Rosendal Garden Party is a music festival that takes place in the beautiful Djurgården in Stockholm. The festival offers a diverse lineup, catering to various musical tastes, featuring international superstars, Swedish rising stars, critically acclaimed favourites, and timeless classics performing side by side each night, creating a unique identity. Attendees can sit on the grass or blankets between concerts, giving the festival a familial picnic vibe. One notable aspect of the festival is that it serves oysters and offers selected wine options, which sets it apart. Unfortunately, this year the festival had to cancel the Thursday night lineup due to Stormzy, the headline act for that day, cancelling their performance.
Visitors have the option to attend for just one day or enjoy the entire festival if they prefer a variety of performances. While purchasing the full package makes more sense financially, it’s good to have options. Additionally, there are other events happening within the festival’s concept, such as DJ sets and before-and-after parties located in different parts of the town, with each year bringing a different experience.
The artists who performed this year were as follows:
- June 9: The War On Drugs / Amason / Warpaint / Hannes / Jehnny Beth
- June 10: Aphex Twin / Fever Ray / Sara Parkman / Bendik Giske / Sherelle (DJ set)
- June 11: Thåström / Eva Dahlgren / Nicole Sabouné
The festival feels mostly safe, especially because it remains light outside for the majority of the performances. However, some people complained about the atmosphere during Aphex Twin’s performance on Saturday. I wouldn’t blame the organisers but rather the audience under the influence. It wasn’t dangerous, but it was a bit too intense, particularly by Swedish standards.
The performance I enjoyed the most was probably Amason on Friday. The audience was relaxed yet vibrant. The second-to-last concert on the first day began with a brief speech and message from Climate Live, where a large banner with the words “No concerts on a dead planet” stared out at the crowd. Amanda Bergman stepped up to the microphone wearing sunglasses and a black and red bomber jacket, and the synthesizer cut through the air as the band started playing the song “Duvan,” smoothly transitioning into “Benny.” There is no doubt about Amason’s harmony and intuition when it comes to performing live; their music resonates deeply. The music energized the audience, who were already spoiled by the sunny weather. Before the next song began, keyboardist Pontus Winnberg took the microphone to celebrate the band’s 10th anniversary and made a lighthearted joke about their age. They then introduced the third song as the first one they ever made together, and shortly after, the cheerful melody of their debut single “Margins” began to play. After their last song, the audience dispersed to grab another drink and await the highlight of the day, The War on Drugs.We are definitely looking forward to next year!
