VICTORIA AND HENRIK MAKE THE MUSIC PLAY BEHIND THE BAR

Do you ever wonder how Roskilde Festival comes to be? The answer is simple: Volunteers. Meet two all-year volunteers who spend their summers organizing the festival. 

By Marie Hvingelby, volunteer at Roskilde Festival's media house

No volunteers, no Roskilde Festival. It's as simple as that. 

Tens of thousands of volunteers guide you through the festival. They build your favourite stage, serve your morning coffee, and prepare your most treasured festival meal. 

In a bar near our brand-new stage Eos, you might meet Victoria Lynderup and Henrik Holm. They are part of the government-funded regional venue Gimle in Roskilde, which, like our festival, relies on a strong volunteer foundation. 

When Gimle goes on summer break, the whole team packs up and moves to the festival grounds. That's how it has been for many years, and there are many good reasons for it. 

Infectious camaraderie and sweatbands 

Henrik and Victoria contribute to ensuring that the approximately 150 volunteers engaged by Gimle for RF23 have a great experience behind the counter. 

"We do our utmost to create a strong team spirit. For example, we've ordered matching sweatbands for those working together at the bar, so they feel like part of the same team," says Henrik Holm. 

The strong bond leads to many positive things. First and foremost, being a volunteer is fun. It also rubs off on the surroundings because. It's the joy you feel when you're on the other side of the bar, refuelling before your next adventure in the festival city. 

For Gimle, the festival period is also the best start to the summer. It strengthens the unity among the volunteers, who are already part of the venue, and at the same time, there are often more of those who have experienced Gimle at Roskilde Festival for the first time and want to become part of the local venue for the rest of the year. That way, volunteering continues in other new contexts as summer draws to a close.