra and professional soloists. Pick up some goodies in the vast array of Odense’s specialty shops and enjoy a musical feast.
http://www.odensesymfoni.dk/?process=show/english/frontpage Aarhus Festival Week, 19 August – 7 September 2008, Aarhus
Of major importance to all of Scandinavia, involving all of Aarhus, this festival showcases theatre performances, concerts, opera, ballet, music, sport as well as many other activities. Working to theme, this year the city will be treated to "Århus Open City".
www.aarhusfestuge.dk and
http://www.visitaarhus.com/international/en-gb/productpage/produktsige/gdk003020/aarhus-festival-week.htm?CallerUrl=1 ‘Aarhus Took It’ Hip Hop Festival, 2 – 4 October 2008, Aarhus
Scandinavia’s largest Hip Hop Festival, ‘Aarhus Took It’ takes place for the 8th time at the Train music venue. Featuring top international artists, new exciting Danish names and workshops, it offers three days of vibrant formidable hip hop.
www.aarhustookit.dk Night of Culture 2008, 10 October 2008, Aarhus/Aalborg
Ideal for all the family‘Night of Culture’ is held in several of the major towns in Denmark including the cities of Aarhus and Aalborg. Taking place from 6.00pm to 12 midnight, it offers pass holders an exciting evening of cultural exploration where they can visit buildings and institutions which are normally not open to the public. The programme includes all the major museums and exhibition halls, churches, libraries, schools and organisations. During the evening, public spaces are transformed into stages for musical and theatre performances, poetry readings and art exhibitions. Night of Culture badges are available from participating museums and libraries, tourist offices and at train stations. It also covers free public transport in the city for the night. Children under the age of 12 enter for free. Passes cost DKK75.
www.kulturnataarhus.dk,
http://www.kulturnatten.com (Aalborg)
International Days of Blues, 6 – 8 November 2008, Odense
Odense International Days of Blues features local and international artists in one of Odense's small charming music stages called Magasinet.
www.bluesdage.dk Aalborg Opera Festival, March 2009
Inspite of Aalborg’s rather small size (about 150,000 inhabitants), the city is host to the only Opera Festival in Denmark. You can witness some of the most intimate concerts and quirky happenings around the streets of the city, in offices and in cosy cafes. The whole of Aalborg is singing Opera during this time as it takes over workplaces, restaurants and balconies in the streets, museums, libraries and smaller music venues as well as the large concert halls. With a number of major performances, highlights last year included the great operas of Faust, Eugen Onegin and Madame Butterfly as well as solos from world famous Danish Wagner-hero Stig Fogh Andersen and the Swedish soprano Iréne Theorin.
www.visitaalborg.com SPOT Festival, June 2009, Aarhus (dates TBC)
SPOT Festival aims to support and promote upcoming bands and artists both nationally and internationally. With over 116 bands participating in the 2008 festival, music is set to have the university city of Aarhus rocking. The festival is performed on 8 different stages in and around the Musikhuset Aarhus.
www.spotfestival.dk FAMILY FUN
Open Stable Doors, 21/09/2008, Aarhus/Aalborg/Odense
Ideal for all the family
On the third Sunday of September, 60-odd farms open the stable doors to the public. Come and see how farming is done these days and get the opportunity to meet cattle, pigs, hens and all the other inhabitants of a farm!
Participating farms can be found on the website
www.aabentlandbrug.dk Robots at Play, September 2009, Odense (dates TBC)
Ideal for all the familyThe biannual Robot Festival covers everything from robot art performed by international artists, robots made from scrap, robot movies and many other amazing interactive experiences.
www.robotsatplay.dk
FILM Odense International Film festival, 19 – 24 August 2008
Odense Film Festival is Denmark's international film festival for short and documentary films. The festival shows an exciting programme of the world's best short films and the best of this year's Danish short & documentary films with special programmes for children and teenagers.
http://www.filmfestival.dk FLOWER Flowerfestival, 13 – 17 August 2008, Odense (Ideal for all the family)
Flowers, flowers everywhere! See, feel and smell the more than 180.000 flowers, plants and vegetables arranged in various fanciful tableaux and arrangements according to a specific theme that changes every year.
www.blomsterfestival.dk HISTORY Viking Theatre at Lindholm Høje, 17 – 29 June 2008, Aalborg
Ideal for all the family Every year in Aalborg, past history is reviewed through the great Viking dramas. The plays are performed on Northern Europe's largest Viking burial site, Lindholm Høje with each play illustrating the forefathers' life from about 1000 years ago - mixed with modern North Jutlandic humour and imagination. DKK80.
www.LindholmVikingespil.dk Viking City Market, 26 June to 28 August 2008, Saturday & Sunday, Aarhus
Ideal for all the familyGet a taste for Viking history this summer in Aarhus with the re-opening of the newly refurbished Viking Museum and Viking city-market. www.visitaarhus.com
Aarhus Medieval Market, 17 – 20 July 2008, Aarhus
Ideal for all the familyExperience Aarhus in the year 1457 when the city hosts its Midsummer Festival. Enjoy the atmosphere at the market with the smell of roasted pig and the sight and sounds of swordsmen duelling, musicians playing and fire dancers performing. Take a stroll down the market street, have a freshly baked pancake or local sausage washed down with a good beer and let the kids have fun playing medieval games. DKK50/adult.
http://aamm.dk/en/ Moesgård Viking Moot, 26 – 27 July 2008, Aarhus
Ideal for all the familyThe Viking Moot offers a wealth of activities with archers, warriors and horsemen showing off their skills. Crossing swords in formidable battles, incited by a cheering crowd, horsemen on Icelandic horses ride in procession as tasty authentic Viking fare cooks over open fires tempting visitors to quickly become acquainted with the Viking cuisine.
www.moesmus.dk Getting there…
Sterling Airlines has direct daily flights from Gatwick (
www.sterling.com) to Aalborg and Billund airports with easy connections to Aalborg, Aarhus and Odense. Fares start from as little as £12.50 one-way. Other deals are also available through Lastminute.com as per the following URLs:
www.lastminute.com/aalborg,
www.lastminute.com/aarhus and
www.lastminute.com/odense.
For more information on each city visit:
Aalborg:
http://www.visitaalborg.com Aarhus:
http://www.visitaarhus.com Odense:
http://www.visitodense.com More details on Denmark on
www.visitdenmark.com - Ends -
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amb@visitdenmark.com