PARK knowledge festival adds an extra day to its programme

Researchers, debaters, and musicians will once again take to the Amphitheatre stage in the University Park when the PARK knowledge festival returns on 22 and 23 August. Organised by the Danish University Extension, PARK combines lectures, dance, music and literature beneath the oak trees of the University Park. After a successful debut last year, the festival is expanding beyond its original one-day format. This year, the festival is expanding its programme to two days. 

The festival is free to attend, but registration is required for both the Saturday and Sunday programmes. Sign up here. Saturday's programme includes a presentation called Drones over Denmark, with associate professor of space science at AU, Christoffer Karoff, and associate professor of military technology at the Royal Danish Defence College, Anders Graae. There will also be performances by the band Who Killed Bambi and Mads Langer. 

Sunday’s programme features a presentation and reading by author Johanne Mygind, and a talk called ‘The United States and Europe: The state of the relationship today’, by Derek Beach, professor of political science, and Alberte Bové Rud, a postdoc at the Danish School in Rome. 

An expanded programme

According to Lærke Sofie Glerup Hansen, project manager at the knowledge festival, it has always been the plan for the festival to last two days. 

“Last year was a one-day pilot event designed to get the practicalities under control,” she says. 

“There are so many talented researchers in the country that we would like to include, and a two-day format makes that possible. It also allows us to create a festival that more people can enjoy. If people can’t make it on Saturday, they may be able to come on Sunday instead,” she says. 

The Danish University Extension typically organises talks and lectures featuring researchers and science communicators that people pay to attend. As mentioned, PARK is completely free but requires registration. 

Children's Park 

The expanded programme is not the only thing that's new at this year's edition of PARK. The festival is also opening a brand new area called CHILDREN'S PARK featuring shows and activities aimed at children, allowing them to play and explore. 

Children can pick up an activity booklet, which they can fill with stamps and stickers collected from the various activities. The Museum of Natural History, Scandinavian Wildlife Park, Physics Show and the Department of Computer Science are among the participants at CHILDREN’S PARK. 

“Last year, many people asked if they could bring children and if there was anything aimed at them,” says Lærke Sofie Glerup Hansen. 

“Aarhus University has many talented people who already work with communicating science to children and young people, so it makes perfect sense to include them,” she says. 

CHILDREN'S PARK will be held in a tent in the park and inside the Royal Danish Library. But there will also be plenty of opportunities for children to burn off some energy, whether on an insect safari in the University Park or while exploring the life in the lake. 

Feed your curiosity

As mentioned, there will be something for everyone at the knowledge festival. In addition to the Amphitheatre, lectures and concerts will also be held at the Museum of Ancient Art, the Royal Danish Library and the Main Hall. At the Museum of Ancient Art, you can learn about the fall of the New Kingdom in ancient Egypt, while in the Main Hall, Dorthe Ravnsbæk, Professor of Materials Chemistry at Aarhus University, will talk about new materials for rechargeable batteries. 

This year’s knowledge festival also offers something for every palate. After all, the brain needs fuel to absorb all this knowledge, and fortunately there will be plenty to keep it going. 

“There will be food stalls and a food truck, and you can also get food in the canteen at the Royal Danish Library,” says Lærke Sofie Glerup Hansen. 

See the full programme and register on PARK's website (The website is in Danish, ed.).

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Mie Skov Jeppesen.