No stranger to awesome music festivals, Copenhagen added the Trailerpark Festival to its ranks, which include Roskilde, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Distortion, and Strøm, four years ago, and it’s been going strong ever since. Held the first weekend of August, Trailerpark is a refreshing antidote to huge corporate-run festivals, long lines, $5 bottles of water, and enormous ticket prices.

Caribou

Chimes and Bells

The festival was founded in 2007 by the ArtRebels, a conglomerate of multi-disciplined artists and musicians, and has grown successfully without any support from the Danish government (seemingly a rarity in the arts). Upon arrival to the festival grounds, it was apparent that everything about Trailerpark was different from any other festival we have attended. Set at Copenhagen’s oldest skatepark, the festival and the park become one, fans sat everywhere, on rails, lips of half-pipes, and smaller ramps. ArtRebels commissioned customized trailers from Danish artists, and they were set up through the grounds for attendees to relax in and drink Jägermeister), which added to the feeling of being transported into a surreal world.

Chimes and Bells

Round Table Knights

Round Table Knights

Musically, the festival covered an incredible amount of territory, with performances from Caribou, Chllngr, and Round Table Knights, along with Danish artists We Have Band, 2000F, and Pattern Repeat. The careful curation of talent from around the world was evident, as the pacing of all three days of the festival was spot on, with known artists and local heroes impressing the audience one after the other.

Friday’s highlights were Made to Play’s Round Table Knights, whose anthemic “Calypso” was only one of many amazing tunes that sent the crowd wild. German techno legend DJ Hell was in rare form, and Denmark’s Pattern Repeat closed the night out in style.

The next day started out strong with Palms Out Sound’s Boody B playing an impeccable set spanning several of the loosely defined genres from the current UK underground. Live performances from Chimes and Bells, and Prinzhorn Dance School made for an incredible evening.

Prinzhorn Dance School

The third and final day was by far the biggest. Toro Y Moi and Caribou captivated the crowds with their outstanding musicianship, and Denmark’s own new nu-disco superstar, Vinnie Who, closed out the festival with music so magical it would give the Bee Gees at their peak a run for their money.

Fallulah

Toro Y Moi

House of Moves

After three days of beautiful weather, amazing music, and surreal décor, it’s impossible to not understand how special the Trailerpark Festival is to the attendees, performers, and the staff who make it happen. Needless to say, we are already looking forward to Trailerpark Festival 2011, and hope that the rumors of bringing the festival to New York City are true.