CPH Post Copenhagen 2021 in review

ANDREAS PAULSSON

Anyone who’s ever read the HC Andersen tale ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ knows that looking your best in public is not something you can take for granted in Denmark.

Energy company Ørsted thought it had won the unofficial Copenhagen 2021 beauty competition when it adorned three turbines near Avedøre Power Station in the colours of the rainbow flag.

“As a sustainable company, we work not only for a greener world, but also to be an inclusive company with room for everyone and equal opportunities for all, regardless of personal characteristics,” crowed Henriette Fenger Ellekrog, an executive VP and chief HR officer at Ørsted.

FLAG RACE: ANY BOW YOU CAN

FARSHID NASRABADI

BY BEN HAMILTON

DO, I CAN DO BETTER!!

GEORG STAGE CLAIMS THE POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW FESTIVITIES

He thought it was in the bag.

No ‘bridge’ too far But he hadn’t reckoned on the Øresund Bridge.

Days later, Øresundsbroen upped the ante by lighting up its 203.5 metre-high pillars in rainbow colours to “help illuminate the strength of diversity, cross-border co-operation and everyone’s right to love whoever you want on both sides of the strait”.

Yeah, just in case anybody on either side of the strait was in doubt that a major 11-day LGBTI+ festival was going on in their midst!

You’ve got this ‘Bridge People’!

Flattering horizontal stripes But ultimately they were no match for Georg Stage, a Danish vessel that has been providing maritime education to young people since 1935, and now diversity guidance to a much wider audience.

The fully rigged, steel-hulled sailing ship spent Copenhagen 2021 docked in Islands Brygge near the EuroGames Sports Village.

Normally on the flag, the colours run vertically, and in fashion circles, the jury’s still out on what looks more flattering.

And for the occasion, the owners were delighted to allow her to be decked out in horizontal rainbow colours.

Georg Stage wasn’t complaining, though: in that outfit, she was the undisputed queen of the entire festival.

Tragedy in pool The opening day of EuroGames on August 17 was mired in tragedy when a 35-year-old French water polo player died shortly after playing a game. Etienne Burguy was given immediate medical help at the pool in Bellahøj and then transported to hospital where he died. One Twitter user described him as “one of the greatest and kindest people I have ever met”.

coach Kasper Hjulmand as ‘Årets Laks’ in recognition of his defence of human rights during Euro 2020. After the Hungarian government complained about the Allianz Arena in Munich being lit up in rainbow colours, Hjulmand said: “We are born equal, and we celebrate diversity, and we celebrate that everyone is equal.”

as being attended by thousands, the concert was beamed out onto big screens at several locations, including Rådhuspladsen.

Large attendance The WorldPride 2021 Human Rights Conference in Malmö and Copenhagen drew the largest attendance for a LGBTI+ rights event since the beginning of the corona pandemic, reports Washington Blade. More than 1,000 LGBTI+ activists from around the world were in attendance. In total, 215 of them received scholarships in recognition of their efforts.

Coach honoured LGBT+ Danmark has named Danish football

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PRIDE 2021 REVIEW

Generous Nordea donation Nordea-fonden handed over a grant of 1.455 million kroner to support the recently concluded EuroGames. The funds helped support both the program, which included 70 public sports events, and the Sports Village, which inhabited Islands Brygge. The games were contested by over 2,000 competitors.

Last-minute addition MØ, one of Denmark’s biggest music stars, was a last minute addition to perform at the WorldPride & EuroGames Closing Ceremony concert at KB Hallen on August 21. As well

Drag racer Finnish drag artist Marko Vainio, who is well known for his awesome Shirley Bassey impression, drove all the way from Turku, Finland in his custom-made Pride Volvo to play at KB Hallen on August 19. He left Finland in a custom-made Volvo to celebrate WorldPride on the evening of August 17 and arrived in Copenhagen late the next day.

White gays not welcome Nørrebro Pride (NP) organised a parade on August 21, but not with the same inclusivity as Copenhagen 2021, as it was QTIBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Intersex, Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) only. “Is it not illegal to exclude people because of their sexuality or skin colour,” asked a Twitter commenter. NP frowns on culturally misappropriated haircuts.

