Odense announces the full program for ANDERSEN FOREVER - a grand celebration of the 150th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen's death.

Audiences can look forward to a spectacular international new circus production titled The Phoenix, premiering during the H.C. Andersen Festival, an innovative podcast series with Anna Juul and Jesper Wung Sung, as well as the newly produced performance experience Flowers of Remembrance at Museum Odense. ANDERSEN FOREVER will take place from August 4th and continue well into the autumn.

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of H.C. Andersen’s death, ANDERSEN FOREVER explores the profound and timeless tension between life’s dark and light sides — from death, grief, longing, and the afterlife to joy, hope, and love. True to H.C. Andersen’s spirit, an ambitious cultural program involving over 38 cultural institutions and participants thematizes the existential opposites that Andersen’s stories and fairy tales so masterfully balance.

Mayor of Odense Peter Rahbæk Juel states:

“H.C. Andersen is not only a part of Odense’s history – he is part of the world’s cultural heritage. With ANDERSEN FOREVER, we celebrate his life and works, but also the deep humanity and imagination that remain a powerful source of inspiration today. 
I am especially pleased that so many local actors are involved in creating a diverse and moving marking, where art, community, and reflection all have space. I hope that both residents of Odense and visitors from afar will feel the special spirit and togetherness that arises when an entire city unites around stories that touch us.”

Great experiences at cultural institutions in Odense

ANDERSEN FOREVER kicks off on Monday, August 4th at 11:04 AM, when churches across Denmark and the Nordic countries mark the 150th anniversary of H.C. Andersen’s death with a joint carillon performance. For half an hour, his texts and songs such as "I Danmark er jeg født," "Danse, danse dukke min," and "Hist, hvor vejen slår en bugt" will ring out from church bells across borders as a shared musical tribute to the Danish poet.

Later on August 4th, Museum Odense invites the public to a festive celebration featuring the poetic live performance Flowers of Remembrance - an atmospheric and sensory journey through the H.C. Andersen House and H.C. Andersen Garden with music, dance, storytelling, and art inspired by H.C. Andersen’s tales of both life and death. Flowers of Remembrance is created by students from the Danish National Academy of Music and the KOMA Ballet, and will be opened by Mayor Peter Rahbæk Juel.

On the occasion of ANDERSEN FOREVER, this year’s major outdoor evening show by H.C. Andersen Festival will take on an entirely new form. From August 21st, audiences can experience a spectacular and poetic performance on the city’s town hall square, Flakhaven, which primarily takes place in the air and from a large sculptural nest made of branches - performed by acrobatic aerial artists and wrapped in smoke, dance, and music. The show is inspired by H.C. Andersen’s tale of the Phoenix, which dies and is reborn every 100 years, and is created by Teatret Hakkehuset and the Italian new circus group eVenti Verticali.

“I am extremely proud to present The Phoenix to the guests of both H.C. Andersen Festivals and ANDERSEN FOREVER. We are constantly striving to renew ourselves with new artistic expressions, and I am confident that the show, featuring new circus and acrobatics high above the city’s rooftops, will take the breath away from everyone who comes to Flakhaven during week 34,” Peter Bøgholm, festival director of H.C. Andersen Festivals, says, adding:

“Since 2013, we have sought to promote interest in Andersen’s ever-relevant universe, and therefore I am pleased that the festival this year is part of ANDERSEN FOREVER, where, together with even more local participants, we will create experiences for over 300,000 residents of Odense, Fyn, and visitors from afar during festival week."

H.C. Andersen is also being explored through the podcast medium. Author Anna Juul investigates in a new satirical podcast the H.C. Andersen who is not the cozy children’s writer, but a master at depicting death, anxiety, and the struggle to defy life’s end. Together with author Jesper Wung-Sung, she delves into H. C. Andersen’s dark universe and human struggles, while also exploring our need to be remembered and leave a lasting mark. The podcast is produced by Munck Studios and JFM, supported by the H.C. Andersen Foundation and Fynske Bank. It premieres on June 23rd - perfect for many listening moments during the summer.

