Folkemødet, youth and optimism
Much of the world has changed since I visited the Folkemødet festival in 2025: Developments in artificial intelligence have brought shocks to the world economy, United States foreign policy has shifted dramatically, and global military spending has increased following the US-Iran conflict and ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. My experience at Folkemødet 2026 reflected these global changes, but crucially the festival retained its uplifting spirit and familiar sense of optimism.
On Bornholm I was once again greeted with sunshine and smiling faces. It was immediately obvious that young people made a large proportion of this year’s visitors to Folkemødet as school children and young adults excitedly left the ferry terminal.
As I entered Allinge, I found this year’s events schedule to be heavily centred on defence and European security, with panellists discussing the role of NATO, the EU and UK in the context of a growingly unstable defence landscape. The island itself was also noticeably more militarised than last year - coast guard ships and AI naval drones regularly patrolled the coast of Allinge to deter the Russian Navy. However, despite growing anxieties in global security, Danes demonstrated a unified resolve in which the young and old, left and right, business owners, farmers, teachers, doctors, soldiers, civil servants, politicians and more, came together to engage in an energised conversation about their country’s future.
The spirit of Folkemødet trickled down into each conversation, panel and exchange I experienced. The atmosphere remained light as young musicians sang on the main stage, parades streamed through the streets and visitors swam at nearby beaches. This balance created the perfect amount of chaos in which serious discussion was paired with a sprawling network of cultural events – often times briefly interrupting each other.
The Folkemødet festival has made a significant effort to attract younger audiences since 2016, by securing discounted transport for young visitors, building a large youth camping zone and creating a youth lead event space in the centre of the festival known as the Youth Square. A rich variety of cultural events also helps to motivate youth participation by integrating arts and crafts, music and sport with political debate. This strategy has been highly successful, and to me is integral to the energy of the festival.
As the Scottish People’s Meeting approaches its first year, it is important that our youth engagement strategy learns from the successes of Folkemødet in:
1 - Integrating politics with a rich variety of cultural events
2 - Ensuring transport and accommodation options are accessible for young people
3 - Including young people in programming choices
An energised and youthful culture celebrating Scottish democracy is an exciting thought, and I look forward to helping build it.
