One of the largest street festivals in Europe, Distortion takes you on a psychedelic journey of outdoor bashes and EDM tracks right in the urban landscape of Copenhagen. Distortion draws more than 100,000 visitors per day and takes over the Danish capital for almost a week, with street parties taking place in the Nørrebro and Vesterbro districts. People call it organized chaos for a reason!
Distortion Lineup & Program
Distortion festival consists of three parts, each with their own lineup of passionate local and international artists. The party of the year begins with Distortion X, picks up speed with Distortion Club, and comes to a grand finale with Distortion Ø. There are also other events going on, like ActionHygge, Havnefest, and Nørrebro Street Party. Whether you're in for a full ride, or want to dip your toes in the Copenhagen EDM scene, there's something for everyone in the Distortion program.
Distortion X (May 29-30, 2024)
The festival's first two days bring the heat to the streets of the Danish capital. The event takes place at two separate locations with some of the most popular electronic artists headlining.
Distortion X Rådhuspladsen (May 29)
Starting off at the Rådhuspladsen, Copenhagen's City Hall Square, the festival invites you to a heated outdoor bash with a curated set list and an electrifying atmosphere. The party begins at 3:30 pm and continues until midnight. French latin house pro, HUGEL, will headline the event and create perfect summer vibes with his set. Other performers include ICEKIID, TooManyLeftHands, and BOABOA.
Distortion X Nørebro (May 30)
Hosted in collaboration with Red Bull, Gravity, and Soundvenue, the festival sets up three stages with its own diverse lineup at The Red Square and Nørrebro Skatepark near Superkilen Park. Hip-hop, tech house, live performances—all of this you can see from 4 to 11 pm. Some of the artists featured include KUNDO, Cloonee, and AV AV AV.
Distortion Club (May 29-31, 2024)
Distortion Club takes place in nightclubs as well as unusual temporary locations, like swimming pools, museums, the Royal Theatre, and warehouses. Hot Chip, Simian Mobile Disco, Sebastien Tellier, Diplo & M.I.A. have played at Distortion Club and later became international stars. This year's Distortion Club events will take place at Module, Culture Box, and Den Anden Side. Erizo, Teenage Mutants, Skatebård, Undercatt, TOMMY FOUR SEVEN, Matiago, and DOBÉ are the headliners of Distortion Club. The sets begin around 10 pm or midnight and span until 6 to 8 am in the morning.
Distortion Ø (May 31-June 1, 2024)
The week ends with the Distortion Ø on 4 stages located in an unusual place—on an industrial island in the Copenhagen harbour. Distortion Ø brings diverse music to the city with a focus on dance music with a lineup of 38 artists, ranging from emerging talent to some of the big names like Anfisa Letyago, DJ Heartstring, Dyen, Avalon Emerson and many others. Hip-hop, world, house, experimental and techno—everything goes.
Hours & Location
On May 31st, the fun begins at 6 pm and lasts until 4 am. On June 1st, you'll have a chance to stay around longer, from 6 pm to 6 am. The festival's venue also has a large camping area located on the island of Refshaleøen, just 200 meters from the stage and a few minutes from a bus stop. Distortion chill-out area is located across from the famous Little Mermaid.
Tickets
Admission is only allowed for those over 18 years old. You can buy a Festival Pass, which costs 1200 Danish kroner and gives you access to all events of the festival. You can also grab separate tickets for different days. Distortion X tickets range cost 250 kroner, while the entry to Distortion Ø ranges from 600 to 1000 kroner. Admission to Distortion Club events is possible with a Festival Pass.
History
In 1998, Thomas Fleurquin came up with the idea of celebrating Copenhagen's nightlife with a summer festival. First, it was a one-night party in the nightclub Mantra in Tivoli, Copenhagen. Starting as a small 200-people party, the event quickly grew in the last decades to a grandiose, mainstream festival with over 100,000 people attending.
