Scan Magazine | A Nordic 2016 Culture Calendar | Denmark
The cosiest festival in Denmark Music, sun, beach and water. Those are the words to describe the festival of Samsø. For four days in July the little island located in Kattegat transforms itself into what the organisers believe is the cosiest festival in Denmark. By Nicolai Lisberg | Photos: Samsø Festival
It was back in 1989 that a group of Samsø inhabitants decided to see if the island was ready to arrange a music festival.
The founders all enjoyed going to other festivals in Denmark, so they felt it was time for their island to have its own. They wanted to create a festival that was both welcoming and relaxing for its visitors, but most of all it had to be cosy. Just one year after their first meeting, the festival was ready for its opening, and 26 years later the same values still make up the very foundation of the festival. Two of the founders are even still on the committee. “We are a small festival where everything is nearby. The camping area is only a
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three-minute walk from the main stage, so you don’t waste a lot of time walking from one end of the festival area to another,” says Thomas Jakobsen, PR manager for Samsø Festival. “The short distances are particularly beneficial when you consider that some of Denmark’s best beaches are right next to the festival area. If the weather is good, guests can spend the morning on the beach and then go straight to the concerts in the afternoon.”
Supporting Danish musicians and the local community This year, Samsø festival will take place on 20-23 July, and just like last year the organisers expect all 6,000 tickets to go fast. With an audience of all ages, one of the biggest tasks is to find something