Copenhagen Entertainment

Once your day of sightseeing is over and you’ve freshened up, you’ll be wondering what the city of Copenhagen has to offer in the way of evening entertainment. In the tradition of most of the world’s major capital cities, Copenhagen comes alive at night and is chockfull of venues where you can enjoy everything from an evening of culture to a full-on rave at a club. Fine restaurants, traditional pubs, chic bars, trendy nightclubs and live venues top the list of the many establishments offering entertainment for both residents and visitors after the sun goes down.

Nightlife

Copenhagen’s nightlife venues are typical of a big city, with everything from small intimate restaurants, where you can enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner, to busy clubs where you can dance the night away. Venues that combine aspects of the two are also popular, so don’t think it unusual to be able to go for a meal, have a DJ start playing a set mid-evening and the punters up and dancing by the time the plates are cleared. The night scene on the whole starts late and it’s rare to find a club with any real volume of people before midnight. Bars invariably open until at least midnight and many into the early hours of the morning. Dress codes are rarely strict at any of the city’s nightspots.

Theatre and music

A modest selection of theatres serves residents and visitors looking for cultural entertainment of an evening, and includes the Copenhagen Opera House, Det Kongelige Theater (Royal Theatre) and the Copenhagen Theatre Circle. At the Opera House, you’ll find a 700-seat venue, which is now the new home of the Royal Danish Opera. The Copenhagen Theatre Circle is an amateur company presenting performances in English – ideal for expats or visitors. If it’s live music you’re looking for then the city has a variety of venues catering for differing genres. The jazz scene is especially good, with venues such as the Copenhagen Jazzhouse, Huset and La Fontaine regularly hosting jazz jams. For a spot of blues, try the Mojo bar.

Festivals

There are a number of annual summer festivals that are unique to the city, with highlights including:

• The Roskilde Festival is one of the world’s biggest rock events and sees four days of concerts, with some of the most famous names in the rock genre performing (June/July).
• The Copenhagen Jazz Festival sees 10 days of performances by both Danish and internationally famous jazz artists, from a variety of sub-genres (July).
• The Copenhagen International Ballet Festival sees performances of both traditional ballet and modern dance in an event that lasts from the first to the third week of the month (August).
• The Copenhagen International Film Festival (CIFF) presents 10 days of film-related events in the same vein as famous film festivals such as those held in Berlin, Cannes and Venice (September).
• At the Copenhagen Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the best of Danish and international film productions with homosexual themes are aired to the city’s resident and visiting gay and straight community.