The first of three long weekends in May is upon us. On this occasion the holiday is tomorrow, 1st of May, which is both International Workers’ Day and, this year, Store Bededag (‘Great Prayer Day’). Most people will have the day off, which means there will probably be lots of individuals and families wondering, ‘what should I/we do today/tomorrow/Sunday?’ Luckily Aalborg doesn’t disappoint. There are plenty of activities to take part in this weekend/next week, and most of them are free. But let’s actually start with stuff that’s going on from today; after all, Thursday is the new Friday, right? 🙂 By the way, the Events Calendar is updated as of today (30 April.)

New to North Denmark Fair – organized for YOU – today!

Don’t forget that today,Thursday, 30 April from 16:00 to 18:00 is the New to North Denmark Fair in Nordkraft’s Kedelhallen. At the fair you will get the opportunity to meet a wide range of public and private exhibitors, mingle with other internationals and find answers to many questions, including those concerning:

• Searching for a job

• The municipality’s services

• Residence certificate & immigration

• Using the healthcare system

• Paying taxes

• Learning Danish

• The library and other cultural/spare time options

• Your rights as a renter

• Legal questions

• Entrepreneurship in Denmark

Refreshments will be provided. Thirty organisations – public, private, and civil society – will participate at the fair so the environment is sure to be dynamic and upbeat.

International House Aalborg is a new project within Business Aalborg, part of Aalborg municipality, which focuses on attracting and retaining highly qualified International talent to Aalborg and North Denmark and establishing an International House Aalborg. If you wish to read more about the project please see our web page. Any questions about the event? Send an email to Rikke Harboe at rhar@aalborg.dk. Please indicate you are interested in attending by visiting the event FB page here.

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‘Sport at the Port’ this afternoon/evening

Have you ever wanted to try stand-up paddle boards (SUPs)? Or watch the intense world of cross-fit training? Then Aalborg harbor is where you should be from roughly 16:00 today, Thursday, 30 April. On the water you can test yourself in the fastest growing water activity outside Europe, also gaining ground in Denmark, which can best be described as a combination of surfing, canoeing and fitness training. A competition will take place at 17:00, after which anyone can try their hand at using an SUP board. We have neoprene clothing for those who want to try. The race is organized in cooperation with DSRF (Danish Surf and Rafting Federation.) The CrossFit competition, a cooperative effort by Crossfit Aalborg, SPH-Gym and Aalborg Sports College, is the largest city-outdoor team challenge in northern Jutland. The CrossFit tournament runs from 16:00 to 20:30, with a meeting time and briefing at 15:30.

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Spanish beers take center stage at Basement Beer Bar today

No one expects the Spanish inquisition! We have therefore added a new country to our ‘beer board,’ namely Spain. From today, Thursday, 30 April at 15:00 there will be five new and exciting beers from the sunny country and we are pretty sure that you will like AT LEAST one of them – if not all. So come on down to Løkkegade 18, revel in the fact that you have a day off the next day, and remember that today is also pay day 😉 If you would like to see the names of the five beers, check out BBB’s FB event page here.

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Exhibition opening at Utzon Center today: Architecture as furniture

Inspired by Jørn Utzon’s work this exhibition explores furniture as a way to learn about architecture on a larger scale. We look forward to showing works created by students from Architecture and Design at Aalborg University, alongside material from Utzon Archives. Maybe you know someone who has contributed to the exhibition or maybe you’re curious to see what students learn from Utzon. Come to the opening today, Thursday, 30 April and share the invitation with others. The event takes place from 17:00 to 18:00 and is free of charge. FB event page here. The exhibition continues through 7 June 2015.

