Inspired by the first rock festivals and various youth gatherings in places such as Newport, Isle of Wight, Woodstock and local festivals in Denmark, the festival wave hit the Danish shores in 1971.The early summer of that year saw festivals in the towns of Hillerød, Randers and Nyborg – and then in late August the Sound Festival took place in Roskilde. An event marked by poor organisation but also great commitment.

Sound Festival boasted one stage and about 20 bands, and a total of 10,000 guests attended the two days of music. The organisers were a music agent from Copenhagen and a group of high school students. After all the hard work they did not wish to repeat the event the following year.

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A local organisation – The Roskilde Charity Society – had carried out charity work in the Roskilde area since the 30s. Among other things, it established facilities for children and young people (kindergartens, day nurseries, youth clubs etc.) town festivals, lotteries and the like.

In 1972, the city council asked this particular society to take over the plans of yet a festival in Roskilde, a job which it accepted in collaboration with the limited company Kaunos A/S. The Roskilde Charity Society covered a third of the deficit/profit and all practical matters – Kaunos covered two thirds of the deficit/profit and the programme. Only a few local businesses were involved in the event; the two organisations behind the festival were not in it for the money, but for the sake of charity.

The festival of 1972 was called Fantasy and attracted 15,000 people each day for three days. About 25 bands played at the festival’s single stage.

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1978 presented an even bigger leap in terms of development. The orange Canopy Stage was purchased from a UK company, Revelation Staging, who had toured with it for Rolling Stones on a long European tour and used it for concerts at Knebworth and Hyde Park.

Now the festival went looking for world-class acts to headline the event which primarily focused on upcoming bands. Bob Marley & The Wailers played Roskilde in 1978 along with about 40 other bands. The festival now boasted three stages and approx. 36,500 guests on each of the festival’s three days of music. Since then the distinctive arches of the canopy have represented Roskilde Festival’s world famous symbol and logo.

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Toward the end of the 70s, a change in the musical profile occurred. The festival discharged the “a bit of everything” approach, and during the first years of the 80s the new musical style was outlined. To this day, it defines Roskilde Festival as one of the leading, up-to-date and visionary festivals in the world for contemporary music and especially the youth culture’s musical modes of expressions.

During the 80s Roskilde Festival continued to develop its position as the leading 4-day rock festival in the category ”young talents of today and of tomorrow.” Being able to present bands and artists such as U2, Simple Minds, UB40, Talking Heads and Elvis Costello at an early stage of their careers was a step in the right direction for Roskilde Festival – and that direction has been followed ever since. If growth and profit were Roskilde’s ambition, the festival would probably have exhausted itself – just as it happened for most of the competitors – and the service level would most likely have been lower and the prices higher.

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During the 90s, brand new sounds came from the Festival Site. In 1991, the dance stage Club Roskilde was established as it was recognised that in the future it would be impossible to differentiate between rock and all the electronic music that gained more and more popularity as the traditional genres were challenged and fused with brand-new expressions. In 1991, Club Roskilde took place on a single night in the small Blue Tent – and by 1995 grooves and beats resounded on all festival days coming, from the newly established Deeday stage.

In the years to follow, even more room for electronic music was created, e.g. with the introduction of Roskilde Lounge, and since then acts such as Fat Boy Slim, Prodigy, Basement Jaxx and Chemical Brothers have performed on the big Orange Stage. Electronic music, in all its guises, came to Roskilde to stay.

In 2012 Roskilde Festival is introducing the new stage Apollo, which focuses on electronic music.

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In the 90s, the tickets in presale were limited, and later the total number of tickets was gradually reduced. Having learned a lesson from the 90,000 guests in the mid-90s, the festival management embarked on a ”westward expansion” in 1994 and established the area we now know as Camping West.

In 1995, Roskilde Festival and its audience celebrated the festival’s 25th anniversary. On this occasion external companies and media published books and released CDs, and various special and rather untraditional happenings took place - the festival celebrated itself by carrying through a very progressive music festival.

