Varde mayor Sarah Andersen (V) says private guests will no longer stay in her municipality-paid accommodation at Folkemødet, after two friends slept for free in her taxpayer-funded cabin on Bornholm in June 2026.
The announcement came in a Facebook post published Tuesday, August 18, 2026. It followed reporting by Avisen Danmark and its sister paper JydskeVestkysten, which revealed that Andersen had two friends staying free of charge in her cabin during this year’s Folkemøde.
In the post, Andersen writes that she now understands there must be a completely clear boundary between her role as mayor and her private life. She states that private guests will not stay overnight in her municipality-funded accommodation at future editions of the political festival.
Andersen had initially defended the arrangement when JydskeVestkysten first asked about it. She noted that the cabin had four beds and that the price was the same whether she stayed there alone or with her friends. According to her, the friends’ presence had not cost the municipality anything extra.
Nine cabins, five of them empty
Varde Municipality paid for nine holiday cabins at Hasle Hytteby, a three-star campsite on Bornholm. The cabins measure 14 square meters, with four beds in one open room and a small kitchenette. Shared bathrooms and a communal kitchen are located in a nearby center building.
The municipality paid 1,506 kroner per night per cabin from Wednesday, June 10, to Sunday, June 14. The total cabin bill came to 54,225 kroner. Varde’s overall Folkemøde expenses reached 90,090 kroner.
Only four of the nine cabins were actually used, according to documents JydskeVestkysten obtained through an access-to-information request. The five empty cabins cost the municipality 30,125 kroner. Andersen writes that this annoys her, and that the municipality must still book early but find a better balance.
Andersen has said her friends’ participation stemmed from a long-standing agreement within the group to attend Folkemødet together. She explained that she later became mayor, but is not someone who breaks agreements. She also described the trip as a work trip at full speed with a packed calendar, although her own social media posts show social time with the friends.
Ekstra Bladet reported on August 17 that the two friends had four nights of accommodation on the municipality’s bill, while paying for their own transport and meals. The tabloid also cited figures from TV Syd putting Folkemøde participation at 12,573 kroner per person over four days, including transport, accommodation, tent space, and food.
Andersen’s change of course came directly after JydskeVestkysten’s disclosure of the municipality’s camping spending on Bornholm and the free stays for her friends.
