After a massive amount of rain, the organizers of the Roskilde Festival are struggling to remove water from the festival area. Sunday has been marked by heavy rain showers, and now they are getting ready to spread wood chips or vacuum the water away. Division Chief Kim Kristensen from Roskilde Festival states that the festival area is generally doing fine, and operations are continuing as planned. “There will of course be puddles around, but the area is well-drained. We are waiting for the water to settle, so we know where to spread the wood chips or vacuum the water,” Kristensen says in a written comment.
The festival area opened on Saturday, and as of Sunday afternoon, the organizers report 51,000 guests present. The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) has indicated that from midnight to 1 pm on Sunday, 34.5 millimeters of rain fell over the area, which is more than half of the average rainfall for the month of June. The storm is due to a low-pressure system that has moved from Germany and hit Zealand, Lolland-Falster, and Bornholm.
Kim Kristensen emphasizes that the festival activities will continue despite the bad weather. “Rainy weather is not uncommon at a festival, but it is important for us to continue operations so the festival runs smoothly. That’s why the day continues as planned,” he says.
The number of participants is expected to reach 130,000 in the coming days, making the festival site Denmark’s fourth-largest “city.” DMI reports that clear weather is on the way from late afternoon to early evening, except for Bornholm, where the precipitation will continue a bit longer. However, the upcoming week also appears to be cool and unsettled according to the DMI’s website. “Several fronts with rain and showers will move over the country during the coming week, and the temperature will be on the cool side for the season,” they write.