During a large part of Roskilde Festival’s existence, changes and adjustments of style have caused some frustration and disappointment among festival participants. When the festival management decided to close the Folk Stage, Jazz Stage and the World Stage, for instance, the representatives of these genres did their job and protested, but the festival closed the stages and chose to develop its more narrow, up-to-date and well-defined profile.

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On 30 June 2000, Roskilde Festival was struck by a tragic accident. During a concert on the Orange Stage, nine young men were killed from a lack of oxygen. The rest of the festival carried on severely marked by the tragedy. Out of respect for the nine young men and in consideration for the audience and the voluntary employees the festival was carried through. 86 of the 90 bands remaining carried through their concerts.

Roskilde Festival is generally perceived as one of the most caring and safe festivals in the world. Perhaps this is an irrelevant fact seeing that the accident happened anyway. However, it is thought-provoking that such a tragedy can happen at a place like Roskilde - it is impossible to guarantee that a thing like that can never happen.

Since then all elements of the festival have been scrutinised and brought up to a maximum level of care and security. The security guidelines for Roskilde Festival are reviewed and evaluated every year. One of our goals is to ensure that festivals can continue to take place, e.g. by eliminating or minimising risks. For that reason Roskilde Festival takes a deeply serious approach to the work with safety. It is not enough to address safety on and in front of the festival stages. All elements of the festival are carefully reviewed, and the festival contributes to national and international developments in festival safety work.

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In the new millennium, Roskilde Festival aims to offer the audience a full-blown festival experience where music, events, art and activities form a synthesis with the feeling of unity among the audience. Roskilde Festival wants to move constantly forward. And it is not only in its musical supply that Roskilde separates itself from other festivals in the world. For a large group of the audience, it is also the surprising and impressive framework around the music, which makes Roskilde Festival something special. Today the audience gets 5 days of warm-up with lots of activities at the camping areas and 4 days of music at the stages. In total: 9 days of partying and experiences at Roskilde Festival.

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Roskilde Festival is an international music festival. It takes place in Roskilde, Denmark, but is much more than a local or national event. The festival crosses borders and is renowned and respected for that. No private person or corporation in it for the money has ever run Roskilde Festival. People know and respect this fact. That is one of the reasons why the festival has become an attraction. Quality, creativity and great care are on the top of the list and are still being developed with growth as a result of this.

The planning of Roskilde Festival happens all year round. When one festival ends, the people involved commence the planning of the next Roskilde Festival. But just as the festival is known for innovation in terms of music, the team behind the festival also tries to avoid that the organisation of the festival and the working process become dull repetitions, which would result in a slow death for the festival. Every year, Roskilde Festival picks itself up, redefines its goals, tasks and work procedures. This process is essential in securing the continued existence and innovation of the festival.

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The voluntary, unpaid workforce is a cornerstone in Roskilde Festival’s foundation, and no other festival has been able to develop such a massive source of voluntary employees.

Roskilde Festival has about 30 full-time permanent employees who all work in the buildings at Havsteensvej near the festival area in Roskilde. They carry out daily tasks and service the several thousand volunteers. Furthermore, there are approx. 800 permanent volunteers who all year round spend a great deal of their spare time on taking care of various tasks.

Since there are so many voluntary workers, it is important that the festival has a set of standard guidelines for work procedures and responsibility areas. To meet this requirement, the festival organisers have defined some general ’task sections’ (there is, for example, a security section and an entertainment section) for the permanent volunteers. Each section is subsequently divided into smaller groups in which the volunteers work all year round. The communication between the volunteers and the festival management goes through the leaders of the various task sections, who make sure that the volunteers carry out their tasks.

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During the festival, the number of volunteers rises to about 30,000. The volunteers build stages, watch out for the festival guests, the guests’ cars and tents, work in the festival stalls or other places in or around the festival area.

All stalls at the festival belong to different societies that are responsible for the supply of food and drinks to the festival. Most societies come from the area around Roskilde, but societies from all over Denmark and other countries can apply for operating stalls at Roskilde Festival and thereby earn money for their society.

