Open Call 2024

OPEN CALL 2024

This summer we take our guests on a discovery trip at Teglholm Brygge in Sydhavn on Saturday 24 August and Orientkaj st. in Nordhavn on Sunday 25 August.

Kulturhavn Festival brings art, culture and movement to Copenhagen Harbour. Over two days, we dive into the city's blue-green oases with cultural experiences that give the audience a new understanding and a new view of the harbour.

The festival site and the program contain activities within 5 different zones: Stage, Water, Immersion, Creation and Excursions, and below that there is room for many different formats and forms of activity - but all activities have in common that they involve the harbour - artistically, physically or thematically and is free for everyone to attend.

If you have a good idea for the program, don't hesitate to send us an application! As an actor at Kulturhavn, you get the opportunity to meet an audience interested in culture, try out new projects, meet other cultural creators and explore the blue urban space as a stage and/or theme for your activity or performance.

We encourage you to read the criteria and guidelines thoroughly before sending your application. If you have questions or need advice about your idea or application, you are very welcome to contact our program manager, Line Hørlück Eriksen, on tel. 24206768 or email sx7q@kk.dk.

Send your application to Kulturhavn's Open Call no later than April 17 at 3 p.m

FAQ Open Call

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Criteria for activities at Kulturhavn

In order to create a coherent program and the best experience for our audience, activities at Kulturhavn Festival must meet the following criteria: 

  • The activity must be open and free for everyone 
  • The activity must have a connection to the harbor 
  • The activity must be carried out on 24 and/or 25 August within the festival's opening hours: Saturday at 10:00-18:00 and Sunday at 10:00-17:00. All activities must take place or start/end at our two festival sites at Teglholm Brygge (Saturday) and Orientkaj st. (Sunday).

    ...We'll elaborate on that in a moment

Open and free: We want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to experience culture in the harbour. That is why all activities at Kulturhavn are free and open to everyone. We do not support activities that are private or charge entry on the ticket, but in some cases we do support activities that require advance registration.

The activity must have a relation to the harbour: Kulturhavn is a festival that takes place in the blue urban space along the harbour and which celebrates that we have a harbour full of creative and recreational opportunities. We want this reflected in our program through activities that have a relationship with the harbour - physically, artistically or thematically.

It can, for example, be activities where you invite the audience to use their bodies around the harbour area or in the harbour basin. A site-specific performance that involves the surroundings and takes elements from the harbour as a point of departure. You can also think of themes that can be linked to the harbour and include them in your workshop, concert, excursion, talk or something else entirely.

Examples of previous years' activities

If you are looking for inspiration for a harbour-related activity, below you can see examples of what has previously been in the different zones of the festival:

In the immersion zone, guests have been able to practice yoga with the harbour as a background, play harbour-themed board games, experience a meditative sound bath, touch, talk and learn about fish in the harbour, hear a talk about seaweed, and immerse themselves in a sensory game with elements from the harbor.

In the creation zone, guests have previously been able to express themselves by making homemade badges or personalized message in bottles, and try their hand at linoleum printing and plant dyeing. It has also been possible to crochet with fishing line and make ships and boats in origami. 

On stage, magic happens when jazz is played on our floating stage, or when guests can witness a poetry slam or harbour-themed music banko.

In the water zone, guests have previously been able to try their hand at the harbour in the form of kayaking, SUP or saunagus. It has also been possible to participate in open water swimming and climb a floating harbour cliff.

Guests have also previously been able to go on excursions around the harbour, where the focus has been on the port's history, the port's expression or the harbour's gastronomic activities. It has been possible to go on bicycle tours with included gastronomic stops, and guests have been able to hear a talk about the harbour's dark slave history on a canal cruise.

Values ​​we work with in our festival programme

... and which we therefore consider when processing the applications.

