Instant City @ Roskilde Festival

Book excerpt: This book examines the concept and basic values of the Roskilde Festival, which is considered the largest temporary city in Denmark. The city plan, the city spaces, and the architecture are presented, including the interaction of the urban scenography with city life. Observations and analyses are supplemented by 12 narratives, with the participants sharing their everyday lives, which include the parties, the festival culture, and their experiences with music, architecture, and art. They present their territories and their places of meaning. The book looks at the potential of this temporary experience city, where the participants can experiment with an open-minded and socially-inclusive urban life carried by carnival laughter, performative architecture, and grotesque realism. The book points to a number of opportunities for the further development and processing of the temporary city, which may also serve as a source of inspiration for those who are working with urban design, experience design, and performative architecture.