The stalls, which each have their individual, distinctive marks, and the volunteers from the various societies all contribute to creating the unique and intimate atmosphere which is one of the trademarks of Roskilde Festival.

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The members of the festival management are: Henrik Rasmussen, Henrik Bondo Nielsen, Esben Danielsen and Rikke Øxner. Steen Jørgensen is the link between the festival structure and the Roskilde Festival Charity Society of which he is chairman. Christina Bilde is appointed as head of communication, coordinating all internal and external communication for Roskilde Festival.

Roskilde Festival is by far the most comprehensive arrangement managed by The Roskilde Festival Charity Society. Coordination and outlining of structure and budget are managed by the Roskilde Festival Charity Society administration which is managed by Henrik Rasmussen.

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The charity organisation behind Roskilde Festival is called Roskilde Festival Charity Society. The profit from the annual Roskilde Festival is donated, without any deductions, to this organisation which supports transnational humanitarian, cultural and non-profit purposes. Throughout the past 36 years, the Roskilde Festival Charity Society has donated more than DKK 180 million (app. € 24 mill.) from Roskilde Festival to e.g. Support the War Victims in Iraq, Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, Save the Children, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and many, many others.

Roskilde Festival Charity Society’s committee consists of six members who are elected on the annual general meeting. Everyone who has worked at least 24 hours at the recent festival can become a member of the society, participate in the general meeting and become a candidate for the members’ committee.

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Roskilde Festival is an annual week-long international cultural event offering quality experiences based on modern music and creative kinship.

With its attitude towards environmental issues, humanitarian causes and cultural work, Roskilde Festival reflects and challenges the surrounding society and world.

Roskilde Festival is a boundary-pushing cultural-political manifestation.

Roskilde Festival is based on the efforts of an unpaid workforce who focus on all aspects of audience service, quality, creativity and safety.

All profits from Roskilde Festival are donated to humanitarian and cultural work.

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Roskilde Festival’s audience expects extraordinary and unique experiences. Each year the festival presents a music programme that is contemporary, forward-looking and innovative while at the same time adding a legendary and historical wing span. Roskilde Festival does not wish to rest on its laurels. The festival must be constantly challenging and continue to present today’s as well as tomorrow’s talents.

Roskilde Festival aims at quality, renewal and variation. The ambition is not to be the biggest, nicest or most established festival. Roskilde Festival must be in constant motion and always consider focusing on new music genres, geographical areas, forms of expression, audience-involving projects or stage design.

As the audience states in letters and e-mails, it should always be a new, exciting and surprising experience to visit Roskilde Festival. The festival’s musical brand is - and must continue to be - a great deal of unpredictability and risk-taking combined with the big stars of today.

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Roskilde Festival has a curious audience. They happily explore experiences, facilities, activities and initiatives at the festival.

Participation and experience is an important part in all aspects of the festival – from food events and performances to temporary architecture and interactive art installations.

Funny, poetic and absurd experiences take place at the most unexpected times and places. Some grow out of a random meeting between the festival guests, while others take shape from magnificent projects such as urban landscapes and playful universes created by prominent artists and the festival guests.

For many years, initiatives involving the audience have been a part of Roskilde Festival, but it is a field where focus has intensified. Today, the audience are not just curious visitors. We ask them to be creationists in the building up of events, structures and whole areas at the festival.

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All profit from Roskilde Festival goes in full to The Roskilde Festival Charity Society, which donates the money to cultural and non-profit projects benefitting for people around the world. Throughout the years, The Roskilde Festival Charity Society has given more than DKK 180 million (approx. € 24 mill.) to War Victims in Iraq, Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, Save the Children, WWF World Wildlife Foundation and more.

Roskilde Festival was, and still is, a festival with an attitude. Today, the attitudinal focus of the festival changed from “HumantoHuman” to “Statement.” Statement is about taking a stand, asking others to do the same and making a change. With Statement Roskilde Festival brings the escalation of poverty and increased social inequalities in Scandinavia into focus.

