The story
Aalborg Carnival in Aalborg
Aalborg Carnival began in 1982 with four founders and 10,000 attendees, the same year Brazilian samba first took hold in Denmark, and has grown into Scandinavia's largest carnival. Its Grand Parade, held during the last week of May, now draws around 60,000 participants and 100,000 spectators through the city, opening with roughly 15 invited professional carnival groups from around the world.
Four friends in Aalborg decided in 1982 to build a carnival around the old European tradition of welcoming spring, and the first edition drew a surprising 10,000 people to a city that had no prior carnival culture of its own.