The Sølund Music Festival, known as the world’s largest music festival for people with intellectual disabilities, is facing financial challenges, but now help is coming from Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt. The festival, which traditionally has attracted thousands of guests, has experienced a significant drop in ticket sales, putting its future in jeopardy. Thanks to a fundraising effort initiated by entrepreneur Jonathan Løw, who has quickly raised 180,000 Danish kroner, the situation now looks brighter.
The Minister of Culture has announced that he will explore options to provide financial support to the festival so it can continue to be an important cultural event for people with disabilities. “I have always been interested in finding ways to contribute to ensuring the festival’s survival,” says Jakob Engel-Schmidt. “The Sølund Music Festival is more than just a festival; it is a vital gathering point that promotes inclusion and community.”
The festival’s director, Lasse Mortensen, is overwhelmed by the great support the fundraising has received. “It’s fantastic to see such support. It gives us hope and motivation to continue our work,” he says. Since 2017, the festival has experienced a 32% decrease in ticket sales, partly due to difficulties in finding companions for the attendees with intellectual disabilities. This problem stems from group homes’ challenges in finding substitutes. Lasse Mortensen points out that while the immediate crisis may be averted, there is still a need for a long-term solution.
“It’s great that we can save the festival now, but we also need to think about the future and find ways to attract more guests,” he explains. The Minister of Culture has committed to doing what he can this year, and it appears that part of the longer-term solution may involve the Ministry of Social Affairs. The Sølund Music Festival is scheduled to take place from June 11th to 13th, where guests can look forward to performances from popular Danish artists such as Infernal, Benjamin Hav, and Birthe Kjær.”