Arena Market: Denmark

Denmark’s natural bridging position between Scandinavia and the huge music market of Germany has given it many advantages in attracting tours.

The Øresund link has famously connected Sweden by land and birthed Scandi noir TV favourite The Bridge, and a new fixed link tunnel will connect Denmark straight to Germany under the Baltic in 4-5 years.

Danes’ extremely high standard of English means British and American bands do well here. But the country does not lose sight of its Nordic roots and hosts SPOT Festival in Aarhus to showcase the best in Scandinavian pop and upcoming dance and indie. Copenhagen is home to cool, historic clubs like Vega with storied reputations.

“The health of the live entertainment market in Denmark is good.”

Arena-wise Denmark boasts the likes of the Ceres Arena in Aarhus (19,443), the evocatively named Gigantium in Aalborg (8,500), the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning (15,000), the Casa Arena in Horsens (10,400), and in the capital, the Forum (19,433), the Royal Arena (2,000-16,500), and K.B. Hallen (4,600).

“The health of the live entertainment market in Denmark is good. Obviously, Copenhagen is an attractive city for both international artists and fans, and thankfully, we have some competent promoters doing everything in their power to present some of the world’s greatest artists in Denmark,” comments Dan Hammer of the Royal Arena in the capital.

He adds: “The next 12-18 months are looking really solid for the arena, with an incredibly diverse range of artists on the books.” The Royal Arena opened in 2017 in the Ørestad South area and has hosted Metallica, UFC bouts, and ice hockey. Its recent and forthcoming roster looks healthy, including the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Rod Stewart, and Billie Eilish.

“While the bounce back in ticket sales in 2023 was driven by festivals, stadiums, and major arena acts, 2024 has been defined by a strong comeback for mid-level tours”

Of course, Denmark has a strong economy with high costs and high wages. Ticket prices can afford to be on the higher side while punters earn high wages and are happy to spend on tickets. Danes are said to be the world’s happiest people and are big music lovers. Festivals like Roskilde and Copenhagen Jazz Festival put the country on the map every summer.

“The live entertainment market in Denmark continues to be strong and healthy,” says Kasper Busch Lund, CEO of K.B. Hallen. “While the bounce back in ticket sales in 2023 was driven by festivals, stadiums, and major arena acts, 2024 has been defined by a strong comeback for mid-level tours, both Danish and international, and both in terms of numbers and ticket sales. At K.B. Hallen, the legendary 4,600-capacity Copenhagen venue, the outlook for 2025 continues to be strong for both international acts and new Danish artists.”