Denmark gets a new government (or will it?), cheaper childcare fees in Copenhagen, and Northern Europe’s biggest carnival. Here’s what’s going on in Denmark this May.
Denmark gets a new government
There’s still a slim chance a deal will be done to form a new government in April, but it’s now looking more likely to happen in May.
Mette Frederiksen will almost certainly manage to stay on as PM. Will she team up again with the right-wing Liberal Party, folding in the Conservatives as well? Or can she still manage to convince Moderate leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen to govern with the left-wing parties?
Festivals and other events
The Aalborg Carnival, the largest in Northern Europe with up to 60,000 participants, takes place on May 23rd. The parade moves through the streets of Aalborg and ends in Kildeparken. The CPH Stage theatre festival takes place in Copenhagen from May 28th to June 6th. The Mikkeller Beer Celebration festival takes place in Copenhagen on May 22nd and 23rd.
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Copenhagen to introduce cheaper childcare fees
Copenhagen Municipality’s Children and Youth committee (Børne- og Ungdomsudvalg) is cutting the monthly cost of early childcare services from May 1st.
The department for children and youth at the Copenhagen city government said the measure would ease the financial burden on young families.
Daycare for small children under the age of 3 will cost around 600 kroner less per month, while preschool (kindergarten) will cost over 300 kroner less per month.
Major Copenhagen street to be pedestrianised
The stretch of Vesterbrogade outside the main entrance to the Tivoli amusement park will be pedestrianised until December 1st in a new trial by Copenhagen municipality.
The specific stretch of Vesterbrogade set to be closed off to cars runs between Hammerichsgade/Bernstorffsgade and H.C. Andersens Boulevard, with Dansk Industri and Tivoli on the south side and Axel Towers to the north.
From May 1st, the road will close to cars, although a passage on the north side of the street will remain open to buses and bikes. The council will set up a wooden deck framed by trees and flowerbeds, with spaces for people to sit, as well as areas where people can gather for public activities. That will open fully on June 1st.
‘Rejsekort’ prepaid travel card stops working
The plastic ‘Rejsekort’ prepaid card used to pay public transport fares across Denmark will be fully phased out on May 29th, to be replaced with an app and a new card, the Basiskort, for users who do not want to use the digital solution.
A personalised Basiskort will cost 50 kroner, while an anonymous version will cost 80 kroner. The card will be automatically topped up using the customer’s bank or MobilePay details.
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The Royal Run and Copenhagen Marathon
May is all about the running, with the Copenhagen Marathon scheduled for May 10th and the Royal Run, taking place in Copenhagen, Ringkøbing, Randers, Middelfart, and Helsingør on Whit Monday (May 25th).
The Copenhagen Marathon is sold out, but you can still buy a bib number for as little as 590 kroner through the race’s resale platform.
The Royal Run was first launched on May 21st, 2018, to celebrate King Frederik X’s birthday, when he was still Crown Prince. Tickets sold out within hours but if you’re lucky you might be able to get one on the official resale platform.
Public holidays
It’s not a bad May for public holidays, with three days off (there was only one off last year).
Even the residual sting of the 2024 removal of Great Prayer Day as a public holiday is somewhat lessened by the fact that it falls on May 1st this year, which also happens to be Labour Day.
While Labour Day is not a public holiday in Denmark, unlike in the other Nordic countries, many of Denmark’s workers have either a full or half day off under their collective bargaining agreements (overenskomst).
Ascension Day, Kristi himmelfart in Danish, falls on Thursday May 14th this year, exactly 40 days after Easter. As it always falls on a Thursday, many Danes take the Friday off after Ascension Day as annual leave, giving them a four-day weekend at the cost of only one day of leave.
Whitsunday and Whit Monday, known in Danish as pinsedag and anden pinsedag, fall on May 24th and 25th.
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Deadline for finalising tax returns
Denmark’s tax authority SKAT opened access to annual tax returns on March 23rd.
Annual tax returns (årsopgørelser) in Denmark cover calendar years. They are released in March and finalised in late spring, meaning taxpayers have this period to correct the information on their tax returns from the previous calendar year.
The tax returns encompass income over the preceding tax year as well as deductions and subsidies.
Normally, around three in four people receive money back from the tax authorities once their return is finalised. The amount paid back varies and depends on individual circumstances, and others may owe money to the tax system.
Rebates from the tax system are sent from mid-April onwards but the final deadline for updating information on the returns is May 1st. This means that, at the time of writing, you still (just about) have time to check whether your return is correct and update any information.
Sirens and mobile alert to be tested
Each May, Denmark tests the sirens in place to warn the population if there is an emergency situation.
The 2026 test is scheduled to take place as usual at noon on the first Wednesday of the month – which this year is May 6th.
A test of a digital warning system, first introduced in 2023, will also take place. The digital system allows authorities to send siren sounds and warning messages to smartphones.
Anyone with a smartphone connected to the Danish network can expect to receive the test siren and message on their devices on May 6th at noon.