There are lots of cultural events in Odense, foremost among which are performances by the Odense Symphony Orchestra. Throughout much of the year, concerts are presented in the Carl Nielsen Hall, Claus Bergs Gade 9 (tel. 66-12-00-57 for ticket information). Tickets cost 60DKK to 160DKK ($10-$27/£5.40-£14), depending on the event. During the warm-weather months, the orchestra's role is less formal. In August, for example, the group is more likely to play outdoors at the marketplace in front of the vegetable stands. Because of their location, these performances have been referred to as "the Vegetable Concerts." On Saturdays at 11am in August the orchestra presents free live music at Skovsoen park.
The casino at the Radisson SAS H.C. Anderson Hotel, Claus Berg Gade 7 (tel. 66-14-78-00; www.casinoodense.dk), is one of only six casinos in the entire country. Dress is casual, and it is open daily from 7pm to 4am, charging a cover of 60DKK ($10/£5.40). A driver's license or passport is required to enter.
Odense offers several places for dancing. By far the most popular and entertaining is Congress Disco, Asylgade 9 (tel. 66-11-63-02), which opens at 11pm only on Friday and Saturday and offers a sometimes crowded dance floor in its cellar; upstairs, very high ceilings help reduce the noise a bit. Only a bit less visible is Boogies, Nørregade 21-23 (tel. 66-14-00-39), which attracts the most mixed crowd in town, including some of Odense's gay and lesbian population, who blend in with an otherwise straight clientele. Other than hanging out at Boogies , gay people either drive to Copenhagen for evening events, or stay alert to the special activities sponsored by Lambda (tel. 66-17-76-92), which offers a Friday and/or Saturday (depending on the schedule) dance club in the cellar of Vindegade 100.
At Odense's railway station, Frank A.'s Café, Jernbanegade 4 (tel. 66-12-27-57), operates as a cafe throughout the day, and as such, draws a respectable crowd of drinkers and diners who appreciate the tasty Danish platters, which cost from 69DKK to 198DKK ($12-$34/£6.20-£18). But the real heart and soul of the place doesn't become visible until after 10pm, when all pretenses of culinary skill are abandoned, and the cafe becomes one of the loudest, wildest, and most raucous nightlife venues in town. Then, live music -- Brazilian, Latin, or simple rock 'n roll -- transforms the room into everybody's favorite rendezvous. Come here to be convivial, amid a setting that's loaded with kitschy bric-a-brac and dozens of single or wannabe-single local residents. Food service is daily 10am to 10pm; nightlife action runs 10pm to at least 3am, and sometimes later.