Community initiatives for people in special life situations

ANDERSEN FOREVER also offers a series of social events that invites people into different inclusive communities.

One such event is Alone Together on August 27th, where Aafarten and Studenterhuset invite guests on a “conversation boat trip” on the water with H.C. Andersen as a silent travel companion. What all participants have in common is that they show up alone. During the trip, conversations are sparked using conversation cards featuring personal questions and quotes inspired by H.C. Andersen’s works and life themes. Afterwards, there will be communal dining and an open-air film screening for all participants

Another social project as part of ANDERSEN FOREVER is Eventyrdalen - an art initiative created in collaboration with street artist Balstrøm, Be Free, and Detours, where young people from Mjølnerparken and Vollsmose participate in creative workshops. Here, H.C. Andersen’s fairy tale The Nightingale is reinterpreted through storytelling, acting, and street art, resulting in two large, 24-meter-long murals displayed in Eventyrdalen in the heart of Odense. The project’s purpose is to make H.C. Andersen’s fairy tales tangible and relevant for young people in vulnerable life situations.

Many of H.C. Andersen’s fairy tales reflect themes such as feeling like an outsider, longing for home, and the struggle between inner and outer worlds - experiences that many veterans can relate to. Therefore, in connection with ANDERSEN FOREVER, the Veterans’ Home in Odense invites veterans to participate in an exhibition project aimed at highlighting veterans’ experiences of life’s transitional phases - the difficult, unspoken themes of returning home and adjusting to a changed everyday life. Through visual art, sculpture, or other creative forms of expression, veterans are given the opportunity to share feelings and experiences that can be hard to put into words. The exhibition opening date has not yet been announced.

A sea of contributors come together for a diverse celebration

From August 4th and well into the autumn, the whole of Odense will buzz with activities celebrating H.C. Andersen’s life and the rich, diverse universe he left behind.

At Odense Theatre, H.C. Andersen’s famous fairy tale The Shadow will be staged as an audio play on the Main Stage on the opening day, August 4th, at 7:30 PM. The performance will also be available to experience during the autumn.

Additionally, OFF – Odense International Film Festival – invites audiences to a special tribute of The Shadow, where two experienced artists, Nicolaj Kopernikus and Jenny Rossander - also known as Lydmor -each create a short film based on the popular fairy tale. The films will be screened on August 29th at Magasinet, followed by a talk with the two artists. This event is part of the celebration of OFF’s 50th anniversary and the official program for OFF25.

At Nordatlantisk Hus, guests are invited into a spectacular world of poetry and paper cuttings. Among other works, artist Annika Øyrabø has created an exhibition featuring 20 new paper cuttings that celebrate H.C. Andersen’s significance for contemporary art. The exhibition opens on August 21st.

On the same day, Odense Cathedral also invites guests to a contemplative evening, where parish priest and PhD Kathrine Lilleør, through the lecture Andersen and Eternal Life, sheds light on how H.C. Andersen grappled with profound existential questions in his works, as well as how his faith shaped his relationship with death and the concept of eternity.

Brandts Art Museum also invites you to Poetry of the Moment with Henrik Lübker and Lise Kapper - a conversation about transience and eternity in H.C. Andersen’s nature tales. Together with Lea Kirstine Møller, they will discuss on September 4th the work behind Eventyr-Almanak, which collects twelve of Andersen’s nature-centered fairy tales, and how the book reflects both the fleeting nature of the present and the cycles of time in its form and content. The event is part of the program series From Here My World Goes, which aims to create an artistic space for exploration between the museum’s exhibitions, H.C. Andersen’s works, and contemporary artists in literature and visual arts.

See the full program at www.andersenforever.com.

ANDERSEN FOREVER is created by VisitOdense and strong local partners, supported by the H.C. Andersen Foundation, and runs from August 4th well into the autumn.