Green in Aarhus was the day when 32.000 people said goodbye to Jacob Haugaard

Some had stood right in front of the stage, while others had placed the festival chair in the middle of the lawn, so they could hear the music from both stages. It's Grøn in Aarhus. You can go after the concerts, but you can also sit down and just let the day come.

On Saturday, 32.000 people gathered at the square at Marienlystvej in Aarhus. The sun was shining, as it has for the past many years at Grøn. Hugorm later really got the audience going, but in between all the concerts, Aarhus also had to say thank you to Jacob Haugaard after 39 years as emcee.

The festival chairs took over the lawn

Even before the square opened, people were sitting outside waiting. They were chatting and drinking the first beers, and when the gates opened at 13 p.m., people were already lining up.

At Grøn it's not always about getting right up close to the stage for every concert. Many arrive with a festival chair under their arm and find a seat in the middle of the lawn, from where they can hear the music from both stages.

Here they sit while the concerts alternate between the two ends of the square. When a particular artist comes on, some leave their seats and move closer, while the rest stay seated and hold their seats.

It's a practical way to set up when you're going to be here all day. The chairs become the permanent base where people meet again, have a drink and take a break before the next concert begins.

Even though there are 32.000 people in the square, it doesn't feel packed. The audience is close together in front of the stages, but there's still room to walk around along the sides without having to squeeze through.

Green is not just for the young

There are many young people in their early 20s at Grøn, but there is also a large audience who have been coming for several years and have made the day a regular part of the summer.

Groups of friends, couples, parents and adult children sit and stand among each other on the lawn. Some listen intently to the music, while others spend at least as much time talking to those they have come with.

Green is a concert day, but for many it's just as much a fun day on the lawn. You don't have to be at the forefront and jump to all the concerts to join in.

Malte Ebert made room for the whole band

Malte Ebert was good at involving the entire band during the concert. The musicians were allowed to perform, and at one point a round of stop-dancing was started on stage, which the audience was also drawn into.

Many were waiting for the song “Kalde Dem for Du”, which he wrote for Queen Margrethe in connection with her 50th anniversary of her reign. For some, it became extra touching when they grabbed one of the three white roses that he threw out to the audience.

Then came the viper

Up until then, the day had been moving at a leisurely pace. People sat in their chairs, walked between the bars and stages, and enjoyed the sun with those they had brought with them.

Then Simon Kvamm and the rest of Hugorm came on stage.

Hugorm got the whole of Grøn going when they made 32.000 guests “turn around.” The dust from the dry lawn hung like a cloud over the audience, and for a brief moment you could almost feel the ground shaking in Marienlyst as all the guests jumped up and down.

It all rests on the shoulders of the volunteers.

Green is built, dismantled and packed back up by the many volunteers who follow the tour around the country or help when it comes to their own city.

They stand in the bars, help the guests, clean up and solve all the tasks that you as an audience rarely think about. Often you only discover how much they mean when something doesn't work. At Grøn, most things work as they should.

A volunteer who has been part of Grøn for 22 years described it this way:

“If I don't feel recognized and comfortable here, I won't come back. But I've been doing that for 22 years.”

For many of the volunteers, Grøn has become as much a tradition as it is for the audience. Some follow the entire caravan, while others take a shift in their hometown. Several have met each other as volunteers, gotten married and have since had children, who have also become part of the community.

The Muscular Dystrophy Foundation is part of the whole day

Green is organized by the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation and Tuborg, and the profits go to the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation's work for a better life with muscular dystrophy.

The good cause is mentioned from the stage, but the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation is also visible among the volunteers and out in the square. People with disabilities are on stage and move around among the other guests.

Both stages have disabled areas from which the concerts can be experienced with a proper view and as part of the audience. They are located not far from the rest of the venue.

Simon Toftgaard Jespersen conveys the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation's message from Grøn Scene with humor and self-irony. A representative from the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation has put into words what they want to show with Grøn:

“We want to help show that people with disabilities can easily be part of society and take an active part in big events like Grøn.”

It's not just said from the stage. It can be seen all around the square.

A profit that can be felt

It is also in the small situations that you notice the people who make Green work.

In the concert pit, one of the guards walked along the entire front row and gave the audience high-fives. Not just to a few people, but to everyone who stood with their hands out.

It may have taken a minute, but it created a connection between the audience and those at work. Volunteers showed the way, helped the guests, and still managed to smile, even though they had thousands of people around them and many hours of work ahead of them.

Room for differences is the message of the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation. At Grøn, this can also be seen in practice.

32.000 people said thank you

Jacob Haugaard debuted as a host on Grøn in 1987 and has been part of the tour for 39 years. He has decided that Grøn 2026 will be his last as host. However, he is not leaving Grøn completely, but continues as part of the caravan without the microphone in his hand.

In Aarhus, his replacement, Kathrine Abrahamsen, was presented on Grøn Scene. She is a radio host, journalist and emcee and takes over the role of partner for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation's representative, Simon Toftgaard Jespersen.

Kathrine asked the 32.000 people in the square to applaud Jacob for his efforts. The applause continued, and Jacob stood on stage visibly moved. It looked like he was having a hard time holding back tears as he accepted the audience's thanks.

For many, Jacob Haugaard is as firmly a part of Grøn as the two stages, the green colors and the festival chairs on the lawn. His clothes have never been overlooked, and his cry “Are you there, Grøn?” has rang out over the concert venues for several decades.

The statue that was filled with greetings

Out on the lawn stood a large white statue of Jacob Haugaard. Guests could write a personal greeting on it, and during the day more and more of the white surface disappeared under names, small messages and thank-yous.

Jacob will take the statue home with him after his last tour as an emcee. When the afternoon was over, it was hard to find a place where there wasn't already something.

Some had simply written their name. Others had left longer greetings to the man who has been a permanent part of Grøn for many years.

A day that was allowed to be cozy

Green in Aarhus is not a wild party from beginning to end. Nor does it need to be.

For the most part, people sat in their chairs, talking to each other and standing up when a song they knew came on. Hugorm really got people to their feet, while Malte Ebert gave the audience something to sing along to.

But Green is also the guard who gives the entire front row a high five. These are the volunteers who return year after year, and the people with disabilities who are not placed outside the party, but are right in the middle of it.

And this year, Green was also Jacob Haugaard, who stood clearly moved on stage, while 32.000 people said thank you.

On the lawn stood his white statue almost covered with greetings. On stage, the microphone was passed on to Kathrine Abrahamsen. Grøn will continue next year, but it will be without Jacob Haugaard in the role he has had for 39 years.

Program for Green 2026

• Sivas – at 13.35 (Nova Stage)
• Malte Ebert – 2:30 p.m. (Green Stage)
• Murmur - at 15.25 (Nova Stage)
• Viper – 4:15 PM (Green Stage)
• Annika – at 17.20 (Nova Stage)
• Andreas Odbjerg – 6:20 p.m. (Green Stage)
• Tessa – at 19.30 (Nova Stage)
• Lukas Graham – 8:30 PM (Green Stage)