PROGRAM:

Welcome by Lasse Anderson, Exhibition Manager

Introduction to the exhibition by Marie Frier Hvejsel, Assistant Professor, University of Aalborg

Refreshments and DJ

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Aalborg Zoo holds School Service open house during the holiday weekend

True to tradition Aalborg Zoo will hold their School Service open house over the 1 May holiday weekend. Aalborg Zoo’s School Service teaches up to 10,000 students every year. Teaching is based on the use of live animals as well as parts of (dead) animals. School Service facilities are normally closed to zoo visitors, but over the next three days everyone has an opportunity to peek behind the scenes. Staff members will be ready to chat with visitors and show some of the items that are used in the zoo’s education program. From Friday, 1 May to Sunday, 3 May the School Service will be open from 11:00 to 16:00. There will be a multitude of stuffed animals, skins, skulls, bones, and other parts of animals that you can explore with all your senses. The live animals used in the School Service program will also come out of their terrariums and cages during the day, so you have the opportunity to greet turtles, snakes, lizards, and other exciting animals. Remember that Safari Simon entertains at the Zoofari scene every day at 12:00 and there is also a daily show with trained animals (Zoofari Scene) at 13:30. Click here for more information.

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Family Fest at Kildeparken tomorrow

LO (The Danish Confederation of Trade Unions) will take over Kildeparken tomorrow, Friday, 1 May from 13:00 for the celebration of the 125th edition of the International Workers’ Day. This year 1st of May falls on ‘Great Prayer Day’ (Store Bededag) and therefore LO has chosen to do something extra for the whole family. Among the many activities that are planned, children will find the opportunity to see a fire truck up close, play in a bouncy castle, try sumo wrestling, and attempt an agility course. ‘We hope that many families will take the opportunity both to uphold solidarity and to be together as a family,’ says LO Aalborg chairperson, Anna Kirsten Olesen. Family activities must not, however, overshadow what all the fuss is about.

True to form, there will be a procession from Søndergade to Kildeparken. This year’s keynote speaker (once the procession has arrived in Kildeparken) is FOA Formand Dennis Kristensen and there will be political ping-pong on stage, which is something new this year. With Jørgen Pyndt as moderator politicians from the Social Democrats, SF and Unity will debate the issues that they believe will shape the upcoming election campaign – or at least should come to characterize it, in their opinion. On stage there will also be performances by the talented young people from Fristedet, like Boys Of Blue Hill. It will be a fun afternoon with beer, water and sausages, as is typical for the 1st of May. ‘We look forward to a really good day with lots of politics, socializing, and hopefully sun and summer weather,’ says Olesen.

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Café for International Friends at Haraldslund tomorrow

Come to Haraldslund tomorrow, Friday, 1 May from 15:00 to 18:00 for a chat and a snack with Danes and other internationals. We are especially interested in meeting those who have recently arrived in Denmark and would like to speak with people who are in the same situation. Here we can talk with each other and learn more about Denmark. Danes are also welcome. Our friend Madeleine will be serving an African dish, Sanbusa, free of charge. The event is organized and sponsored by the Aalborg volunteer group of the Danish Refugee Council. For more information visit our website.

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Monthly food market at Nordkraft Saturday

Nordkraft hosts its monthly food market in the building’s main hall Saturday, 2 May. Held every first Saturday of the month, the market offers cheeses, breads, and a variety of other foods produced in North Jutland to sample and buy. Stalls and booths are open from 10:00 to 15:00. Children can test their fledgling tastebuds at a blind food tasting booth between 10.30 and 12.30 and take home a diploma. And Azzurra offers a brunch with all the trimmings for 99 kr.

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Exchange/swap market at Studenterhuset this Saturday

It’s time again for the most popular event hosted by the student group of Denmark Naturfredningsforning. On Saturday, May 2 from 10:00 to 14:00, you are invited with your family and friends to the Swap Market at Studenterhuset, Gammel Torv, Aalborg. We offer a cozy and relaxed atmosphere as well as clothes, toys, things for the home, or whatever else you might be looking for. We just ask that in return you bring along what you have to spare. Then swap your items for others’ – all for free!

