Denmark increases aid, announces restart team

The Danish government has announced a further DKK 450 million in aid for culture and sports, as well as DKK 50m for a new ‘restart team’.

The DKK 450m will go towards extending a large number of compensation schemes dedicated to culture and sport until 31 January 2021.

While the DKK 50m will fund a restart team which will come up with recommendations and proposals for how culture and sports can take place under the current restrictions.

“Cultural life, sports and association life are hit particularly hard by the crisis. That is why there is special help for these areas in the new political agreement,” says minister of culture Joy Mogensen.

“I am glad that we can hold out a hand to both cultural institutions and performers throughout the country. We’re allocating funds to a restart team that can work with new, creative solutions for how the Danes’ cultural life best lasts during and after the crisis.”

“Dansk Live is deeply committed to ensuring that larger concerts and festivals can be carried out next summer”

According to promoters’ association Dansk Live, the support package will siphon off DKK 300m for music.

“For Dansk Live, this pool is crucial for the further survival of the venues. In our view, it has been crucial to get the activity pool extended and ensure that the pool was large enough to cover all applicants. The extension has been included in the agreement – the pool is DKK 300 million and runs until and including 31 January 2021. Given the circumstances, it is really good,” says Esben Marcher at Dansk Live.

“We are deeply committed to the work of establishing methods which ensure that larger concerts and festivals can be carried out if Covid-19 remains a challenge next summer, but we also believe that the state should be more involved in the work. That is why we want to work to ensure that this becomes part of the terms of reference for the restart team,” concludes Marcher.

Currently, Denmark is permitting a maximum of 500 people at seated, socially distanced events – one of the highest limits in Europe, where many countries have gone into lockdown or drastically reduced capacities.

The Danish government has been encouraging live events throughout the autumn, even offering substantial subsidies to fund socially-distanced events, such as concerts, taking place during September and October.

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