As your plane approaches Copenhagen, you’ll spot a pair of wolf eyes on Refshaleøen Island. That’s where Copenhell takes place. The two main stages are set up right in front of this hangar with the wolf eyes. From the airport, it’s just a 15-minute ride to the city center. If you stay in a hotel or hostel near the center, getting to the festival site is super easy. The 666 Copenhell buses leave every five minutes from the central train station. Besides the 666 buses, you can also use shuttle buses from various points. It only takes about 15 minutes to get to the festival grounds by bus. If you prefer, you can rent a bike and use the bike parking at the festival. Copenhagen is one of the flattest cities you can visit, making it easy to walk anywhere. You can even walk from the city center to the festival in about 40 minutes. There’s also a dedicated area for tents and wooden cabins on the festival grounds.

The festival is a bit smaller and more compact compared to other major festivals, which means you can access services more quickly. The variety of food is great, with plenty of options, including pork-heavy dishes and beef burgers. You can also find pizza, kebabs, falafel, and lots of vegan options.

As of today, 1 Danish Krone is about 4.70 Turkish Lira. Here’s a rundown of food prices:

• Beef Burger: 150 Krone (710 TL)
• Hot Dog: 80 Krone (380 TL)
• Fish & Chips: 120 Krone (565 TL)
• Whole Pizza: 120 Krone (615 TL)
• Falafel Wrap: 100 Krone (470 TL)

There are several water stations around the festival area where you can refill your bottle for free. The selection of alcoholic drinks is impressive, with the main sponsor being Tuborg. You’ll find various Tuborg and Carlsberg beers. A 50cc beer costs 60 Krone (280 TL), and a 33cc beer is 45 Krone (210 TL). Last year at Wacken, I was really annoyed by the limited beer choice. Here, the variety is much better. Every stage has bars behind and beside the FOH, making it easy to get drinks quickly. There are plenty of other alcoholic options, including a stand that only sells different types of wine. Danes love their shot liqueurs and are happy to share them with you if you strike up a conversation. For basic needs, there are Seven Eleven stores within the festival area.

Aside from the concerts, there are many activities for socializing. Under the Copenhell Con banner, they offer various events. I didn’t spend much time at these since I was more focused on the concerts. Coming from the heat of Turkey, Copenhagen’s weather was refreshing. While it was 35 degrees Celsius in Istanbul, it was around 16-17 degrees in Copenhagen. The concrete ground means you won’t deal with mud like at Wacken and Graspop if it rains. We experienced rain, but it was still easy to enjoy the concerts. You can buy a rain poncho from roving vendors for 20 Krone. If the weather gets too rough, the hangar with the wolf eyes has been turned into a massive pub. Given how expensive internet and phone usage can be, the free WiFi in the hangar is a huge plus. You can also find plenty of WiFi spots around the city.

The festival features two large and two medium-sized stages. It’s not as big as Wacken, Graspop, or HellFest, with a capacity of 35,000 people. The stages are close enough that you can easily catch many bands back-to-back without the sound bleeding over. I mostly stuck to the Helviti and Hades stages, which had the bands I was most interested in. The Gehenna stage, set among trees, has an epic vibe. I saw Eivor perform there, and it was very impressive. The Pandemonium stage was the one I visited the least. I watched Tool, Accept, Asinhell, Bruce Dickinson, Empire State Bastard, Karnivool, Kerry King, Mr. Bungle, Biohazard, and Tom Morello from the front row at the barrier. All were great, except for ESB, which was a bit of a letdown without Lombardo. One of the best things is how close the two main stages are and how well-timed the sets are, making it easy to get up front for the bands you want to see. I didn’t see anyone else as dedicated to being at the barrier as I was.

Danes are genuinely polite and chatty. When they realize you’re from another country, they love striking up a conversation. I made a lot of new friends this way. The biggest crowd battles were for Kerry King and Tool. Once KK started, the pogo and crowd surfing never stopped. There were some fierce fights for Tool. A piece of the main stage broke off before Tool’s set, so they cleared the front area for repairs, leading to a scramble for spots once it was fixed. It felt like everyone was there just for Tool on the last day. The festival’s own merch tent was crazy busy on the first day; we waited over an hour to buy anything. You can find Copenhell merch from previous years here. Band merch was sold in tents next to the stages on the day of their performances, with T-shirts averaging around 300 Krone. Tool and Bruce Dickinson shirts were the most expensive at 350 and 400 Krone.

One of the most important things at a festival is the toilets, and Copenhell nails it. The toilets are incredibly clean, and even if there are lines, you won’t have any issues. There are also open urinals next to the main stages, making it quick and easy for guys to take care of business during concerts. Considering Copenhagen is the third most expensive city in Europe, it does feel a bit pricey compared to our economy. A four-day pass was 2800 Krone (13500 TL). It was a bit disappointing that you didn’t get anything extra when you checked in, like a tote bag or a reusable water bottle. It’s a bit of a luxury festival in terms of price-performance, and the lineup didn’t quite justify the cost this year. But the easy access to the festival, the ability to explore the city until the afternoon, and then head to the festival grounds make for a great holiday and festival experience combined. Looking at past lineups, this festival has been on fire. This year’s lineup reflected the general weakness of European festival lineups, but I have high hopes for next year. In 2022, the tickets sold out in just one minute, so I’m optimistic about a better lineup next year.

Cihan Yeşil