Aalborg Carnival

by © Paul Dodson 2008

Festival Location: Aalborg, Denmark

Festival Type(s): Carnivals , Street Parades, Parties

Each May in Aalborg, Northern Denmark tens of thousands of people fill the streets for what has become known as Northern Europe's largest Carnival parade.

The weekend kicks off on the Friday night with the Battle of Carnival Bands. The streets in Aalborg come to life in a samba soaked procession of colour weaving along from the harbour via C.W.Obels Plads to the Kildeparken.

Once at the Kildeparken each act - international and local - have the opportunity to impress the panel of judges with their beats, moves and outlandish costumes. Only five make it through to the final on Saturday where they compete for the first prize purse of 10,000 DKK and the prestige of being named Aalborg Carnival Band of the Year.

The Saturday sees the major street parade which is held in conjunction with the water parade - a number of decorated boats sail the channel that passes through town.

What sets the Aalborg Carnival apart from other carnival parades is the free for all attitude of the organisers. Unlike other carnival celebrations spectators are free to join the parade and soak up the samba rhythms from within. So what you get is organised samba troupes mixing with the revellers to create a spectacle and celebration the like of no other carnival in the world.

Finally, the street parade meets the water parade at the harbour where the King of Carnival is honoured. The King then leads the entire parade to Kildeparken in the centre of town, where festivities continue well on into the night.