The concept behind this market is simple, but the effect is great! Denmark Naturfredningsforning is committed to recycling as a way to save our nature and environment. Every year, we Danes produce up to 600kg of waste per person and we want to reduce that amount by reusing what can be reused. When we do not discard a still-functioning item, but instead recycle it, we reduce pollution. We spare a little bit of nature from going through another round of extraction, processing, production, transportation, sale, and disposal of the new object. At our last exchange market more than 800kg of things got new owners.

How does it work? The things you bring get divided into categories. They are then made freely available to other participants who might find them interesting. Then you can walk around and look at all the things others have brought. If you find something you would like, you can take it home with you. Nobody pays for anything.

When the day is over, there is usually a small surplus of things have not been claimed. These are given to local thrift stores with charitable purposes. There is, of course, the possibility to buy refreshments, cold and hot, from the café at Studenterhuset during the market. We are really looking forward to seeing you! For more info, see the FB page here.

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Loneliness Day 2015 event in Aalborg this Saturday

“Loneliness is like a hole in the heart.” So wrote an anonymous youth about his loneliness, and he is not alone. Between 5 and 10 percent of all young people aged 13-25 years know the feeling. That is why on Saturday, May 2 Ventilen (‘the valve’) Aalborg will focus on solitude – in the open – with the theme “Space for Someone Like You.” Ventilen volunteers will stand ready from 10:00 to 16:00 at Nytorv with coffee, cake, and fruit for all, provided by Kvickly Vestbyen. There will be contests with great prizes from, among others, Aalborg City and Aalborg Theatre, live music, and opportunities to express oneself creatively.

Ventilen is a national volunteer organization whose goal is to combat loneliness among young people between 15 and 25 years. Ventilen tries to break the taboo on young people’s loneliness by giving them the opportunity to express their feelings out loud and help them meet others. Ventilen creates new communities where there is room for differences. Ventilen Aalborg run a local venue that is open every Sunday from 15:00 to 18:00 and every other Tuesday from 17:30 to 20:30. New young people should come Sundays at 14:30. More information can be found on Ventilen’s website and the Facebook event page.

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First Lopper på Havnen of the season this Sunday!

This year’s first ‘lopper på havnen’ (‘flea market at the harbor’) will take place this Sunday, 3 May from 11:00 to 16:00 in the area next to the Elbjørn (a boat restaurant permanently docked at Aalborg harbor). Lots of stands will be manned by people selling all sorts of goods. Previews of some of these stands are available on the market’s Facebook page.

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Dance performances to help mark Friis’ birthday this Sunday

Attention dance fans! To celebrate Dance Day, which is 29 April, we will perform on Sunday, May 3 at Friis, which is celebrating its birthday and invites the audience for birthday cake as well. There will be belly dancing, swing/Rock n’Roll and African dance on the program this year. Come and dance with us! 🙂

Shows take place at the following times:

12:00 – Belly dancing, Kom og Dans, Vimoroz

12:45 – Belly dancing, Kom og Dans

13:30 – Belly dancing, Vimoroz, Kom og Dans

14:15 – Belly dancing, Vimoroz

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Introduction to Baby Café at Aalborg Main Library next Tuesday

Are you a new parent? Do you find your self sitting at home with a cooing baby and a tablet in your hand? Then get yourself out the door and meet others like you at May’s baby café on Tuesday, 5 May from 10:00 to noon.

You may have had many ambitious projects in the pipeline and good intentions before your parental leave started, but when faced with sleep deprivation and a fever afflicted child it can be difficult to implement those plans. If you have a tablet or notebook, you can access the library’s services at your fingertips. You can see a good movie, read a thrilling e-book crime, or browse your favorite magazine – all for free! Librarians Tine Eggertsen and Gritt Elmeskov can still remember how it is to be baby-centric and will explain the library’s digital offerings to new parents.

