Issue 11. * July 13th, 2022

Welcome to this month's edition of Copenhagen Unfolded, where we dive into the nightlife scene of Copenhagen.

There's nothing better than the Copenhagen nightlife during the summer. With the warmer and longer days, it's a joy to experience the city in the evening and night, and you are more than likely to see the sunrise on your way home. We have collected a few of the best things to do (in our opinion) during a night out in Copenhagen:

• Spice up your night with Propaganda
• Beer or Paloma? - Paloma Vermuteria and Baghaven
• Let's go dancing - Werkstatt & Hangaren
• Meet a Copenhagener - Courtesy
• Late-night snacks at Isted Grill

🍻

A night out in Copenhagen should include good food, delicious drinks, locally brewed beers and dancing till the morning. So grab your best dance partner and prepare for a night you'll never forget.

Foto: Büro Jantzen

SPICE UP YOUR NIGHT WITH PROPAGANDA

A night out should always start with good food, at least when in Copenhagen. The pre-drinks dinner should lay a good foundation for the excess and dancing to come. 

So why not start with some spicy and delicious Korean cuisine from Propaganda? Dumplings, freshly made every day, spicy fried chicken and many other Korean specialities. Besides the food, they also have a splendid wine card, so you can get your night out started the right way 🥟🍷

Foto: Marc Skafte-Vaabengaard

If you want a bit more luxurious start to the evening with oysters and seafood, then Sol & Luna is your place. Either pick your favourites from the menu or try their 7-course menu, where you'll get to taste almost everything 🦪🦞

The wine card is also superb at Sol & Luna, with a good selection of white, red and orange wine. You can also jump straight to the cocktails, with classics like Negroni, Espresso Martini or Gin & Tonic 🍸🥃

BEER OR COCKTAIL?

With an excellent start to the evening and a full belly, the next thing is to find a bar for the first few drinks. If cocktails are your style, then Paloma Vermuteria in the hip Nørrebro neighbourhood is the place. The bar has a laid-back and casual vibe and is also the perfect place to sit and relax with a beverage outside in the sun ☀️

Paloma specialises in Vermouth, so many of their drinks are centred around this, like their Vermouth Sour. You can, of course, also get classic cocktails like a Negroni (vermouth again) or an Aperol spritz. The bar gets its name from the Mexican cocktail Paloma, a perfect summer drink made from tequila, pink grape soda and lime. But be careful; it kicks harder than you think🍹

Foto: Pablo HTG

Baghaven (The backyard in English) is the perfect place if you want a beer but maybe with a little twist? The beer bar is part of the Mikkeller brewery and serves all its delicious brews. Located right by the harbour front makes Baghaven the perfect summer spot to check out the setting sun with a beer in hand. Reffen Street Food is also right next door if you get hungry again 🍺

Copenhagen is filled with cool and hip bars, which are just waiting for you to come by. Like always we provide useful guides to The best cocktail bars and The best beer bars in the city.

LET'S GO DANCING

You're feeling the buzz from the beers, and as the night advances, it's time to move towards even more lively places. Somewhere with music and good vibes, where you can let loose and show off your dancing skills 🕺🎶

We're staying in the upcoming and former industrial neighbourhood, Refshaleøen. The first stop is Werkstatt, an event space where you can enjoy different cultural initiatives and exhibitions by day and an urban bar and nightclub by night. Werkstatt hosts parties most weekends. The music is usually electronic with a focus on techno and house and a variety of Danish and international DJs. You can check out the upcoming parties here.

Photo: Werkstatt

If you're looking for more tips on where to dance the night away in Copenhagen, then check out our nightlife guide.

We're not heading home yet, but are actually staying a little while longer within the world of electronic music in Copenhagen. For this issue of Copenhagen Unfolded, we met up with Courtesy, an internationally renowned Danish DJ known for her euphoric trance sound and a central figure in Copenhagen's contemporary techno scene. 

Courtesy was born in Greenland, grew up in Copenhagen, and lives in Berlin today. With performances at various acclaimed venues around the world, Courtesy has put her name and Copenhagen as destination for electronic music on the map. 

Photo: Jaimy Gail 

Tell us a bit about yourself? How did your interest in electronic music begin and how did it become a career path?