2021 PRIDE

BY STEVE TAYLOR From the 18 months of planning and patronage of HRH Crown Princess of Denmark to the 1,000 ‘Includers’ who volunteered to make Copenhagen 2021 possible, the effort was immense Six years of hard work, dedication, and – over the last 18 months – endless patience and incredible resilience resulted in Copenhagen 2021 WorldPride and EuroGames, the biggest LGBTI+ event ever held in Scandinavia, and the world’s most significant this year.

A big thank you to you all!

From concerts in Fælledparken to tree dedications and weddings in Ørstedsparken, from Fluid Festival and Gammel Strand to Sports Village at Islands Brygge, from 1:1 Democracy Festival at Øksnehallen to WorldPride Square in Rådhuspladsen, Copenhagen shone in rainbow colours like never before. And whether you are a Copenhagener by birth or you’ve chosen this incredible city as home, it’s down to you that we were able to celebrate such a momentous event.

Our city is open and welcoming to LGBTI+ people all year around, not just in August.

That’s one of the reasons Lonely Planet earlier this year named Copenhagen the best city in the world for LGBTI+ people to live and to visit, and one of the reasons why I dreamed of living here for so long after first visiting in 2005. Copenhagen was always going to embrace LGBTI+ visitors during WorldPride and EuroGames, and it didn’t disappoint.

A truly global gathering As the first major LGBTI+ event after the easing of pandemic restrictions in many parts of the world, there was a palpable and tangible sense of joy at coming back together after what has been a difficult 18 months for most. I saw so many friends and colleagues for the first time in almost two years, and the tears flowed.

WorldPride and EuroGames attracted visitors from more than 80 countries, including Australia, Canada, the US, Brazil, India, Bangladesh, China and almost all European nations. Two thousand athletes from 50 countries competed in 22 EuroGames tournaments across the city. Ten thousand people joined the six WorldPride Marches from different points around the city, and 25,000 people attended our concerts and ceremonies at Fælledparken and KB Hallen. The sheer togetherness was overwhelming.

Human rights at forefront And whilst we competed, marched, partied and celebrated, we kept the important focus on global human rights because whilst Denmark might be one of the most progressive nations for LGBTI+ equality globally, we only have to look to the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan to see how LGBTI+ people are at risk of appalling human rights abuses.

THANK YOU, COPENHAGEN, FOR MAKING EVERYONE PROUD

The six-day, seven-event Human Rights Forum brought political and business leaders, policy makers, activists and human rights defenders together to focus on the signing of the Øresund Declaration, establishing 15 goals for global LGBTI+ equality to be achieved by 2030.

led to city-wide riots just a decade ago.

And WorldPride ventures to the southern hemisphere for the first time, taking place in Sydney in early 2023. We could not be more excited to see how these three hosts deliver unique events in their local contexts in the same special way that we did.

Special thanks!

Copenhagen 2021 was also the first major LGBTI+ event anywhere in the world to be granted royal support. HRH Crown Princess of Denmark attended five events, including the Human Rights Forum Opening at UN City, EuroGames swimming tournament at Bellahøj, and the Closing Ceremony at Fælledparken where she spoke alongside Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

We’re immensely proud of what we achieved in such difficult circumstances, and we’re grateful to each and every person, company and organisation that supported us in whatever way, and to everyone who calls Copenhagen and Malmö home – whether LGBTI+ or not – for embracing the global rainbow community at such an important time. You showed that we HAVE Pride in Copenhagen.

With hundreds of events also taking place across the bridge in Malmö, our staff teams in both cities were supported by more than 1,000 volunteers – called Includers in recognition of our theme of #YouAreIncluded – many of whom were people from overseas living in Copenhagen and Malmö. Without them, none of our events would have been possible.

