A Danish gymnasium is steering its new students away from the off-campus “puttefester” by allowing beer at supervised social events on school premises instead.
The school’s approach is described in reporting by DR. The aim is to keep first-year students in a controlled setting rather than at intro parties the school does not organize itself.
Puttefester are large, informal parties for new 1.g students. DR reported in 2021 that they are typically held off campus, in places such as Dyrehaven north of Copenhagen, and are known for heavy drinking and hazing-like activities. The same reporting noted that the gymnasiums do not arrange the parties.
Danske Gymnasier, the association for general upper secondary schools in the Danish education system, has urged schools for several years to offer alternatives. According to DR in 2021, those alternatives include alcohol-free or low-alcohol activities on or near school grounds.
Safety concerns around the parties sharpened this month. Ekstra Bladet reported in August 2026 that a 16-year-old died after a stabbing near a park where a puttefest was being held. At least one rektor then publicly ended his school’s involvement in the event, citing the killing and safety risks.
Several schools in the Copenhagen and North Zealand area had already broken with the tradition. TV 2 Kosmopol reported that the elevråd at Allerød Gymnasium urged students to skip the Dyrehaven party and attend school-organized parties later in the week. Politiken reported in 2023 that multiple Copenhagen-area gymnasiums had stopped supporting the event, describing it as notorious.
How schools regulate beer on campus
Where alcohol is permitted on school grounds, the rules are usually written down. Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium’s alcohol and drug policy from 2022 bans alcohol in everyday school life, but allows school-run sales of beer and soft drinks at café evenings and parties. Staff and security must be present, and students may not bring their own alcohol.
Egedal Gymnasium’s policy from 2022 sets out a similar model. It begins the school year with an alcohol-free karensperiode, followed by a limited number of parties where beer and low-alcohol drinks are served under strict supervision. The policy bans strong spirits and allows the school to test students and send them home.
Sundhedsstyrelsen has repeatedly recommended that gymnasiums and vocational schools keep the start of the school year alcohol-free, typically until late September. Summarized guidance from 2025 states that the authority does not call for a year-round ban, but stresses clear rules where alcohol is allowed.
Practice still varies between schools. DR reported in 2022 that some gymnasiums make the year’s first party alcohol-free, while others keep moderate alcohol at later events under tighter rules. DR also reported in 2018 that some schools use alkometer tests at the door and send home students above 0.5 promille.