In 2001, when I was 13, I went to my first concert ever, which was with the British electronic band Faithless in the Copenhagen concert hall, Falkoner Salen. That sparked my interest in electronic music and particularly this very pop-oriented trance and euro-dance, so I’ve really been into this sound ever since I was a kid. When I turned 18, I started DJ’ing and I’ve been doing it ever since with a few breaks in between when I was studying at the conservatory. DJ’ing is something I have stuck with, which has continued to evolve. When I graduated from school, it was a combination of not wanting another job and not having time for anything else. For the last few years, I've been working as a DJ but also as an artist and a composer where I've been working with club culture and trance music outside of a nightclub context.

What makes your music and art unique and what inspires you? 

I’m interested in a specific vibe and mood. I like music that has a positive effect on the people in the room. Loose and positive vibes. People who work with electronic music know that there are also a lot of other emotions and moods you can create with this broad genre. Currently, I think trance music is one of the most exciting to work with, probably because the world is so messed up and I need a positive contrast. As a DJ I spend a lot of time researching and immersing myself in the genre I work with. What inspires me the most is probably the people who go to clubs and parties. I spend a lot of time looking at people when I DJ. I get very inspired by the way people dress, move, and interact with each other, and from the DJ booth, I get a good view of all that.

You've played all over the world. What do you look forward to when playing in Copenhagen and what’s special about the nightlife here?

I don't know if it's necessarily special or different from other places. But I have noticed that people in Copenhagen are very aware of aesthetics and subcultures. I also think that people are a bit more internationally oriented and open-minded when they go out. Danes can be closed off and hard to get to know if you're new in the city or have a different culture. It’s easier to meet new friends when going out because people are more open than in other contexts. The chance of meeting new friends at an underground techno party in Copenhagen is a lot bigger than in a university classroom for example.

If you were in Copenhagen to experience the nightlife, what would be a must?

There is a collective called Group Therapy that throws parties. I would look into what they’ve got going on. Some of the artists in the collective work with music that experiments with positive moods in trance music, like my music. I would suggest you check them out and see if they have an event planned.

What does a perfect day in Copenhagen look like to you?

I like starting my day with a cinnamon roll from Det Rene Brød, as they make the best cinnamon rolls in town. Then I would go to some of the city's museums, like Copenhagen Contemporary, Den Frie, or SMK, and see their exhibitions. I would also visit Proton on Griffenfeldsgade in Nørrebro, which is a really nice record store that embraces the different genres of Copenhagen's alternative music scene. In the evening I would probably go to my brother's cocktail bar Gensyn in Frederiksberg for some drinks.

Do you have any hidden gems in Copenhagen you would like to share with our readers?

I don’t think I have many secret tips, but I do have some anti-tips. Like, don't go to Dronning Louises Bro to sit and drink beer, unless you just want to hang out with exchange students (which is also okay obviously). Go to some other neighborhoods and explore different places instead. It took me a couple of years to figure out how much Copenhagen has to offer. Also, explore Amager and the beautiful and sometimes very tacky fancy villas that are hiding there close to the beach. Amager is a very underrated neighborhood. 

ISTED GRILL

We getting closer to the end of the night, but of course, a night out wouldn't be complete without a late-night snack. In Copenhagen we're blessed with the presence of the legendary late-night fast food joint, Isted Grill. Located in the heart of Vesterbro, this is the ultimate place you want to be headed after a night of drinking and dancing.

Isted Grill has been around for 40+ years and is loved by locals all over the city and even has an international reputation. There are many delicious things on the menu, but the one thing you have to try is their roast pork sandwich. It's called Flæskestegssandwich in Danish and make sure you order it with bearnaise sauce. You're welcome 😉

OVER AND OUT

That's all for now, folks. Good food, delicious drinks and dancing all night, that's what a night out in Copenhagen is all about. 

We hope you feel inspired and motivated to join the Copenhagen nightlife next time you're here. And we hope to see you on the dancefloor or in the sun enjoying a locally brewed beer.

It won't be long until we're back, already next month, with more recommendations about this great city of ours. We hope you enjoyed this issue. If you did, or if there is space to improve, we would love to hear from you. We’re here for you 💘

Frederik, Anders and Kasper, Copenhagen Unfolded

Copenhagen Unfolded is published by VisitCopenhagen. Our goal is to tell the world about Copenhagen and the great experiences that are to be had here. Be sure to also check out www.visitcopenhagen.com and our social channels.

This issue of Copenhagen Unfolded is put together by Kasper Syhler, Frederik Ibsing and Anders Nørland.

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