Every year, more than 700 volunteers from different humanitarian organisations participate in Roskilde Festival’s humanitarian refund collection. Annually, they collect more than DKK 2 million (approx. € 270,000), which goes directly to the organisations’ own projects. The festival guests’ refund donations mean, for instance, that some of the poorest of the world have been better prepared for climate changes and poverty.

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The security guidelines for Roskilde Festival are reviewed and evaluated every year. Roskilde Festival does not solely focus on safety by the stages but addresses all elements of the festival and monitors international developments and expertise very closely.

In collaboration with the Danish National Board of Health, Roskilde Festival runs the annual campaign, Roskilde Against Drugs, focusing on the damaging effects of drugs. Drugs are illegal at Roskilde Festival, as in the rest of Denmark, but if some guests still take drugs, a qualified first aid team is present and ready, and there is a close cooperation with local authorities.

Roskilde Festival is an environmentally conscious festival and the aim is to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Use of resources must be reduced as much as possible and environmental-friendly products must be used when technically and financially possible and to the extent that they do not cause any health hazard. Also, the festival aims at a maximum level of waste recycling.

Roskilde Festival has developed a food policy through which the offers from the food stalls are continuously strengthened with assistance from professionals from the catering business. Focus is on the individual festival-goer’s possibility to choose according to taste – from vegetarian and organic to fast food etc. – with offers from cultures from all over the world. All food stalls are required always to provide documentation of the ingredients in their products, and the festival urges to include a rising amount of sustainable food products in the selections.

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Roskilde Festival offers sponsors and partners image and marketing opportunities – and Roskilde Festival receives major or minor contributions to the future development of the festival. Sponsors do not influence the profile or character of the festival.

In order to emphasise that Roskilde Festival is a music festival, there are no billboard ads, giant screens with ads etc. Large advertising is only allowed where sponsors sell their goods or stage an event/activity. Tuborg is the main sponsor of Roskilde Festival.

Roskilde Festival attracts massive media coverage. During the past few years, media and music business people from all parts of the world have visited the festival - in 2011 there were as many as approx. 3,000 covering Roskilde Festival.

Every year in April, Roskilde Festival holds a press conference in Denmark. Here Roskilde Festival presents its profile in terms of music, attitude and service at the forthcoming festival.

In order to keep the media, and ultimately the audience, up to date on news and bands, the festival mails newsletters to approx. 3,000 members of the media and about 90,000 festival guests several times a year.

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Roskilde Festival’s official site www.roskilde-festival.dk is updated on a weekly basis all year round and offers music articles, practical info, competitions, forums and a timeline with information about each and every Roskilde Festival since 1971 and much more. During the weeks leading up to Roskilde Festival 2011, the website was visited by some 50,000 guests every day.

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1971: Skin Alley, Grease Band. 1972: Kinks, Family, Shanana. 1973: Canned Heat, Fumble, Fairport Convention. 1974: Status Quo, Camel, Incredible String Band. 1975: Procol Harum, Focus, Ravi Shankar, Loudon Wainwright III. 1976: Weather Report, Dr. Hook, Baker-Gurwitz Army, Five Hand Reel, Alan Stivell, Steeleye Span. 1977: John Miles, Ian Gillan Band, Jack Bruce Band, Dr. Feelgood, The Chieftains. 1978: Bob Marley & The Wailers, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Rory Gallagher, Dave Swarbrick. 1979: Talking Heads, Peter Tosh, Jeff Beck & Stanley Clarke, Tom Robinson Band, Link Wray & Billy Cross, Lindisfarne, Ralph McTell, Taj Mahal.

