Copenhagen Travel Tips

  • Home
  • Sights
    • Top Must-See Sights (***)
    • Museums & Galleries
    • Churches
  • Day Trips
    • Day Trips from Copenhagen
    • Sweden
  • Free
    • Free Sights
    • Free Concerts
  • Experiences
    • Amusement Parks & Tivoli
    • Shopping
  • Search

Enjoy the Copenhagen Jazz Festival with Free Music Shows

March 13, 2020 by Henk Bekker in Events, Free, Free Concerts

The Copenhagen Jazz Festival is held annually in early July with free admission to many of the around 1300 live music shows and events.

Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2016 Ofelia Plads

Jazz music remains hugely popular in Denmark, and Scandinavia in general, which explains the popularity of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival held each year during the first half of July. Around 1,300 concerts are staged in 130 different venues ranging from intimate cafés to churches and major music halls to outdoor venues with spectacular backdrops. Admission to many concerts, especially outdoor performances, is free.

The Annual Copenhagen Jazz Festival

DR Big Band Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2016 5

The Copenhagen Jazz Festival is one of the largest annual music events in Europe. Established in 1979, the festival currently includes in the official program around 1,300 concerts staged at around 130 different venues over ten action-packed days.

The musicians are a mixture of homegrown talent and international artists with Scandinavian and German performers featuring prominently. In contrast to many other major “jazz” festivals, the Copenhagen Jazz festival actually focuses on jazz music and does not include many pop or rock music performances in the program.

The Copenhagen Jazz Festival is held annually for ten days starting on the first Friday in July – no festival in 2020.

Concerts start daily at 10:00 with the final shows commencing around midnight. Jazz.dk is a great source with the full program and links to venues and ticket vendors.

Free Concerts at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival

New Orleans Jazz Funeral Procession during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2016.

Copenhagen is generally not a cheap city but many of the jazz concerts are very reasonably priced compared to performances in other major cities. Furthermore, a large number and wide variety of concerts each day are completely free.

During the jazz festival free concerts are staged in many squares and parks in especially central Copenhagen. Free, or low-priced, concerts are also held in the large number of community halls and churches in various parts of Copenhagen. Most days also see a street parade to entertain and attract attention to the jazz festival.

Jazz is also played in many bars and beer garden style restaurants where admission is free but common decency requires the consumption of a meal or at least a drink.

Ofelia Plads

As is usually the case in Copenhagen, free in no way determines the quality of the music on offer. For example, in 2016, the DR Big Band with Palle Mikkelborg played a free outdoor concert at Ofelia Plads – expect to fork over DKK200 to DKK400 to hear them perform in the Konserthuset!

Tickets are best bought online in advance for top venues such as the Betty Nansen Theater, Charlie Scotts, DR Koncerthuset, Jazzhouse, and the Opera House.

Transportation to Copenhagen Jazz Festival Concerts

Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2016

Walking and cycling are usually the simplest way to travel in central Copenhagen but during the Jazz Festival, a special event ticket is available for travel on public transportation. This Eventbillet comes in two versions: Lille (small) that is valid in zones 1-4 and Stor (big) that is valid in all zones. The ticket may be used on any bus, metro or S-Tog train.

The ticket is valid for unlimited travel for 12 hours – from either 14:00 to 2:00 the following morning, or from 8:00 to 20:00 for the Jazz for Kids version. The ticket is DKK30 for small and DKK60 for the big version and do not actually require a ticket to any of the music shows. This makes these tickets quite a useful savings deal for visitors to Copenhagen during the Jazz Festival period – similar 24-hour tickets are more than double the price.

Two children under 12 years travel for free with one paying adult.

The Eventticket is only sold online and comes as an SMS or email message.

More Music in Copenhagen

Outside the Jazz Festival period, Jazz may also be enjoyed in many permanent jazz venues in Copenhagen or during the VinterJazz (Winter Jazz Festival) held in February throughout Denmark. Jazz.dk is a great source on jazz music in Denmark.

Free music may also be enjoyed in many of Copenhagen’s churches – mostly, but not always, classical and often not of a particularly religious nature.

  • share  
  • save  
  • tweet  
  • share 

Book Copenhagen Tours and Activities at Get Your Guide:

GetYourGuide
See More Copenhagen Tour and Activities at GetYourGuide

Filed Under: Events, Free, Free Concerts Tagged With: ***, 2020A4, Concerts, Experiences, Free, Jazz, Music, Must See

« Day-Trip Transportation to Odense from Copenhagen
Visit the Tivoli Gardens Fun Fair Amusement Park in Copenhagen »
Home » Events » Enjoy the Copenhagen Jazz Festival with Free Music Shows

AIRBNB IN COPENHAGEN

Airbnb is a fantastic choice for the best accommodation in Copenhagen and a great alternative to staying in hotels. Many Danes rent out their homes and apartments (quite legally and taxed) while on vacation, so many are available in especially summer and over the winter holidays. Try to secure one of these family homes, rather than commercial properties, for great deals and to get a look into true hygge and the typical Danish lifestyle. Airbnb also offers a range of interesting experiences when visiting Copenhagen.

Recent Posts

  • See the Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen
  • Visit the Best Christmas Markets in Copenhagen
  • Visit Lund in Sweden on a Day Trip from Copenhagen
  • Visit the Design Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen
  • Taking the Cheap Ferry from Helsingor to Helsingborg
  • Enjoy Free Organ Music Concerts in Copenhagen Churches
  • Visit Frederiksborg Slot Castle near Copenhagen
  • Best Free Aerial Views of Copenhagen from Christiansborg Tower
  • Cheap Easy Transportation from Copenhagen Airport to Downtown
  • Cheap Easy Transportation to Copenhagen Passenger Cruise Terminals

Tours

GetYourGuide
See All Copenhagen Tours and Activities

Great care is taken in writing these articles but no responsibility is taken for errors or omissions. Contact service providers directly before making any arrangements. This site is not responsible for the content of linked external sites.


Copyright © 2021

Impressum - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Data Protection - About