Debut Fest 2026: HEAD-OVER-HEELS

HOVEDKULDS is a physical and sensory work in which the clumsy, the vulnerable, and the absurd are allowed to take center stage. A performance in which nothing quite works out—but in which everything is felt.

Through a montage of absurd scenes, we follow the first awkward dance on the dance floor, an all-consuming celebrity crush, a monthly battle with menstruation, the feeling that everyone is suddenly getting boyfriends or girlfriends, and the first French kiss that goes on just a little too long. With large masks, live saxophone and drums, humor, and plenty of physical clumsiness, the performance unfolds a world of youth where even the smallest setbacks can feel like the end of the world.

HOVEDKULDS is a play about seeing yourself reflected in others and trying to find yourself amid hormones, crushes, and social rules that no one has really explained to you. It’s about the longing to be seen, about fitting in, and about throwing yourself into something before you fully know what it is.

Debut Fest is Copenhagen’s festival for emerging art and new talent. The festival brings together debuting artists across various art forms and gives the audience the opportunity to experience Copenhagen’s new voices up close. 

This year, you can enjoy a total of 36 different acts over two days when Debut Fest takes over the Brønshøj Water Tower and the Kildevæld Cultural Center on September 4 and 5.