Piercing shards of white light dart into the glossy woodland canopies. Under the cover of darkness, a mirrored mannequin elegantly glides through the air to a skulking, moody beat deep in Skanderborg’s protected beech forest, Dyrehave. Inside the mirrored skinsuit, the aerialist morphs and contorts as the rhythm intensifies, dangling over the crowds below. The track reaches its climax and the figure spirals upwards, spinning in situ as lights frantically splinter and flicker into a single luminous orb.
, which translates from Danish to ‘beautiful festival’, has welcomed party-goers to the stunning public woodland site for 46 years – a festival born from five friends who wanted to make an impact in the Danish music scene; here, wood chips pave interconnecting routes that meander beneath the beech trees from stage to stage and dappled light fractures between the lime green leaves. For 50 weeks of the year, the public woodland landscape is free to roam. Smukfest’s crowning jewel, which cements the festival as a serious contender in the global scene, lies in its symbiotic relationship with the land. The venue is built around the natural world – infrastructure is moulded to fit the land as it ebbs over hills and flows alongside expansive lakes. Nature is never amended or removed in any way to make way for temporary entertainment.
Feeding into international appeal and natural harmony, this year’s newest introduction, the hypnotic ‘Ekko’ stage, welcomes a plethora of electronic artists between its branches. The unique atmosphere boasts a space for the genre to thrive. A 360° platform poised in the sloping hillside’s natural amphitheatre is surrounded by mirrored screens propped upon tree trunks. Above the DJ booth, a lone tree curls upwards through the heart of the circular set-up. “We’ve had to build unique parts just for this stage to preserve the tree”, festival booker Chris Kleis explains. “We build around nature”.
From modern soundscapes to vintage charm, Smukfest dabbles in both creating new and honouring tradition. Retreating into the suave, ruffled aesthetics of Victorian-era circus cabaret, the Circus field is a time-capsule that has emerged amongst the trees. Vibrant performances from jazz and big band orchestras, as well as swing dancers, bound through the night until the late hours. In close proximity, an absinthe bar and cigar lounge look on from above.
Woven throughout the landscape, a portfolio of international cuisine, tapas bars and fine-dining restaurants line the walkways. A ‘Stock Market Bar’ even allows visitors to experience inflation in real time – whereby the price fluctuates for different drinks dependent on demand. Once an hour, the market crashes and prices are driven low for a warped ‘happy hour’.
For native speakers, a new ‘find a friend’ feature on the app aims to bridge connectivity and fuel independence, but, only available in Danish, this is stifled for its international audience (alongside broader language limitations for international visitors which hinder some elements of the festival). Though, has great potential for growth in coming years.
Smukfest’s intimacy with the natural world doesn’t come at the expense of ambition. kicks off headline slots on Wednesday with lashings of 90s and 00s pop anthems. Pop sensations ‘Rock DJ’, ‘Let Me Entertain You’, ‘Millenium’ and ‘Angels’ are accompanied by oodles of dry humour and tender montages to his beloved family. In close succession, Lewis Capaldi takes to the main stage on Thursday night to deliver his trademark brand of sombre, heartbreak anthems.
By Friday afternoon, the woodland is awash with sunshine, girl power and feminine charm – as a battalion of artists master their craft, drawing joy from heartbreak. Smukfest becomes rife with love-drenched, sun-filled odes to the complications and delights of passion, self-acceptance and unrequited love.
Dragonflies zip through the air while Hackney-born singer-songwriter lovestruck setlist bounds through gorgeously self-aware lyricism. Between tracks, sobbing pre-recorded prose tugs on heartstrings, but she scoffs and laughs. “I was such a drama queen back then”, she chuckles. “I was going through an intense breakup.” Infectious smiles relentlessly beam from the band, closing with delicate mammoth internet-hit, ‘Go’.
While turns heartbreak into a self-reflective agony-aunt set, channels this into infectious energy honoured to new love, which brims with nostalgia. Former Sporty Spice bounds onstage in a bright orange tracksuit and immediately dives into dance-pop offerings ‘Attitude’ and ‘Sweat’. ‘Spice up your life’ maintains the high-octane atmosphere before pulling the breaks to a delicate acoustic segment of ‘2 become 1’, and Bryan Adams’ duet ‘When You’re Gone’. Tracks are dedicated to the singer’s new husband, who smiles on softly from the sidelines as a cover of Crystal Water’s ‘Gypsy Woman’ and 99’s dance anthem ‘I Turn To You’ regain momentum and vitality, in time for Spice Girls’ decade defying smash-hit ‘Who Do You Think You Are’. It’s a euphoric finale to a gorgeously indulgent and nostalgic afternoon, rife with unabashed energy and exuberance.
Texan country artist treats Skanderborg’s crowds to a uniquely delightful slew of ‘sisterhood country’ tracks; saccharine tales from the Mid-west centred around classic country tropes and earnest tradition. ‘Family is everything’, she explains, delving into a set fraught with heartbreak, cancelled engagements, daddy-daughter love, and odes to the deep, tender love for her grandparents.
Between mystical star-shaped lanterns, funk-laden melodies fill the Star stage on Saturday afternoon, as Danish-Welsh repetitive lyricism pluck infectious karaoke moments from the sky with heavy bassline groove in ‘Take it all back’. Meanwhile, on the mainstage, Bebe Rexha provides an endless 90’s dance anthem compilation topped with powerful vocals and a tightly-choreographed dance troop. “I used to be sad all of the time”, she admits. “But I learned that you can’t please everyone.” Part-vocal-domination, part-rave, dancers frolic in black and pink attire to a vivacious throwback set.
Away from Top 40 namesakes, bizarre gems are sprinkled across the festival. At the Moon stage, gutteral, throat-singing pours from striking saxophonist Thorbjørn Øllgaard while a single glaring spotlight beams on the figure – hunched over his instrument. Chaos emerges from the calmmosh pits make way to duelling saxophones. The pair skulk down from the stage and the audience clears a circle in the crowd. The pair swirl, facing one another, while their explosive concoction of techno, punk, drum and bass soundscapes erupt from the Danish three-piece.
Communal catharsis and political awareness radiate from Saturday’s closing headliner e. An obnoxiously oversized emerald green fur coat makes an appearance as ‘Thrift Shop’ explodes into earshot, though pensive ballad ‘Same Love’ offers reflection in times of global friction. Frequent nods to Free Palestine are speckled throughout the evening, ‘None of us are free, until we are all free’, he bellows with confidence in solidarity. Backed by his outstanding soulful band and rich vocals, trumpets pierce through the ruckus as ‘Can’t Hold Us’ brings the nostalgic show to an explosive, triumphant finale.
