Roskilde Festival

WHERE: Roskilde, Denmark.
WHEN: from 29 June to 06 July 2024

The Roskilde Festival is the oldest, and most important, festival in all of Europe, second in size only to the English Glastonbury. It takes place in the Danish town of the same name, about 30 minutes from the capital, Copenhagen.

Almost half a century has passed since the first edition, dated 1971, but interest has been a real crescendo. Above all, a line-up of absolute and incredible value and appeal of the international rock scene; right on this stage groups of the caliber of Guns’ N Roses, Metallica, Nirvana, David Bowie. And again: Aerosmith, Björk, The Clash, Foo Fighters, Iggy Pop, Rammstein, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2….

Over the years, the offer has expanded to include modern independent music, jazz, electronics, world-music and many other musical genres. Everything is business today. And that charm that the Festival once had has been lost a little.

Today, the Roskilde Festival is more than just music, food, art and party. It is a real celebration of freedom, cooperation and solidarity, with numerous “collateral” activities, ranging from cinema to “performance-art”. Precisely for this reason, every year, thousands of kids are ready to have fun and go wild in the small Danish town.

Photo ©, Stig Nygaard

PRACTICAL INFO

HOW TO GET

Roskilde is a beautiful town in the east of Denmark, located on the island of Sjaelland, just 35 km away from Copenhagen. The ideal solution, therefore, is to arrive in the Danish capital, and, from here, to travel by train or by bus. Numerous airlines connect the main European destinations with Copenhagen.

To reach the festival you need to use a mixed train-bus route:

• from the airport, by train, you can reach the railway station from which the Regional or IC trains for Roskilde depart quite frequently. In less than 30 minutes you can reach the railway station of the town; after a 5 minute walk, the bus stop in Sygehuset. By bus, get off at Musicon and walk for about 1km, reaching your destination: Roskilde Festivalplads St. The total cost should be around DKK 49.

Once you reach Roskilde from Copenhagen airport, during the whole festival period, a Shuttle Bus service is active within the city, connecting with the festival site. The Shuttle stops at Roskilde Station, Østergade and the East and West entrances of the Festival. Departures every 30 minutes, from 08:00 to 15:00. At the beginning of July, another bus is also operational, passing through the city center, the municipal swimming pool and various city areas. It runs from 10:00 to 16:00, and should cost around 25DKK per person.

For those arriving by car, or intending to rent one from Copenhagen, once you leave the airport, just take the E20 junction for Copenhagen, and then follow the signs Sj. Odde and, later, Roskilde. They are about 32 kilometers away. Once at your destination, there is ample parking available on site.