Festival urges men to break out of their shells

A Copenhagen festival is encouraging men to talk more openly about their feelings and relationships, DR reports. Boring Man is being held on Saturday with workshops and activities designed to strengthen men’s mental wellbeing.

“I hope the festival can help counter the idea that men in their fifties have become grey and bland,” said Rune Huvendick Jensen, a co-founder of Boring Man.

The festival will offer workshops on topics including how to be a good father or friend. Participants can also take part in cream-puff throwing and test their courage in a fashion show.

“A conversation needs to be created in both a serious and festive way, where men’s relationships and roles can be discussed,” Jensen said.

The organisers hope the festival will become a starting point for a broader debate about what a man can and should be. Although the event focuses on men, they want people of all genders to join the discussion.

“The conversations should take place between men, women and children, who are all part of everyday life,” Jensen said.

A 2023 study by Forum for Men’s Health found, among other things, that men are far less likely than women to have someone they can talk to confidentially.

“It is an attempt to open a space where people can come together around the more difficult things as well,” Jensen said.

Boring Man has so far sold about 250 tickets. The festival is open from 2pm to 1am in Nordhavn, Copenhagen.