Nibe Festival has proposed expanding its site in and around Skalskoven with new roads, paths and room for more stages, and neighbors have formed an association against the plan. The first public hearing closes on September 18, 2026.
DR reports that Nibe Festival wants to build new roads and paths in the forest and create room for more stages east of Skalskoven. The forest lies just outside the North Jutland town of Nibe. Organizers describe the plan as a way to future-proof the festival area.
The initial public debate, known as a fordebat, is currently underway. The deadline for submissions falls on Friday, September 18, 2026. Aalborg Municipality will then process the comments before any local plan is drafted.
According to DR, the festival has bought areas east of Skalskoven and north of Aalborgvej. Those areas would be included in a new local plan boundary for festival activities. The boundary would cover roads, paths, parking and possible new stages.
The proposal also includes larger and improved parking and overnight accommodation areas. In the longer term, it would allow new stages and more guests. Around 20,000 daily visitors are expected in Skalskoven next summer, according to DR.
Neighbors form preservation association
Conny Nielsen, who lives next to the forest, co-founded Foreningen for bevarelse af Skalskoven. The group has 60 members on Facebook. She told DR that the forest floor is already damaged in the areas where the festival is held.
Nielsen said the forest cannot carry further strain. She noted that Skalskoven is used daily by runners, dog walkers and families with children. If the festival reshapes the forest, she said, it will become a Nibe Festival forest with new roads and heavy traffic.
Festival spokesperson Peter Møller Madsen rejected the concerns about nature. He told DR that the expansion is not intended to make the festival bigger. The aim, per Madsen, is to move heavy traffic and parking away from the town and its residential areas.
Madsen also said Skalskoven is decisive for the identity of both Nibe and the festival. For that reason, he said, organizers are focused on how best to protect nature going forward.
Nibe Festival was once known as “Den lille fede,” or the little fat one, and has repeatedly sold out quickly. Nielsen has attended the festival herself and acknowledges its value for the local area. She said the group is not against the festival, but is very worried about the forest.
