WHAT IS FOLKEMØDET?
Folkemødet is a democracy festival that seeks to diminish distance and enhance trust between citizens and decision-makers. Encouraging dialogue and cooperation between citizens, businesses, NGO's, IGO's, and politicians. This three-day festival is the highlight of the Danish political calendar. Learn more about Folkemødet, the organization, the story behind its development and the activities that take place.
Every year in June, the small town Allinge at the island of Bornholm turns into a large celebration of our democracy. Folkemødet is a Danish festival for democracy and dialogue inspired by the Swedish counterpart Almedalsveckan. With more than 2000 political events created by 650 different organizations the Democracy Festival of Denmark has become an important democratic event with the purpose of creating informal meetings and dialogue between decision-makers and citizens. More than 50,000 citizens, parliamentarians, NGOs, business representatives and grassroots meet up and debate our society and celebrate our democracy during the three-day festival in June. The events happen all over the small town – on the boats in the habour, at open air stages, in small or large tents and in local restaurants. There is no entrance fee to any events.
Folkemødet is co-created by the association behind Folkemødet, Foreningen Folkemødet, and more than 1,200 organizations, parties, companies etc. participating in Folkemødet.
In 2023, the Democracy Festival, is held from Thursday the 15th of June to Saturday the 17th of June.
The story of Folkemødet
In 2008 and 2009, the mayor of Bornholm, Winni Grosbøll, visited the Swedish democracy festival on Gotland and began considering the possibility of creating a Danish version on Bornholm.
In the summer 2010, the then Minister of Interior and Health, Bertel Haarder, was invited to Almedalsveckan. He too was enthusiastic and began advocating for a similar event in Denmark.
The two tracks crossed when the Municipality of Bornholm applied to the Ministry of Interior for support for hosting a democracy festival on Bornholm. It was the beginning of a formal collaboration, and when the parliamentary parties also backed the idea, the work arranging the first edition of Denmark's own democracy festival began.
The first Folkemøde was held in the small port town Allinge in June 2011. It quickly became popular and over the following years, the festival grew larger and larger.
As part of the development and consolidation of Folkemødet, it was decided in 2016 to form Foreningen Folkemødet (the Association Folkemødet) outside municipal context. The decision was made with a desire to make the association financially sustainable, to develop facilities for participants and to enable the festival to involve even more volunteers.
Foreningen Folkemødet
Foreningen Folkemødet is the governing association behind Folkemødet. It strives to further develop, expand and improve Folkemødet in coordination with the organizations, parties etc. participating in Folkemødet.
The aim of the association is to strengthen Danish democracy by reducing the distance increasing the trust between citizens and decision-makers.
Foreningen Folkemødet is responsible for the Folkemøde Secretariat, which handles the day-to-day operations of planning and holding the festival. The Secretariat has offices in Allinge and Copenhagen.
Other democracy festivals
Almedalsveckan in Sweden was the first democracy festival, and started in 1968. Since then, more and more democratic festivals have emerged across much of Europe and in the Baltic countries.
In recent years, elleven democracy festivals have went together in the Democracy Festival Association (DFA) to strengthen the existing democracy festivals, help other countries and organizers build democracy festivals and to act as vehicles for democratic change.
To learn more about other democracy festivals and DFA, visit: https://democracyfestivals.org/.
For further information about Folkemødet, please contact
Foreningen Folkemødet
Sverigesvej 1 – 3770 Allinge
Phone: +45 5650 3770
E-mail: info@folkemoedet.dk