Passing on the mantle But now, as the rainbow flags are packed away, we have passed on the mantle to the next host cities. EuroGames 2022 will be in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and EuroPride 2022 will be in Belgrade, Serbia, where Pride

Steve Taylor is Director of Communications & Marketing for Copenhagen 2021

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Eurovision star Loreen was the big name star at the official opening of Copenhagen 2021 in Malmo on August 12 (photo: Farshid Nasrabadi)

Use your voice was the central message at the official opening (photo: Andreas Paulsson)

WorldPride Park in Malmö was the place to be over the weekend of August 14-15 (photo: Andreas Paulsson)

This tribute to the ‘Highland Games’ was one of the highlights over the first weekend (photo: Andreas Paulsson)

Copenhagen 2021 patron Crown Princess Mary was the special guest at the opening of the Human Rights Foundation at UN City on August 16 (photo: Olav Holten)

Also at the HRF event was Steve Taylor, the director of communications & marketing at Copenhagen 2021 (photo: Olav Holten)

PRIDE 2021 REVIEW

The traditional parade was split into six different marches. This one departing from Højbro Plads was a two star affair (photo: Darren Gambrell)

Some marches experienced delays (photo: Andreas Paulsson)

Looks like Bondi Beach here: Crown Princess Mary wasn’t complaining when she showed up at the water polo at Bellahøj on August 20 (photo: Johan Bill)

Some of the ice skating costume themes were a little tricky to decipher (photo: Andreas Paulsson)

AQUA were among the performers at KB Hallen on August 20 (photo: Bjarke de Koning)

The excitement in KB Hallen for its third and final show on Saturday August 21 was palpable (photo: Darren Gambrell)

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THE UNDISPUTED HIT ON AN INSANELY STRONG CULTURAL LINE-UP Few events at Copenhagen 2021 could compete with the endurance of the Copenhagen Queer Theatre Festival

Photos: Laura Ioana V

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Power to their elbow at the Copenhagen Queer Theatre Festival, one of the true mainstays of Copenhagen 2021! Organisers HIT Copenhagen made their city proud. The theatre festival ran non-stop from the opening day. And what a baptism of fire that was, as they’re still reeling from ‘Berghain’! But in the end they saved the best for last: the four world premieres of ‘HOT MEAT’, an initiative that challenged creatives to come up with brand new plays in the space of a week. Other festival highlights included a livestream from Moira Finucane in Australia and a visit from playwright Riley McCarthy for a staged reading of their play ‘Southern Bedfellows’

Take a bow HIT Copenhagen’s core team, actress Dina Rosenmeier and director Jeremy M Thomas, pictured here on the opening night of their play ‘The Money Shot’

Festival founders Lars Werner Thomsen (left) and Jeremy M Thomas with Ramona Macho and stage manager Tina Juul

Festival producer Jonas Schou, Dina Rosenmeier from HIT Copenhagen and musician Simon Muschinsky

Opening night crowd: German ambassador Pascal Hector and his wife Annette, with German chargé d’affaires Joachim Bleicker (left) and Ramona Macho

Mikka Deleuran from ‘The Money Shot’ speaking to actress Dawn Wall

PRIDE 2021 REVIEW

Cast of ‘The Money Shot’: Dorte Rømer, Dina Rosenmeier, Tomm Voss and Mikka Deleuran

Berghain cast: Simon Muschinsky, Daniel Niel Ash, Kristen Flanagan, Jon G. Vopnfjörð, Theresa Mangara and Chris Vincent

Cast of ‘On The Way To The Sawmill’: Maxwell Chartey, Kuni Tomita, Marco Magoa and Ruth Salas

‘Hot Meat’ presents ‘Save Your Tears for Another Day’: Kuni Tomita, Dan de La Motte and Jay Whitehead (photo: Dina Rosenmeier)

‘Hot Meat’ presents ‘(It’s the) Industry Baby or A Death of a Supernova’: Leah Serinsky, Viktor Flarkell, Maxwell Chartey and Jupiter Child (photo: Joseph Sherlock)

‘Hot Meat’ presents ‘Mom’s Drivers License’: Shereen, Ruth Salas, Michael Winther and Marco Magoa (photo: Joseph Sherlock)

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