In 2025, we’ll introduce a completely new, larger Orange Stage—double the size of the old one!
Right now, we’re in the midst of planning the construction, and we’ve just completed the first soil tests.
With this new and larger Orange Stage, we’re creating a modern main stage that can accommodate the biggest artists’ large-scale productions and gather a huge community in the central space in front of the stage.
The new stage will consist of two parts: a 24-meter-tall steel structure that will remain permanently on Dyrskuepladsen in Roskilde, along with the iconic orange canopy and tall masts that complete Orange Stage.
The stage will retain its unique look—just in a significantly larger form.
Built to Last for Many Years
The two-part construction will also give Dyrskuepladsen a new covered stage area that can be used for other events year-round—for many, many years to come.
A permanent foundation structure also means we won’t need extra space for storage or for transporting heavy steel parts.
Orange Stage through the years
Unsurprisingly, creating an entirely new version of our iconic Orange Stage is a major project. This is a stage that has towered over the festival grounds since 1978.
Explore the story behind this iconic stage below:
The original orange tent with three masts and a suspended canopy was designed for The Rolling Stones' European tour in 1976. However, the band ended up performing only a few outdoor shows that summer, which led to financial losses for the ambitious construction, causing its owner, Revelation Staging, to go bankrupt. Before that happened, though, Queen held a massive charity concert in the tent to support Vietnamese boat refugees.
In the summer of 1977, then-festival director Leif Skov saw a photo of Queen’s concert in the weekly music newspaper NME. He seized the opportunity to replace the current scaffolding stage with a professional and much more striking stage. The Roskilde Foundation’s executive committee approved the purchase of a “canopy for stage covering” for 150,000 kroner. In May 1978, DFDS Seaways shipped five tons of ‘bits and pieces’ to Roskilde, where a team of volunteers assembled the tent.
The distinctive orange canopy quickly became much more than just a stage—it became a recognizable landmark and a symbolic emblem of the festival’s spirit and community. For its first years at Roskilde Festival, the iconic stage was simply called the Main Stage. From 1980 to 1985, it was officially known as the Canopy Stage. And in 1986, it was given its final, now-legendary name: Orange Stage.
In the mid-90s, Orange Stage nearly faced retirement. Artists and their equipment were growing in size, and the curved shape was challenging to work with. So, in 1994, the hunt for a new main stage began. German engineering firm Strohmeyer Ingenieurgebau proposed a stage with just one central mast, while Jeremy Thom, who had helped develop the original stage in 1976, envisioned a more quirky blend of the familiar orange canopy and a Viking ship. Neither concept, however, won the festival’s heart, and Orange Stage was allowed to endure.
In 2001, the festival purchased a new Orange Stage. The new construction looked similar in colour and shape but was a third larger. The opening toward the audience became about eight meters wider and three meters taller than before. The new dimensions allowed festivalgoers to have a better view from a distance, enhancing safety at the front of the stage.
After 22 festivals and a pandemic, the Orange Stage as you know it has reached retirement age. With the upcoming edition of Orange Stage, we’ll provide a bigger, stronger, taller, and more modern main stage—to benefit artists and audiences alike. In 2025, the stage’s dimensions and load-bearing capacity will be better suited to accommodate the large-scale productions of the biggest artists. This means we can match an incredible audio experience with a stronger visual presence that will reach the vast audience in front of the stage.
