The Roskilde Recipe for Success: Festimonial with CEO Henrik Rasmussen

Article by: Chrissie Lam|@thesupplychange

Wed June 25, 2014 | 00:00 AM


One of the best things about attending festivals is the friendships you develop. I attended Roskilde Festival every year from 2003 to 2012. During that time, I befriended the CEO of the Roskilde Festival Group, Henrik Rasmussen, and his wife, Jette. Here, I speak with Henrik about Roskilde’s origins and what the organizers have planned for the future. 

Held around the first week of July in Roskilde, Denmark, this music festival has an adult-summer-camp vibe, spread across 200 acres, with big-name acts performing on nearly a dozen stages.

Henrik Rasmussen, 2011

Who are the founders of Roskilde Festival? 

Mr. Mogens Sandfaer and Mr. Jesper Magnussen (high school students in Roskilde), and manager and promoter Mr. Carl Fischer. Mogens and Jesper were organizing the practical parts of concerts in their high school, and Carl booked the bands.

How do you know each other?

During the documenting of the Roskilde Festival’s history, we contacted Mogens and Jesper to get their firsthand story of the first festival. We have stayed in touch over the years, and the two gentlemen visit the festival from time to time.

Why did you decide to start the Roskilde Festival Group? And how did the festival come about?

In 1971, the Sound Festival (original name) was commercially organized by Mogens, Jesper, and Carl. Since 1972, when my organization took over the event, it has been non-profit. The idea for the festival came from Isle of Wight, Newport, Woodstock, Altamont. The thought was that when this could be organized abroad, we could do it in Denmark too!

What was the first Roskilde Festival like? Any mishaps? Funny stories? Successes?

The first festival in Roskilde (Sound Festival) was rather chaotic and we had rain showers. An estimated 3000 people paid for their tickets, but approximately 13,000 people visited the festival. The result was an economic and organizational breakdown—it was impossible to balance the real profits. (Both Jette and I attended as very young people.) The two high school students tried to clean up the mess after the festival together with their girlfriends, but it was impossible. Eventually the city council decided to help with the cleaning.

What is your favorite memory or story of Roskilde? 

My favorite memory is Roger Waters performing “The Dark Side of the Moon” in 2006. It was awesome and magical.

Other favorite festivals? Why?

Paléo in Switzerland because of its high-quality food and amazing decoration—and normally a very fine lineup. Also Lowlands in Holland for an abundance of decorations and art, great for hearing upcoming bands. Both festivals are very professionally organized.

In hindsight, if you could give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be? What have you learned from your past experiences?

I cannot say that I would have done anything differently. For the music industry, I have a very rare education (auditor), and this is needed as very few even consider the money aspect in what they do and/or organize. It was a very good decision to make the organizing of Roskilde Festival my full-time (or more than so) job. I am a very lucky man to have this job.

Why do you think Roskilde is such a successful festival? What is the public's perception of the festival?

I think the major reason for Roskilde Festival’s success is the understanding of the volunteer system and respect for the approximately 32,000 unpaid workers, investing so many hours (most of them away from family and friends), vacation, energy, and heart in the event. For some reason (nobody knows why) people behave so nicely and treat each other with love and respect once they enter the festival grounds. Roskilde becomes Denmark’s fourth-biggest city, around 130,000 people, for eight days! 

What are you most proud of?

It is very difficult to explain. From the early years, the Roskilde Feeling (Orange Feeling) emerged from the people attending the festival, and it is just “there” still. That makes me very proud to know that we do that. I am also very proud to have kept the Roskilde Festival young. The average age of our audience is—and has been for many, many years—23 or 24 years (and I just turned 60 on June 10).

Roskilde Fest is a leader in sustainability and social consciousness. Where do you see Roskilde headed in the future? Are there new initiatives coming down the pipeline?

Our goal is to be 100% sustainable and ecological within a few years. We are also aiming at selling ecological drinks—this is not that easy. And we are working at excluding generators (which pollute very much).

What are you most excited about at this year's Roskilde Festival?

I cannot wait to see the Rolling Stones entering "their" old stage. Actually, the current Canopy Stage/Orange Stage from 2001 is a new tent 30% bigger than the original from the 70s—but the design is 100% identical.

What are your favorite bands/musicians?

AC/DC, Metallica, Robbie Williams, Rammstein, Guns N’ Roses. I like hard and very loud rock music.