1980: Santana, Joan Armatrading, Steel Pulse, Dan Ar Bras, Brecker Brothers, Hannes Wader. 1981: UB40, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Robert Palmer, Toots & The Maytals, Queen Ida & The Bon Temps Zydeco Band, Saga. 1982: U2, Mike Oldfield, Jackson Browne, Ideal, Osibisa, Rough Trade, Defunkt, La Bamboche. 1983: Simple Minds, 10 CC, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Southside Johnny & The Dukes, Marillion, Warren Zevon, Run Rig, Linton Kwesi Johnson & The Dennis Bowell Dub Band, King Sunny Adé & His African Beats, Andreas Vollenweider, Echo & The Bunnymen, Jaco Pastorius & The Word Of Mouth Band m.fl. 1984: Lou Reed, Killing Joke, Johnny Winter, New Order, Ina Deter Band, The Alarm, Téléphone, The Oyster Band, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Tri Yann. 1985: The Cure, The Clash, Jason & The Scorchers, The Associates, Leonard Cohen, Youssou N’dour & Les Super Étoiles De Dakar, Billy Bragg, Luther Allison, Nina Hagen, Style Council, Indochine, Paul Young & The Royal Family, Ramones. 1986: Eric Clapton / Phil Collins, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Metallica, Madness, BAP, The Waterboys, Feargal Sharkey, Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, Giant Sand, Billy Bragg, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Big Country, Mezzoforte. 1987: Iggy Pop, Rickie Lee Jones, The Pretenders, Van Morrison, The Cult, The Mission, The Triffids, Curtis Mayfield, Europe, The Stranglers, Echo & The Bunnymen, Mory Kante, Flaming Lips, The Go-Betweens, Sonic Youth, That Petrol Emotion, Los Lobos, The Dream Syndicate, Robert Cray Band. 1988: Sting, Bryan Adams, Toto, Leonard Cohen, INXS, John Hiatt, Billy Bragg, The Church, The Pogues, Young Gods, New Model Army, Sugarcubes, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Soul Asylum, Rainmakers, Sly & Robbie & Rhythm Killers ’88, Georgia Satellites, Hothouse Flowers, 10,000 Maniacs. 1989: Joe Cocker, Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega, Pixies, Tanita Tikaram, Jane Siberry, Jason & The Scorchers, My Bloody Valentine, Johnny Clegg & Savuka, Einstürzende Neubauten, Living Colour, Georgia Satellites, The Waterboys, Swans, Cowboy Junkies, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Stray Cats, Pere Ubu, The Sandmen, Disneyland After Dark. Approx. 100 bands.

1990: Bob Dylan, Midnight Oil, The Cure, Bryan Adams, Ry Cooder & David Lindley, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The The, De La Soul, Faith No More, Galaxie 500, Salif Keita, Lenny Kravitz, Omar & The Howlers, The Orb, Paul Oakenfold, Soundgarden, They Might Be Giants, Ride. Approx. 100 bands. 1991: Paul Simon, Simple Minds, Billy Idol, Elvis Costello, Iron Maiden, Iggy Pop, Charlatans, Jesus Jones, Marianne Faithfull, Deee-Lite, Gang Starr, Danzig, Debbie Harry, Primus, Rembrandts. Approx. 110 bands. 1992: Nirvana, David Byrne, D:A:D, Extreme, Pearl Jam, Megadeath, Faith No More, Blur, Helmet, Screaming Trees, Teenage Fanclub, EMF, Primal Scream, Mercury Rev, Crowded House, The Pogues, Television. Approx. 110 bands. 1993: Neil Young & Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Anthrax, New Order, Midnight Oil, Velvet Underground, Ray Charles, Bad Religion, Kronos Quartet, The Levellers, Porno For Pyros, Sonic Youth, Sugar, Suicidal Tendencies, Afghan Whigs, The God Machine, Lemonheads, Spiritualized, Therapy?, 22-Pistepirkko. Approx. 125 bands. 1994: Aerosmith, Rage Against The Machine, Grant Lee Buffalo, Saint Etienne, Björk, Underworld, Tindersticks, Sepultura, Peter Gabriel, Paradise Lost, The Specials, The Boo Radleys, Rollins Band, George Clinton & The P-Funk All Stars, Stereolab, Radiohead, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, The Posies, ZZ Top, The Levellers, Accept. Approx. 125 bands. 1995: R.E.M., Bob Dylan, The Cure, Page & Plant, The Cranberries, Suede, Sinead O’Connor, Oasis, Van Halen, Blur, Offspring, P.J. Harvey, Jeff Buckley, Weezer, Tricky, The Cardigans, Shane MacGowan & The Popes, Bodycount & Ice T, Supergrass, The Prodigy, Paul Weller. Approx. 140 bands. 1996: Björk, David Bowie, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Patti Smith, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The Cocteau Twins, Cypress Hill, D-A-D, Grant Lee Buffalo, Alanis Morissette, Pulp, Rage Against The Machine, Sepultura, Slayer, The Fall, The Flaming Lips, Massive Attack, Moby, Tindersticks, Tortoise, Type O Negative, Underworld. Approx. 150 bands. 1997: Radiohead, David Byrne, Suede, Pet Shop Boys, Mötley Crüe, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Prodigy, Beck,  Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Isaac Hayes, Supergrass, Stereolab, Ani Difranco, Daft Punk. Approx. 160 bands. 1998: The Beastie Boys, Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, Garbage, Kraftwerk, Portishead, Tricky, Iggy Pop, Primal Scream, Pulp, Rammstein, Sonic Youth, Deftones, Dr. John, Nils, Tortoise, Natacha Atlas. Approx. 160 bands. 1999: Metallica, R.E.M., Suede, Blur, The Chemical Brothers, Marilyn Manson, Robbie Williams, Blondie, Faithless, Al Green, Manic Street Preachers, Mercury Rev, Ministry, Orbital, Placebo, The Residents, The Roots, Blonde Redhead, The Divine Comedy, Jello Biafra, Wilco, Transglobal Underground, Basement Jaxx, Coldcut, Death In Vegas. Approx. 170 bands.

