Awaken your taste buds at three notable Copenhagen food festivals

The annual Copenhagen Cooking festival takes place the 20th-29th of August, where restaurants, cultural institutions, chefs, gastro enthusiasts and foodies will come together to celebrate Copenhagen’s food scene, both the traditional and modern, through a wide array of events.

Denmark has for many years been known as the birthplace of New Nordic Cuisine. This year, the talk of the town is Sustainable deliciousness, where, among other, top chefs and food entrepreneurs are working towards bringing more sustainability into cooking, while still preserving the heart of gastronomy, good tasting food. Guests can expect to find innovative takes on sustainable gastronomy represented in across the festival events. 

Celebrating the classics at Copenhagen Cooking 

The event “A tribute to the Danish hot dog”, celebrates the Danish Pølsevogn (the hot dog cart) that turned 100 years old in February 2020, by serving a four course hot dog tasting menu.

Another important part of the Danish food legacy is the Smørrebrød, an open sandwich primarily on rye bread. From the 26th to the 29th of August several events celebrating Smørrebrødets Day 2021 (the Day of the Open-Faces Sandwich) will take place, the most popular of them being the Smørrebrøds Battle (the Battle of the Open-Faced Sandwich), where some of the best restaurants, e.g. Michelin recommended Selma, will show of their skills and innovative interpretations of the classic dish, this year with a particular focus on sustainability.

Several special dining experiences will also be available. As an example the event “400 Year Anniversary: Bangkok & Copenhagen”, where restaurant Holy Krapow will be serving authentic Thai street food, accompanied by beers from Danish breweries, to celebrate the 400 year anniversary of the first Danish ship docking in Siam.

The relationship between food and beer is also one of the focus points at Copenhagen Beer Week, that offers events like “Traditional smørrebrød with a twist, beer is used as ingredients” at Københavner Caféen or “Seafood dish and Champagne Beer from Mikkeller Baghaven” at Tholstrups Restaurant.

Explore Danish breweries at Copenhagen Beer Week

Copenhagen Beer Week is a rather new initiative celebrating Danish breweries and Danish beer traditions. The festival debuted last year in a corona-condensed version, with support from over 35 breweries from all over Denmark. This year it will take place from the 3rd – 11th September, with events taking place at different bars, restaurants, breweries, museums, universities and other venues.

The renowned Danish brewery Mikkeller views Beer Week as an opportunity to bring the beer into museums, galleries and laboratories, and as a way to shed light on how beer has contributed to the development of Danish society, both socially, culturally and economically.

From the 3rd – 4th of September there will be an outdoor space, Øltorvet, Israels Square, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet all the breweries. The organizers of the festival calls it a unique experience, as it is the first time, that this many breweries in Denmark have gathered, to create an event that displays the diversity of the Danish beer scene.

Even more food and wine in Tivoli Gardens

The Tivoli Gardens, the 175 year old amusement park in Copenhagen, is also inviting visitors into their beautiful park to join the Smørrebrødsfestival (the festival of the Open-Faced Sandwich) and the Food & Wine Festival, both from the 11th - 19th of September. In the Gardens restaurants and in H.C. Andersen's Castle, visitors will have the opportunity to taste the classic Danish dish, while a great food market, with products from both small and big producers and growers, will be available in the weekends.

Following in the wake of all of these festivals is the annual oyster celebration, Denmarks Oyster Festival, starting in October. It will take place from the 8th – 11th, in the UNESCO Wadden Sea National Park in Southern Denmark. The festival guests will get to go on oyster safari, forage for wild, local ingredients and experience 30 top chefs from all over Denmark and Europe going head to head to win the title of “Oyster Chef of the Year.