Thousands flocked to the KU Festival to hang with good friends in the sun

The main stage opened with a cavalcade of the Danish rock band TV-2’s all-time hits. Most of them were released long before most of the students were born.

But it didn’t matter.

TV-2 was one of the favourites among the many festival guests, and you could hear it, as young and old all piped in at the front of the stage on the band’s biggest numbers.

And so the stage was set for a real shindig.

Jacob Ørum, director of the student café organizer Studenterhuset says that 37,000 draught beers and about 3,500 cocktails were downed in total at the six bars at the festival.

Later, at the karaoke tent, things got out of hand, and he had to set up a fence around the front of the stage and around the audio technician because of the pressure from the crowds.

On top of beer, music, and karaoke, the festival also included debates on diversity, sustainability, and stress, as well as volleyball and the legendary University Post KUiz on some of the big stories at the university over the past year.

The organisers said that more than 300 volunteers had made the festival happen. More than 100 of these were UCPH staff who stood in the entrance, at the recycling booth, at the bars, and doing various co-ordination tasks.

The festival took five days to set up and a day and a half to pull down.

Newbies and seasoned festival-goers

»There’s something about drinking a cold draught beer in the sun with your friends.« The University Post talked to some of the guests to get a sense of what the festival vibe was.

Helgi Hansen, 10th semester political science

»This is my last chance to experience the festival, so I am just here to enjoy the good weather with my friends and drink beer.«

»I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of great artists. I’ve just seen TV-2. I’ve never seen them live before, but it was cool and the audience was completely into it. Later, I’ll be seeing Brimheim and First Hate.«

Marie Nejsum, 4th semester Communications and IT

»It has become a fixed tradition to say goodbye to people from the study programme and some of our friends in common on other study programmes. It’s the third time I’ve been here.«

»There’s just something about drinking a cold draught beer in the sun with your friends. It’s really nice and there’s a good summer vibe here. And I am looking forward to seeing Blæst.«

Martin Rudbæk Jepsen, Associate Professor of Geography

»I have always wanted to take part in the UCPH Festival, but I haven’t been able to do it before this year. So even though I’ve been an employee for 15 years, it’s actually my first time. And what an amazing event.«

»The good weather and the good company have meant a lot, but I’m also here because I just had to see TV-2. I’m so old that I remember listening to them on the radio. They usually play some great concerts, so I wanted to see them here as well.«

Vibeke Nielsen, dental hygienist, specialist clinic at the Department of Odontology and her friend Henriette Frederiksen

»It is the first time I’ve been to the KU Festival. I have been employed at the Department of Odontology for two and a half years, but I have only discovered the festival this year when I read about it on KUnet. And the only reason I noticed the event was because I saw a picture of Steffen Brandt. I’m a big fan of TV-2 and I know they can do their stuff.«

»It’s just in the backyard of the Department of Odontology, and the weather forecast showed beautiful weather, so I invited my friend along. I expect that this will be an event that I will take part in from now on. It’s a nice way to hang out with colleagues and friends.«

Sigurd Bubel and Jonas Pedersen, 4th semester Communications and IT

»We are not really here for the music, but for the opportunity to meet up with friends from the study programme and for the social part of things. It’s a great occasion when you don’t see each other too much over the summer months because of exams and the summer holidays.«