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Photo by Sebastian Vistisen Toft

Chappell Roan, Sam Fender. Khruangbin, Mk.gee, CMAT, Sienna Spiro, English Teacher and many more made their way to Copenhagen this past weekend for SYD FOR SOLEN - a fairly new three-day festival with a consistently impressive international lineup.

Denmark doesn’t lack festivals. Quite the opposite, actually. From May till September there are music events of varying sizes pretty much every weekend all across the country. In 2022 a new festival in the middle of Copenhagen saw the light of day: SYD FOR SOLEN - which translates to ‘south of the sun’ - a three-day no-camping festival in Copenhagen. 

Photo by Tanja Brinks Toubro

Fred Again.., Jungle, Bon Iver, Wet Leg, and Jorja Smith are just some of the names that have previously played and this past weekend saw the fourth edition with none other than Chappell Roan headlining the very first day and making her Danish debut. I was honestly surprised when she was announced at this fairly new event and not the absolutely iconic Roskilde Festival. But that also happened last year where Fred Again.. was snatched up by SYD FOR SOLEN. And that is where this festival really has been consistent: They’ve booked international heavy weights alongside stars on the rise (both local and international). 

Photo by Anton Schmidt

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing though. Long story short: The debut in 2022 was all in all a success. A few year-one glitches but that’s understandable. Year two was a logistical nightmare which prompted a new location for the 2024 edition which unfortunately also saw disastrous entrance queues. But now the young festival seems to have found its feet. Thank goodness. In 2023 I swore that I wouldn’t be coming back - the Bon Iver concert that I had come for was great but the hour-long lines for food, drinks, even toilets ruined the experience - but I’ve been every year. Why? Because they keep booking brilliant artists and the three-stage festival site is still small enough for it to feel sort of intimate. 

Photo by Tanja Brinks Toubro

So if you’re planning a trip to Europe/Scandinavia and looking to get a bit of a music fix while you’re away, you should be keeping an eye on SYD FOR SOLEN. You’ll also find lots of OnesToWatch from the local music scene. From this year’s lineup I can highly recommend Julie Pavon, Elias Rønnenfeldt (frontman of ICEAGE), snuggle, and Blaue Blume.  

SYD FOR SOLEN 2026 will be taking place August 13-15. More info via socials and www.sydforsolen.dk.