The festival atmosphere at Smukfest in Skanderborg may be challenged by heavy rainfall when the music program kicks off on Wednesday. With forecasts predicting local downpours and thunderstorms, festival organizers are preparing for potentially significant amounts of precipitation, and the Danish Meteorological Institute (Danish Meteorologiske Institut, DMI) is a key partner in this process.

“As a festival, we have a subscription with the DMI, so we can always call a duty forecaster,” says Smukfest’s safety chief, Thomas Rydahl. He adds with a hint of humor, “We have DMI on speed dial and know the meteorologists by their first names.” With the support of DMI, festival organizers receive precise weather updates, enabling them to make informed decisions for the approximately 60,000 daily attendees.

The anticipated bad weather has already led Smukfest to close off several camping areas. “The summer has been unusually wet, and some areas are already saturated with water,” explains Rydahl. To avoid having to evacuate tent areas, the festival has proactively closed certain fields and established new camping sites.

Forecasts for Wednesday indicate that up to 50 millimeters of rain could fall locally, which is equivalent to more than half of the average August rainfall in Denmark. The most vulnerable areas are Northern Jutland, Eastern Jutland, and Funen.

Despite the weather forecasts, the festival spirit remains high, and the music program will begin as planned on Wednesday afternoon. Artists such as Andreas Odbjerg, Lukas Graham, and Burna Boy are set to perform, hopefully brightening up what may be a rainy Bøgeskov (the Beech Forest) experience.