12 August 2025 |
Set on the dockside of the former industrial harbour of Refshaleøen — an area of Copenhagen that has been reborn as a rugged arts-hub — O Days’ curation of late-evening Scandinavian sunset sets, emerging and established DJs and performers, and some of the best festival food we’ve ever eaten makes it the perfect place to unite in the joy of electronic music while sampling highlights from the famed culinary and culture scenes of the city; all without a tent in sight.
Aside from unforgettable, high-voltage performances from international acts such as French electro-duo Justice, Welsh musician and producer Kelly Lee Owens, London-based crowd-pleaser Romy, Northern Irish festival staple Bicep and Berlin-based American DJ and producer Honey Dijon, this year’s programme invited its spirited audiences to celebrate local and emerging acts across all three stages alongside its superstar headliners.
Kelly Lee Owens (L), Romy (R). Image credit: Philip Toft
New for 2025, the O / FM stage was hosted by local live streaming platform Radio Panini. One of the atmospheric highlights of the festival, this intimate but intuitively designed corner of the festival site managed to hold onto the camaraderie and mutual ecstasy of community music spaces without compromising on the festival experience, all while the DJ sets were streamed live online.
With its culturally-considered blend of art and music, refreshingly queue-less and sanitary bathrooms, and a plethora of locally-sourced vendors offering fresh sushi, salads, tacos, natural wine, cocktails and Danish craft beers — alongside an impressive selection of non-alcoholic options — O Days is a festival for grown-ups, and the adult fun can extend far beyond the site itself, if you want it to.
Justice headlining O Days. Image credit: Philip Toft.
If you’re smart (like us), you make the most of spending three days in one of the world’s most stylish cities by booking yourself into a beautiful hotel and taking advantage of its bike rental service to explore the city. Staying at 25 Hours Hotel Indre By, located in a former porcelain factory in the very heart of the city, we brushed off our hangovers with a delicious breakfast menu at the hotel’s in-house restaurant NENI, sweated out the sins of the day before’s dances in the on-site sauna and collapsed into a cloud-like bed after cycling home from the festival — no soggy sleeping bags here.
O Days Festival. Image credits: Philip Toft (L), Amelia Lourie (R).
O Days is the brainchild of Åben, a future-focused Danish craft brewery that describes itself as being “driven by a mission to connect people through shared experiences”. Conceived with a view through this lens, the vision for the the festival has been realised by Åben — in collaboration with Live Nation, booking agency Manna and an impressive network of local partners — and has allowed it to emerge as a curated, welcoming and safe space for festival goers; a must for those wanted to indulge in a classic festival experience without compromising on food, culture and clean, dry clothes.
Early bird tickets are already available for next year’s edition at odaysfestival.dk.
