FAQ (performers)

On Friday 5/6 2026, you can participate in our Nørrebro Bloco and Lake Carnival 2025 from 14-22 Program14.00-21.30 The bar opens on Dronning Louise's bro.16:30-17:00 Live concert on Dronning Louise's bro.17:30-18:00 The Samba Bloco gets ready at Sankt Hans Torv.18:00-19:00 The Samba Bloco moves from Sankt Hans Torv to Dronning Louise’s bro.20:00-21:30 Live concert and Lake Carnival in the sunset on Dronning Louise's bro.21:30-22:00 Collective litter picking. In the style of the famous blocos (massive street parties) from Brazil, we form a grand samba group and lead a dancing street party along the beautiful lakes, through the LOUD tunnel and into the magic sunset on Queen Louise’s Bridge, where a secret orchestra will play when we finish. You can join as a musician, dancer or just for the party. It is voluntary to join and open for all levels. Costumes are not required but highly recommended because. This is carnival!

On Saturday Copenhagen Carnival explodes in an inferno of music, dance, costumes, color, skin, glitter and love. This day is our LOUD day. And you will hear music and drums all around you all day. Program11.00-13.00 Street shows at different town squares in the city center.13.00-14.00  The parade groups line up at Kongens Nytorv.14.00-16.00  The famous Carnival Parade moves from Kongens Nytorv to Rådhuspladsen through Strøget. Every year, the Copenhagen World Carnival Parade celebrates the music and dance of the world’s many fantastic folk cultures with a tradiotional parade through the city center. Over 500 artists bring music, dance, and colorful costumes to the heart of Copenhagen when they participate in the more than 40 years old traditional parade that dates back to 1982 when the first parade took place in Copenhagen.

On the weekdays in between the first and second weekend of June, we will host various workshops and talks. Participate in our workshops with musical traditions stretching from West Africa to Brazil, and hear the inspiring talks on topics like cross-continental collaborations, or the experience of being a Lesbian artist in a male-dominated music industry. More info on workshops as we get closer. Workshops will be ticketed and are not free of charge.

Copenhagen Carnival's final weekend is in the historical and beautiful park, Enghaveparken, where cultures from across the world bloom together. For two days, the whole park transforms into a colorful meeting place filled with concerts, dance performances, workshops, and international street food. Artists and performers share traditions rooted in folk cultures from around the globe — rhythms, movements, and expressions passed down through generations. It is a joyful and welcoming space for families, friends, dancers, music lovers, and curious minds. ProgramSaturday 12-22Sunday 12-22 The full program will be published in May 2026.

Performing in the carnival is voluntary and free of charge.

Copenhagen Carnival does not reimburse your expenses for transport or accommodation.

All artists get a discount at Next House Copenhagen, a new modern luxury hostel in the center of Copenhagen.It is gorgeous and cheap and it's where we host our Saturday Carnival Party. Check it out here:Next House Copenhagen

There is no limit to how many people you can bring in your group. Our stages have a maximum capacity though, and some very large groups are too big for the stages, but we have good solutions for this. Just sign up and we will take care of it and contact you with our solution.

There is no limit to how many children you can bring.

You can apply to perform in Copenhagen Carnival 2026 at our Samba Bloco, World Carnival Parade, and many stage and street shows during our Culture Carnival - all in the heart of Copenhagen, June 5-14, 2026. Here are the dates and locations: Friday 5/6 – In the samba bloco during Nørrebro Bloco and Lake Carnival. Saturday morning, 6/6 - With a street show in one of the many city squares in inner city Copenhagen. Saturday afternoon,  6/6 - In the World Carnival Parade through the city centre of Copenhagen. Saturday 13/6 - On stage or with a ground performance. Sunday 14/6 – On stage or with a ground performance.

You can apply perform up to five times during Copenhagen Carnival in total. When you fill out the application to perform in Copenhagen Carnival, you indicate your preferred performance days and locations. We cannot guarantee that your wishes for performances will be met if there are more applicants than spots available.

In general, we recommend short powerful performances of 5-10 minutes over longer performances of 30 minutes if you are an amateur or semi-professional artist. Curating the program for Copenhagen Carnival involves many considerations, and we will assign your group a time slot and a time period in which you can perform that is between 10-30 minutes long.

Copenhagen Carnival is a collective of over 500 artists and volunteers who all perform and work for free to celebrate the music, food and dance from the world's many fantastic folk cultures, and create Copenhagen Carnival as a yearly tradition as it has been since 1982.

Our stages are equipped with microphones and a PA-system with speakers you can connect your instruments or media player to. Our stage audio technician will help you and will adjust the sound during your performance.

We do not provide guitar or bass amplifiers.Our stages are equipped with microphones and a PA-system with speakers you can connect your instruments or media player to.

We do not provide a piano or a drum kit on stage.

The performance schedule for our stage shows are very tight, and you do not have time to do an extensive sound checks before your show. Our stage audio technician will help you connect your instruments, and will adjust the sound during your performance.

Bring your own sound system for the parade.

Only wagons and carts without engines are allowed in the parade.

A core purpose of Copenhagen Carnival is to give both amateurs and semi-professional musicians and dancers access to a stage and an audience they normally do not have access to. We do our best to give everyone, both beginners and professionals, a spot in our Carnival.

When you fill out the application to perform in Copenhagen Carnival, you indicate your preferred performance days and locations. We do our best to give everyone a spot during Copenhagen Carnival, but we cannot guarantee that your wishes for performances will be met if there are more applicants than spots available.

You will know when and where to perform in May, where the full lineup with a precise schedule for your stage performance is send.