Member Events

President’s lunch

Every third Wednesday of the month we invite members to join us at the President’s Table at Denmark House where current president Alexander Nielsen or other committee members attend.

Lunch is served from 12 pm on the third Wednesday of every month. Bookings are essential – phone 9600 4477.

Queen’s Birthday lunch

16 April marks the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and every year members are invited to lunch at Denmark House to celebrate the Danish monarch and catch up with other club members.

The lunch is always well–visited with Denmark House at full capacity on this day.

The Queen’s Birthday Lunch is a free event for members of the Danish Club Dannebrog with plenty of snaps and other drinks available on consumption.

Members dinner

On the last Wednesday of every month members are invited to a communal meal at our themed Member’s Dinner events. Recurring themes are eg, Trivia Nightsand Xmas in July.

Dinner is served from 6 pm onwards on the last Wednesday of every month. Bookings are essential – phone 9600 4477.

Fugleskydning – Annual Birdshoot

The Birdshoot event at the Danish Club Dannebrog goes back almost as long as the Club’s history – just shy of ten years. This European tradition travelled with members of the Danish Club to Melbourne and takes place the last Saturday of February.

Members of the Danish Club dress up in shirt and collar (yes, there’s a dress code), meet for breakfastat Denmark House and travel to a nearby shooting range. Before the shooting commences, members sing the Danish national anthem. The tradition is believed to have its roots in France from where it spread throughout Europe. Popinjay, papingo or pole archery is a traditional shooting sport where artificial birds are knocked off their perches, either with archery equipment or rifles.

In Melbourne members of the Danish Club Dannebrog use rifles as was customary at bird shooting events in Denmark in the 1700 and 1800s. The event goes on all day and once the Bird King or Bird Queen are crowned, the members go back to Denmark House for some well–deserved lunch, beer, snaps and singing.

Denmark House hosts a dinner in honour of the new Bird King or Bird Queen – usually about a month or two after the event – with all members invited to join in the celebrations of this year’s King or Queen.

Mortens Aften

Every year duck (or goose), potatoes and gravy are served for dinner in Danish households in celebration of the legend of Saint Martin before the Feast of Saint Martin on 11 November.

To commemorate this Danish tradition Denmark House serves duck on the dinner menu all through November.In Danish folklore Martin of Tours (Morten Bisp) was a holy man who cured the sick and helped the poor. He lived a pious life as a monk in Tours where the citizens wanted to elect him bishop.

Martin wasn't interested and to avoid becoming bishop he hid among the geese. But the geese cackled, revealing Martin's hiding spot and he was forcibly appointed bishop of Tours. To get one up on the geese, Martin of Tours made all households kill and eat at least one goose every year on the day he was found among the geese. He died in France in November 397 and was buried in Tours on 11 November.

Anyone with a taste for duck and Danish culture is invited to partake in Denmark House's take on this age-old Danish tradition to celebrate the Feast of Saint Martin.

Duck is served at Denmark House all through November.

Juleklip

Join us for an afternoon of arts, crafts and hygge as we come together to make Christmas decorations for the Denmark House Christmas tree! All materials will be provided to make flettede julehjerter (braided Christmas hearts), paper stars, and other traditional decorations. You are more than welcome to bring your own favourite materials or paper cutting tools, templates, and personal Christmas traditions. You can also take decorations home for your own Christmas trees. Drinks and snacks available at bar prices. This event is free, and great for both adults and children.

Melbourne's popular annual beer event is a nine-day celebration of all things frothy and hoppy. Starting in 2011, it offers the best of 50 of Melbourne's best pubs - with the Akvavit Bar at Denmark House being one of them.

Come and sample our vast array of beer - from classic Danish beer on tap or bottled to our range of Danish craft beer, including the well known Mikkeller, and local craft beer.

Eurovision

Although the international Eurovision Song Contest is primarily a European affair, Australia has long had a passionate love affair with it, and even managed to participate successfully in it for the last couple of years.

At Denmark House we love getting into the Eurovision vibe and channeling our inner singer so join us for this fun annual event, usually around May.

Short history lesson: The annual song competition started in the 1950s and features primarily European participants each submitting an original song performed live and transmitted via the national broadcasters of the competing countries who cast votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.

First in best dressed.

J-Day

The day of the year when Denmark's famous brewery Tuborg - yes, nearly as famous in Denmark as Carlsberg is in the world - releases its annual Christmas beer - a popular and eagerly awaited event.

'J' stands for 'Jul' or Christmas in Danish.

Originally the day was devised as a beer related alternative to the celebration of the annual release of the French red wine Beaujolais which since the 1970s has been transported from France to Denmark by its keen fans under sharp media attention.

Come celebrate the arrival of the beer with us as Denmark House where we also enjoy the event, a relative newcomer in a Danish traditional context.