Roskilde festival is the brainchild of Jesper Switzer and his friend Mogens Sandfær. Their promoter Carl Fischer also takes some of the credit for being behind the inspiration that saw the students succeed in their ambitious project. The Roskilde Foundation took over the running of annual events a year after the festival was founded. This foundation is a non-profit organization that supports development of music, humanism and culture in Denmark.
The ,Roskilde festival covers the music trends of Scandinavian youths as well as the contemporary performance trends that prevail throughout Europe. In 2008, the festival attracted over 180 performing bands that performed before a gathering of about 80,000 people. There were about 3,000 artists in the event. In total, there were about 110,000 participants in the festival.
As a matter of tradition, the campsite for summer fun in Europe in Denmark opens early on the last Sunday of every June. This gives guests who come to the festival ample time to settle and get acquainted with the new atmosphere. The festival later kicks off officially at the Animal Showgrounds on the Thursday that follows. Many people refer to this site simply as Festival Site. The festival is on for four days.
Roskilde Festival 2004 in Denmark - Under Byen
Unlike in the 1990s when the summer festival fun attracted only Scandinavians, today, it is more international. Anybody from any corner of the world will feel at home at the venue of this festival. The highest rate of ticket sales depicts a perennial high turn-out among Germans, British and Australians.
Many of the bands that make performances are those that are well known internationally. Contemporary genres are the main attraction during this festival. You also get to meet some promising talents that are trying to establish themselves in the music industry. Action inside large tents where the events take place reaches a climax when the best among these bands are doing performances. The crowds are always enthusiastic and they love the mood of the festival. It is hard to fail to dance to the rhythm of this summer music festival.
Roskilde summer music festival fun differs from other European festivals in that live performances by bands last for more than hour. The festival got a new look in 2003 when the color of the large tents hosting the festival were changed in terms of color. They were also all renamed except the Orange Stage, the central stage and the main stage. The Orange is the one that will capture your interest most immediately you arrive at the venue of this summer music festival. It is set in front of the open field where everyone maintains a clear view of summer fun action as it unfolds before their eyes.
The Arena Stage was formerly known as Green Stage. This tent is the largest one of its kind in Europe with a capacity of 16, 000 people. During the 2007 edition of the Roskilde Festival, two new tents were introduced, leading to the replacement of the Ballroom which was the traditional setting for Metropol and World Music.
The music covered here is mainly rock and hip hop. It is becoming an accepted tradition for upcoming performers to perform on the first day of the summer festival fun. The Orange Stage is always set for many surprises in terms of classical acts as well as surprise presentations in the form of film-music and dance. Another surprise that works perfectly well every summer is different decorations of tents such that that the festival looks different all the time while remaining the same every year.
The agoras host events that are always guided by the yearís theme such as dance, swim, skate, and so on. These agoras have made the opening of the event to turn into a spectacular summer event in itself. Some people say that it is this event that determines where the festival is going to be fun or not. Majority of people who attend this summer event arrive here on Friday and Saturday so as to attend the opening event. If you can arrive here earlier than that, it will be even better since you will overcome the commotion results from a high Saturday traffic. Once you have arrived in Denmark for the Roskilde Festival, your summer fun has officially begun.