You can use baby café as a way to network with other parents in an informal and inspiring environment. At the same time, you can learn more about all the library’s services open to you as a parent. For example, the library is visited by various professionals who share their knowledge of babies and new mother/fatherhood. We will provide coffee, tea and water, but you should bring your own food. The library has changing facilities, space for prams, and a microwave to heat a bottle or food. You may want to bring a play mat for your child to lie on. IN DANISH.

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ArtAffair at Nordkraft’s KUL café next Wednesday night

Do you know the feeling of the fleeting, the colorful, and all the niceties? A love affair that does not last more than a single night, but is completely worth it? That is ArtAffair. The concept rests on the idea that you only experience the exhibition for a single night with visuals and sound – like being drunk in the name of art. That is ArtAffair 4.0. If you’re intrigued, show up from 19:00 next Wednesday, 6 May and pay nothing to get in – only for drinks you consume. See the FB page here.

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Aalborg mayor Thomas Kastrup-Larsen to move office (temporarily) to Aalborg Øst next week

The mayor and his office will move to Aalborg Øst in the first week of May. From Monday, 4 May to Friday, 8 May Thomas Kastrup-Larsen and some of his staff will work at Sundheds- og Kvartershuset in Aalborg Øst. Each day he will hold an ‘open office’ hour, to which residents can come and meet and talk with him. ALL ARE WELCOME. The location is Lokale 6G and 6H of the building (on the ground floor) and the days and times are as follows:

Monday, 4 May 14:00-15:00

Tuesday, 5 May 10:00-11:00

Wednesday, 6 May 12:00-13:00

Thursday, 7 May 16:00-17:00

Friday, 8 May 11:00-12:00

There will also be two opportunities next week to hear Thomas Kastrup-Larsen speak and to ask him questions. The first of these, on Monday, March 4 at 18:00 at Trekanten, is a ‘conversation salon.’ During the event he will talk about being mayor, including what his own ambitions are and the cards you have to play as mayor. Guests will then be asked to discuss various aspects of this. ‘We are naturally looking forward to the mayor’s visit,’ says Trekanten’s Frederik Alken. ‘We believe that many citizens out here are curious about who he is and would like to talk with him.’ However, there is a space limit at Trekanten’s new café extension. Therefore, it is important to sign up for the event in time, Alken warns. This can be done here. The second is a ‘citizens meeting’ at Sundheds- og Kvartershuset in the ‘salen’ (also ground floor) from 19:00 to 21:00 on Thursday, 7 May. For more information about this mayoral initiative, click here.

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Weigh in on the debate about Budolfi Plads’ future!

The debate over Budolfi Plads (that hideous space in the city center across the street from Budolfi Kirken where nothing is happening and so much could be done to make it beautiful and functional) is in full swing. The kommune has created a questionnaire and would really like to hear your opinions and ideas for the site’s future use, so that they can create the best possible urban space for citizens of Aalborg. It takes only 3-5 minutes to answer the questionnaire (it took me 2), and the results of the study will be publicized once the discussion phase is completed. Thanks in advance for your contribution to the debate! The survey is in Danish but could easily be translated on Google Chrome, if necessary. Click the link here. (I don’t know the closing date so it’s best to do it soon…)

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Donate unneeded clothing to the Red Cross’ “Get rid of your clothes – and help people in need!'” campaign through 9 May

If you are contemplating cleaning out your closet, used clothing (of all kinds – good quality for resale or rags for cloth fibers) can be donated to Red Cross stores and containers, and in Coop stores, from May 1st – 9th. Here are some examples of how your clothes can help:

The value of a 10 kg mixed bag of recycled clothing noise can help us buy, for example, blankets for two children or a kitchen set for a whole family.

With three bags of mixed clothes we can buy food for a child on the run for a whole month.

For the value of a carrier bag with mixed used clothing we can ensure a month of visits and contacts to someone who is lonely and isolated.

For more information, see the Red Cross’ campaign site here.