Environmental and social sustainability: Kulturhavn Festival values ​​content that actively relates to a sustainability agenda. It could, for example, be based on or inspired by the UN's sustainability goals, where both biodiversity, circular economy, inclusion and anti-discrimination are on the agenda.

In connection with your activity, we would like to encourage you to follow our ambition to move the festival in a more sustainable direction. We want, among other things, a festival that is free of disposable packaging and we would also like to see this represented in your activities.

Innovative form and framework: Kulturhavn's vision is to inspire the people of Copenhagen to use and experience the harbor in new ways and for the guests to get a new view of the harbour. Activities at Kulturhavn Festival can therefore be assessed in their innovative thinking in relation to form, framework and inclusion of the blue urban space. 

Audience-engaging activities: To create a present festival, we value content where the festival-goers can actively participate in the activity. It can, for example, be with a workshop, an audience-engaging performance or guided tours in and around the harbour. It is also highly valued that the activities are accessible to everyone. This can be made possible, for example, by using several senses in connection with your activity, which means that guests with visual impairment, hearing impairment, etc. can still experience parts of your activity.

Who can you expect to meet at Kulturhavn?

The family: Kulturhavn Festival attracts families with children who want to create good memories and experiences together.

The local: We are proud of our close links to the local community in both Sydhavn and Nordhavn. Locals come to Kulturhavn to enjoy the festival's atmosphere and new experiences with the harbor in their own neighbourhood.

Those interested in culture: Kulturhavn Festival also attracts an adult audience aged 35-45 who are passionate about culture, nature and sport and want to experience the best Copenhagen harbor has to offer in terms of unique experiences in and around water.

Who can apply?

Anyone with a cool event or a good idea can send us an application. Whether you are part of an association, group, organisation, company or private person.

However, Kulturhavn Festival does not support commercial, religious, party political or illegal activities. 

For those who want to do a workshop

At Kulturhavn Festival we find that workshops in particular are popular and it is therefore important, if you are planning to hold a workshop, that your activity can accommodate a large number of guests. As a starting point, you can expect to be allocated 3 table and bench sets per workshop, and it is expected that you as an actor have the resources to occupy the participating guests who sit in the assigned area.

For drop-in workshops, i.e. where there is no specific starting time for the guests, we expect you to be at the site throughout the festival's opening hours: Saturday from 10.00-18.00 and/or Sunday from 10.00-17.00. 

If this is not immediately possible, we suggest that you contact Program Manager Line Hørlück Eriksen on 24206768.

Participating in Kulturhavn festival

When you participate in the Kulturhavn Festival, you become part of a larger festival site. Here we make sure that the basic festival framework is in place - including a festive atmosphere, electricity, food stalls, toilets, light catering for actors and a lot of culture- and harbour-loving guests.

Kulturhavn Festival is also responsible for marketing both in the urban space, digitally and in the press, as well as through the festival's partners.

Kulturhavn is an outdoor festival. We therefore strive to create the best conditions in case of wind and weather. If your activity requires a larger set-up or a special form of rain protection, we recommend that you contact us before you send in an application so that we can discuss the options.

Kulturhavn Festival has a floating stage that you as artists can perform on. On stage you will find all the backlining for performances – including equipment, microphones and an associated sound designer.

Economic compensation

To meet expenses for materials, transport or fees in connection with your activity/performances, Kulturhavn offers financial compensation for your participation in the festival.

When you make your budget, it is important to think the activity through. If your activity requires the participants to be in possession of certain equipment in order to participate, you must also include this in your budget.  

Kulturhavn does not support that you, as an actor, make sales on the square. It is therefore not possible to sell merchandise, drinks or anything else in connection with its activity.

It is a requirement that you attach a budget of expenses to the application form.

There are no requirements for funding from other sources and there are no restrictions on how much can be applied for from others.

Compensation can be sought for: Rent or purchase of equipment, transport and fees. 

We do not support: Catering to guests, inappropriate use of resources, general operating costs and merchandise.

When will I receive a response to my application?