2000: D-A-D, Iron Maiden, Willie Nelson & Family, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, Lou Reed, Flaming Lips, Youssou N’Dour, Thåstrøm, Travis, Gomez. Approx. 170 bands. 2001: Robbie Williams, Aqua, Beck, The Cure, Patti Smith, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Bob Dylan, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Basement Jaxx, Faithless, P.J. Harvey, George Thorogood, Manu Chao, Tool. Approx. 150 bands. 2002: Garbage, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Rammstein, Travis, New Order, White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Chemical Brothers, Pet Shop Boys, Primal Scream. Approx. 150 bands. 2003: Blur, Metallica, Raveonettes, Sigur Rós, Björk, The Cardigans, Iron Maiden, Interpol, Daniel Johnston, Massive Attack, Material, Queens of the Stone Age, The Streets, Suicide. Approx. 150 bands. 2004: Korn, Pixies, Fatboy Slim, Morrissey, Wu-Tang Clan, Basement Jaxx, Franz Ferdinand, The Hives, Slipknot, Muse, Santana, Kings of Leon, Morbid Angel. Approx. 160 bands. 2005: Green Day, Black Sabbath, Foo Fighters, Duran Duran, Kent, Snoop Dogg, Brian Wilson, Audioslave, Ali Farka Touré, Carl Cox, Outlandish, Bikstok Røgsystem, Sonic Youth. Approx. 160 bands. 2006: Guns n’ Roses, Editors, Opeth, Happy Mondays, Kanye West, Ed Motta, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Tool, Under Byen, Toumani Diabaté’s Symmetric Orchestra, Looptroop, Wolfmother, Roger Waters og Kaiser Chiefs. Approx. 160 bands. 2007: Beastie Boys, Arcade Fire, The Who, Trentemøller, The Killers, Nephew, The Congos, LCD Soundsystem, In Flames, Roky Erickson, Klaxons, Red Hot Chili Peppers og Björk. Approx. 175 bands. 2008: Radiohead, Jay-Z, Neil Young, Gnarls Barkley, Cat Power, Band of Horses, The Streets, My Bloody Valentine. Approx. 175 bands. 2009: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails, Oasis, Pet Shop Boys, Slipknot, Trentemøller, Kanye West. Approx. 175 bands. 2010: Gorillaz, Jack Johnson, Muse, Prince, Patti Smith and Band, Kings of Convenience, The Prodigy, Robyn, Pavement. 2011: Arctic Monkeys, Iron Maiden, Kings of Leon, Mastodon, M.I.A, Pj Harvey, Portishead, The Strokes. 

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