There are festivals where you have to put earplugs in and your elbows propped up. And then there are O Days. A kind of cultural detox for grown-up people with a penchant for aesthetics, French electronica and natural wine. Welcome to Refshaleøen's best-dressed gathering spot, where no one chimes in on “Beautiful as a shooting star,” and where even the trash cans appear to have been designed by a former Louisiana curator.
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Disclaimer: Apropos Magazine received access or a review copy. As always, we share our own impressions — unfiltered.
Six stars
O Days is not a festival that shouts you into your head. It invites you in. Quiet, insistent and with enough confidence to let the details do the talking. It's like walking into a well-functioning dream: everything is curated, aligned and in its place — from the graphics and gastronomy to the line-up and lighting design. One can debate whether it's still a “real festival” when no one is lying around shouting in a mud puddle. But why even compare?
Here, people queue for natural wine with respect, not desperation. There will be dancing, but with dignity. And when Justice goes on, it's hardly going to feel like a traditional gig. More like a precise, pulsating performance. Not because it's distanced, but because it's unfathomably well-executed.
A Tribute to Control -- in the Good Way
O Days is tightly curated. But not rigidly. It's the feeling of being at dinner with a host who knows your tastes better than you do yourself. The program moves gracefully between electronic masterpieces and niche DJ sets. Honey Dijon delivers disco with overt political undertone, Bicep takes you on an AV journey into a universe of light, and Kelly Lee Owens whispers in your ear as the sun slowly dies behind the shipyard.
It's a festival for those who would rather tag than shout. They would rather experience than document. And yes, it's neat. Very nice. But it never feels artificial.
Food is not just food
Hardly durum rolls are served here. In return, you can expect hand-brewed beer, and ceviche served by people who have probably read philosophy. It feels more like a food festival with really good music than the other way around -- and that's not meant as a criticism. The experience starts with the first bite and ends somewhere in the bass.
O Days is a bid for a new kind of festival
Maybe O Days isn't for everyone. Maybe it's all a little too neat for someone. But that is precisely the point. O Days is not trying to embrace broadly—it embraces right. It's a festival that rests within itself and knows exactly who it's speaking to. A festival for grown-up people who still love to dance but have had enough of draught beer sandals and CO2 cannons.
If Roskilde is a chaotic collective, O Days is a well-designed apartment in the back house with sound-absorbing curtains and speakers you can't see.
And it's wonderful.
You have to experience that!
- Justicia — French electronic duo known for their electrifying performances.
- Bicep — Presenting their CHROMA (AV DJ set), a visual and auditory spectacle.
- Honey Dijon — Chicago house legend bringing deep grooves.
- Folamour — French DJ blending disco, house, and soul.
- Jungle (DJ set) — UK-based duo delivering a fusion of funk and electronic.
- Kelly Lee Owens — Welsh artist known for ethereal techno-pop.
- The Frost Children — Experimental duo pushing genre boundaries.
- Kenton Slash Demon — Danish electronic act with a melodic touch.
- DJ LILLI — Emerging talent spinning eclectic sets.
- Ralphie Choo — Innovative producer blending electronic and traditional sounds.
- ROYA — Artist known for atmospheric compositions.
- S.G. Lewis — UK producer delivering smooth electronic rhythms.
