Denmark is renowned for its constant innovation, whether in culture, architecture or gastronomy, and 2018 is set to be no exception, with brand new restaurants, attractions and works of art set to open all over the country. From Noma to LEGOLAND, some of Denmark's most famous names have exciting events happening in the next year.

Restaurants:

World-renowned restaurant Noma will open at the beginning of 2018 in a new Copenhagen location with an urban farm. The menu for Noma 2.0 promises to focus even more heavily on seasonal ingredients, with head chef René Redzepi showcasing the very best of Scandinavian produce. 

One of the city's main tourist attractions in recent years, the Copenhagen Street Food market on Paper Island (Papirøen) will relocate in April 2018 to Refshaleøen. The current market will close on 31 December 2017 and will be demolished in the spring to give way to a new waterside development, and the current street food market will be relocated to a 10,000m2 indoor and outdoor area at Refshaleøen, vastly expanding the concept to include markets, bars and cultural activities. 

Celebrity chef and author, Trine Hahnemann, will expand her activities in Copenhagen in 2018 with a new shop at Torvehallerne and an international cooking school, restaurant, shop, bakery, coffee bar and event site at Sankt Kjeld's Square in Østerbro. Trine's focus is on everyday food and her cooking is based on farm to table principles. At Hahnemann's Køkken, visitors can participate in events such as smørrebrød workshops, and Danish cheese and beer pairings.

Activities and attractions:

Copenhagen

With is official inauguration in May 2018, the new BLOX building will house the Danish Architecture Centre/Danish Design Centre and create a new and extraordinary venue for the city. BLOX provides a setting for recreational outdoor urban spaces, playgrounds, homes and cafés as well as a unique space for work, exhibitions, research and reflection. It will be open to everyone and brimming with exciting attractions – from exhibitions over lectures and workshops to a restaurant and a bookstore. BLOX is also initiating several new bridges that are going up across and along the harbour, to tie the city and the harbour together.

Copenhill – the artificial ski slope and recreational hiking area that is set to open in the autumn of 2018 – will be built on top of Copenhagen's new green waste management centre. The building will stand some 85 metres high, and on the roof of the café at the top of the ski slope there will be a viewing platform with incredible views of the Danish capital. Ski equipment will be available to hire, and there will be a green adventure and play landscape on the roof where visitors can wander and explore. 

Copenhagen's famous Tivoli Gardens is renowned the world over for its beautiful illuminations, rides and unique architecture. To celebrate its 175 anniversary next year the Tivoli Gardens will be open from 2–25 February for the first time. Perfect for a Valentine's break couples can take to the ice on its skating rink, cosy up in its range of restaurants before sitting back at the Tivoli Concert Hall with tickets to see Chess – The Musical. Meanwhile, opened in late 2017, Tivoli Corner is a new development for the northwest corner of Tivoli Gardens, designed to connect the iconic amusement park with Copenhagen's city centre. This new building will house shops, restaurants, a food hall and hotel rooms for the Nimb hotel, reconnecting Tivoli and the rest of the city.

In 2018, Copenhagen's iconic Jazz Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary. Taking place from July 6–15, Copenhagen Jazz Festival brings together more than 120 venues and around 1,400 concerts, making it one of the largest jazz festivals in the world. The festival presents the best of the contemporary international jazz scene, including the most vibrant Danish acts, and aims to stretch the boundaries of jazz by encouraging new artistic initiatives.

Aarhus

The Salling Rooftop, a sensational roof terrace with a café and urban oasis on the roof of the Salling department store in the centre of Aarhus, has been a huge success since its opening in 2017. The rooftop offers fabulous panoramic views of ARoS Art Museum, Aarhus Cathedral, the Aarhus Ø city quarter, and many other popular Aarhus locations. Every Friday, a DJ kicks off the weekend at the 'Fredag på Toppen' event, and entry to the rooftop is free.

The 'Endless Connection' fountain, created in 2017, has been delighting visitors to the Aarhus waterfront this year. The fountain is a beautiful sight from a distance, as well from the very centre of the cascades, offering the chance to view the harbour through two-metre-tall wall of water. Created by the Danish artist Jeppe Hein, the inspiration for the fountain's changing patterns is the starry skies over Aarhus.

By early 2018, Aarhus will get its eagerly anticipated light-rail network. Created with energy efficiency and a reduction in CO2 emissions in mind, the project is the first of its kind in Denmark and the light-rail will serve some 51 stops in the Aarhus area. The first stage of the light-rail project will use two existing single-track heavy rail lines running into the city's main rail station Aarhus Hovedbanegård (Aarhus H), which have been upgraded and electrified, and 12km of newly constructed double-track light-rail line passing through the most densely populated part of Aarhus.

The Bassin 7 harbour pool is also set to open at Aarhus Ø in 2018. Part of the new Aarhus Ø development of shops, housing, cafes and restaurants, Bassin 7 will feature swimming pools and a beach, offering a relaxing oasis from the bustle of city life.

Aarhus will also host the Sailing World Championship in August 2018. With competitors from over 100 nations, these championships will see the first national team places awarded for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, with boats from all 10 Olympic sailing classes competing, as well as kitesurfing being added to the programme for the first time.

Other events:

The original LEGOLAND in Billund will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2018, with lots of new attractions and events in the new year. There will be a new 'Flying Eagle' rollercoaster, a totally revamped 'LEGOREDO' Wild West town, and a huge red LEGO dinosaur to greet guests.

2018 offers the last chance to visit the iconic Rubjerg Knude lighthouse before its moved to a new location. The light in Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse was first illuminated on 27 December 1900, at which point it was more than 200m inland and there were no large dunes around it. Over time the sea has moved closer and the wind has blown large amounts of sand up from the cliff. By 1968 the sand was so high it was sometimes impossible to see the lighthouse from the sea, and the light was switched off. Since then, the lighthouse has been under attack from coastal erosion, and is in danger of falling into the sea. So, in the next year or two, the old lighthouse will be dismantled and moved to a new location.

Koldinghus, Jutland's last royal castle and home to a fascinating museum, turns 750 years old in 2018. The castle has played an important role in Denmark's history, and the anniversary will be marked with a special exhibition, 'The Splendour of Power', showcasing a selection of magnificent and unique Danish and European pieces to illustrate the ability of jewellery to capture our fascination and act as statements of shifting power structures over the past 750 years.

In 2018 Denmark will get a fifth national park in North Sealand. The park will cover a large area of some 25,800 hectares, making it the second largest Danish national park. It will contain Denmark's two largest lakes, Arresø and Esrum Sø, as well as one of Denmark's largest forests, Gribskov, and two UNESCO world heritage sights.

The artist behind the iconic rainbow at the ARoS art museum in Aarhus, Olafur Eliasson, will design a new landmark building for Vejle's harbour in 2018. Home to the Kirk Kapital investment company, the building will also provide art for all, with free public entry to the exhibitions on the ground floor.

Camp Adventure Park, Denmark's largest treetop adventure park, will unveil a spectacular new observation tower in 2018. The Treetop Experience consists of a tower with a 600m internal spiral ramp, which will take visitors from the forest floor through the treetops culminating in an amazing 360° view of the hilly landscape characteristic of the region.