Once you have received a positive response to your application, you will go into dialogue with the secretariat. During this period, it will be possible to discuss the final format of your activity so that it matches Kulturhavn. 

You are always welcome to give us a call, but otherwise you can expect the majority of our communication to be in writing.

After commitment, you will receive a link to a clarification form, which must be answered at the beginning of June. The final plans for your activity must appear in the form. After this, you must talk to the secretariat if you are considering changing your set up.

You can expect to receive final confirmation at the programmed time for your participation in Kulturhavn Festival at the end of May.

How does the collaboration with Kulturhavn Festival take place

After a positive respons, you will receive a link to a production form, which must be answered at the beginning of June. The final plans for your activity must appear in the form. After this, you must talk to the secretariat if you are considering changing your set up. 

You are always welcome to give us a call, but otherwise you can expect the majority of our communication to be in writing.

After commitment, you will receive a link to a clarification form, which must be answered at the beginning of June. The final plans for your activity must appear in the form. After this, you must talk to the secretariat if you are considering changing your set up.

You can expect to receive final confirmation at the programmed time for your participation in Kulturhavn Festival at the end of May.

Who processes the applications?

The Open Call committee processes the applications on the basis of the set criteria and an overall assessment of the overall programme.

The committee consists of:

Signe Sander, Culture and Leisure Østerbro

Jakob Andersen, Culture and Leisure Vesterbro and Kgs. Meadow garden

Lars Anker Angantyr, Urban Development and Facilities, Center for Cultural and Leisure Activities

Rasmus Tind Petersen, Communication, Center for Cultural and Leisure Activities

Framework and conditions for participation in Kulturhavn Festival

Expectations for participants during settlement

Programme: It is expected that you will be ready to complete the activity at the time stated in the programme. Therefore, you must meet at least 45 minutes before the activity begins. If you need more time to set up your activity, you must agree a time for attendance with the secretariat. In the event of cancellation, this must be agreed directly with the Kulturhavn secretariat.

Staffing: You are expected to ensure that you have enough volunteers/coaches/instructors to carry out the activities. There must always be at least one adult over the age of 18 associated with the activity. The secretariat would like two adults over the age of 18 to be associated with the activity, one of whom instructs the activity and the other is a resource person who helps with the practical aspects of running the activity. If you do a workshop, you can basically expect to be allocated 3 sets of tables and benches per workshop, and it is expected that you as an actor have the resources to occupy the participating guests who sit in the assigned area.

As an organizer you yourself are responsible for carrying out your activity, keeping to the schedule and complying with the agreements you have made with Kulturhavn's secretariat. You yourself ensure that the specific framework for your activity is present. This means that if your activity e.g. require a kayak, a rowing boat, a tent or a sound system, you yourself are responsible for securing it for the activity.

Permissions and Responsibilities: Kulturhavn Festival is responsible for the overall permits for the festival, which are obtained by e.g. The police, Copenhagen Municipality and City & Port. If your activity also requires a special permit, this must be forwarded to the secretariat. It is your responsibility as organizers to obtain this before the activity is held.

The Kulturhavn team is helpful in solving practical problems, but the responsibility for the activity is yours. Kulturhavn thus does not assume any legal responsibility for holding the activity - including any complaints, liability for damages and the like arising in connection with the activity. If serious conflicts arise in connection with an activity that you cannot handle yourself, the Kulturhavn team can be called.

Evaluation and payment of compensation: After the festival, you will receive an evaluation, which must be answered within one month.

If you have been promised financial compensation, you can expect to receive this after the activity has taken place. You receive the amount by submitting an invoice, for which you will be sent instructions together with the evaluation form.

The compensation will be assigned to the provided CVR or CPR number, to which a NemKonto is linked. We cannot pay out directly to a bank account.

You do not need to send us a detailed account, but remember to save any attachments for up to 12 months, as Kulturhavn's secretariat can carry out random checks of the activities that have received compensation.