Haven is a two-day festival taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark, August 11th and 12th. It is the inaugural year of the festival and has been started by Aaron & Bryce Dessner (of The National) Mikkel Borg Bergsø (of Mikkeller beer) and Claus Meyer (the renowned chef). They “have teamed up to create new experiences from their own art forms, namely beer, food, art and music.” There will be bigger names at the festival like The National and Bon Iver as well as rising/up-and-coming artists like Kwamie Liv and Liss.
In English, a Haven is a place of refuge while in Danish Haven means “harbor.” This dual meaning is especially appropriate for this new Haven Festival which will take place at Refshaleøen overlooking the city and harbor.
Aaron Dressner spoke to the Danish newspaper, Murmur, about the festival saying, “I’ve become friends with Claus and Mikkel over the years through music. I have a lot of respect for their sense of craftsmanship. It was an opportunity to create almost a lab or a living installation, where we go into an environment where there’s a lot of innovation and inspiration happening in different mediums. And that seems like an interesting way to spend a few days for the artist and the audience. It’s a ‘haven’ for creative expression. A festival for the senses – it’s more than just bands on the stage. Hopefully, over time, we can give Danish underground musicians the opportunity to perform.”
Haven intends to make something along the lines of an art installation merging musical, culinary, and drinking experiences as well as placing equal emphasis on each. This contrasts to the traditional or typical festival backdrops of muddy settings, tents, and cheap beer.
Dressner goes on to say, “We want to explore the ways in which the art forms intersect and provide people with the opportunity to discover new tastes, sounds and sights. Every ingredient in the festival experience is carefully selected and handpicked.”
Keeping with their image as the atypical festival, everything intends to be specialized and of very high quality. This includes, among the impressive line-up: Live brewing that will take place on-site at the festival—a special beer will be spontaneously fermented by being exposed to the festival air; a food lab supported by Ikea where you can experiment and create your own flavors while pickling vegetables; and an improvised music system Small White Man by FOS in which he uses a lighting installation to live-conduct an ensemble of six musicians playing in six 2×20 concerts—he compares it to a social event “where an architectural setting determines the cultural values.” Additionally, Mikkeller will be serving up custom-made house beers exclusively for Haven’s bars.
If you are interested in experiencing this and more at this gentrified festival of sorts, the details for Haven Festival can be found below:
Festival Details
HAVEN Festival
Date: August 11th-12th
Location: REFSHALEVEJ 151, 1432 COPENHAGEN K
Buy tickets here
Pingback: Haven Festival: A Haven for Music, Food, and Beer-lovers Alike