NorthSide 2025 with a new corner of the festival

NorthSide has received its share of criticism leading up to this year's festival – especially for the music program, which has been called thin, boring and lacking in stardust in several media outlets. But out on the square, here on the first day, it's something completely different.

There are laughs. There are reunion hugs. There is beer in the mug and rain under the tent. There is community and celebration – not insult. I see no sour faces. I hear no complaints about the lineup. Instead, I hear laughter, music and conversations that flow freely.

And maybe this is where NorthSide really lives. In the atmospheres and in the new areas that I ended up spending most of the day in – and that I didn't want to leave again.

NorthSide's coziest corner

There's something about the area down by the trees. I've always thought it was the best place on Northside. And this year... this year, it's like Northside has seen what I've known for a long time: This is where the festival feels most real.

You are almost drawn down there. Not only because Skovbrynet still beckons with its lanterns in the treetops and wood chips underfoot (and yes, there have been more and bigger wood chips this year – many of us remember the mud chaos from last year).

Where the Sideshow tent used to be, there is now Luna – a new, small stage that, with its intimacy, is perfect for discovering new favorites that you don't know yet. It's all wrapped up in coziness. Small nooks, hang-out zones and people who gather – not in search of the next big concert, but to enjoy the moment.

Between flower wreaths and silent music

Around me, flower garlands are woven while others listen to silent music. It all feels like it surrounds you – and I can't help but think that if you missed the music for a whole afternoon down here, it would still have been a great festival day.

And it only gets better as the evening progresses. When darkness falls, the lights in the treetops are turned on – and it's like being in another reality.

Reeds, silence and shots

As something new, Jägermeister has built their own little universe. A large, covered wooden terrace, built on different levels, jutting out towards the reeds and the forest. It feels like a place where you can just breathe between concerts. I notice people sitting and enjoying themselves while looking out over the reeds. It's not the wild party place, at least not here in the middle of the day, it's a paradise for breaks.

Performers, pedal wheels and a snow globe on the way

And then there's what happens offstage. What makes NorthSide more than just music. This year we'll see people on stilts, a giant living snow globe with a dragon-like figure inside, and a kind of... well, I honestly don't know what to call it. Steampunk-inspired vehicles with pedals, giant wheels, and costumed inventors driving around the audience. It's like stepping into a strange, brilliant circus world in the middle of a modern festival.

A tent, a rain shower and a community with Saveus

Of course, we also came for the music. And we came to see Saveus. At 20.30:XNUMX PM, Martin and co. took to the new Nova stage, under the largest concert tent I have ever seen or experienced.

It was dry when we went in. It started drizzling when we were in the middle of the concert. And that made it all the more perfect. The tent closed us in, the rain was falling heavily outside, and inside, thousands of people were jumping in time. Martin put the tent down.

“That down there, that’s friendship,” he said, pointing down at some in the audience. And it was as if the whole tent felt the same. The music, the warmth, the community.

He concluded with the words: “Thank you for a great concert.” And you could see it in his eyes. He meant it.

My only reservation? The stage is way too low. Unless you're standing right in front, you only see the big screens. And it's not quite the same.

But that doesn't change the overall impression. The new area, the new stages, the intimate oases and the sensual space under the treetops… it feels like a festival within a festival. And that's where I ended up spending most of my day. Not because I planned it. But because it drew me in.

And honestly? I don't want to leave.