E-Malt.com News article: Denmark: Non-alcoholic beer sales up by 10.4% across Danish festivals

According to new sales data from Carlsberg Denmark, non-alcoholic beer sales increased by 10.4% across Danish festivals from 2025 to 2026. This also showed that sales across the category at these events are now more than three times higher than they were in 2021, The Drinks Business reported on September 17.

Carlsberg Denmark sales director Henrik Fredvig said: “It is interesting to see alcohol-free beer increasingly being chosen in social and celebratory settings, especially at festivals, which in many ways are the ultimate prove point for alcohol-free beverages. When we see growth year after year at festivals, it tells us that alcohol-free beer is no longer something Danes only choose in everyday situations. It has become a natural part of celebrations and social gatherings as well.”

The figures are based on sales across many of Denmark’s largest festivals, including: NorthSide; Folkemødet; Heartland; Copenhell; Tinderbox; Roskilde Festival; Nibe Festival; Gr∅n Concert in eight cities, and many more. The research noted that “together, these events attract more than half a million guests every summer”.

Alcohol-free’s share of total beer sales at festivals has increased by 6% compared to last year, however despite the category being small, it is still seeing rapid growth.

Fredvig explained that “although alcohol-free beer still represents a relatively small share of total beer sales at festivals, a threefold increase is significant. Festivals have historically been one of the most challenging environments for alcohol-free beer to gain traction, so it is particularly interesting to see the category making such strong strides year after year”.

Uncovering what has assisted in driving the trend, Fredvig pointed out that, largely, the acceptance and evolution of the alcohol-free movement is due to the trend for zebra-striping and following alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic drinks to self-moderate and explained that “more people alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic options than before”. Fredvig also noted that “initiatives such as Tuborg’s ‘Drink with Respect’ campaign also aim to inspire that behaviour”.

To back this up, the research also outlined that 64% of Danes have either recently started moderating their alcohol consumption or have done so within the past five years, showing that habits are changing and self-moderating is becoming more normalised.

Fredvig insisted that “this development is here to stay” and assured that “it will likely be several years before we see it reach its peak”.

Echoing this trend, from summer 2025 to summer 2026, sales of alcohol-free Mikkeller beer increased by 137% at festivals, while overall Mikkeller also saw beer sales rise by 75%.

Speaking to the drinks business, Mikkeller owner Mikkel Bjergsø said: “Non-alcoholic beer already cannibalises classic beer sales. But we see it as an opportunity, not a threat. Our best-selling beer ever, across the entire range, is actually non-alcoholic, Drink’in the Sun. So non-alcoholic has already overtaken classic beer in some ways for us. But it also makes the cake bigger. It’s pulling in new demographics and cultures who weren’t gravitating toward classic beer before. The future won’t be either/or, people naturally have one alcoholic and one alcohol-free in the same night now.”

Describing the uplift being seen across alcohol-free beer, Bjergsø said, although “in the beginning, alcohol-free beer was often seen as a compromise”. But, he pointed out that “today, there is a tremendous amount of craftsmanship behind modern alcohol-free beer”.

Bjergsø explained that, because of the level of skill being applied, the quality has improved. He added that now “we brew in much more sophisticated ways, using different yeast strains and hop varieties that make it possible to create alcohol-free craft beers packed with flavour”.


17 September, 2026