Birkerød Celebrates This Year’s Graduates with a Tradition Spanning More Than 100 Years
On Friday, June 26, Birkerød’s main street will be filled with cheering, singing, and white graduation caps as the town once again comes together to celebrate this year’s graduates from Birkerød Gymnasium.
One of the town’s oldest traditions comes back to life as the graduates arrive in decorated graduation trucks and make their way through the town centre to Majpladsen, where they will dance around the flagpole – just as generations of Birkerød graduates have done before them.
The tradition dates back more than a century to the days when Mantziusgaarden was home to Birkerød State and Boarding School. Graduates would gather in the town centre to mark the completion of their education. Two years ago, Rudersdal Municipality, Birkerød Trade and Business Association, and Birkerød Gymnasium revived the tradition, allowing local residents once again to take part in this unique celebration.
Mayor Ann-Sophie Ort, Rudersdal Municipality, Birkerød Trade and Business Association, and Birkerød Gymnasium therefore invite all local residents, kindergartens, care homes, and community institutions to join this year’s celebration of the graduating students.
On Friday, June 26 at 11:30 a.m., the graduates will arrive at Pengetorvet near Birkegrillen and Ritter Cykler. From there, they will walk through Hovedgaden to Majpladsen, where they will gather around the flagpole. Here, Mayor Ann-Sophie Ort will officially welcome the graduates and congratulate them on completing their upper secondary education.
Visitors can expect singing, cheering, and the unique atmosphere that accompanies the moment when years of hard work culminate in the awarding of the traditional white graduation cap.
The event is a tribute to the young people who are closing an important chapter of their lives and preparing for new educational opportunities, careers, and experiences. At the same time, it is a celebration of community spirit in Birkerød, where the graduates are honoured not only by their families and friends but also by the town in which many of them grew up.
At 12:15 p.m., the graduates will return to their graduation trucks near Birkerød Church and continue the traditional graduate parade through the area. Residents can look forward to music, cheering, and plenty of festive energy throughout the town.
Although graduation trucks have become one of the most recognisable symbols of Danish graduation celebrations, this was not always the case. Originally, graduates would walk through town to gather in the central square. As upper secondary schools grew larger and moved further away from town centres, the tradition evolved, and horse-drawn wagons eventually gave way to the decorated trucks seen today.
When this year’s graduates gather at Majpladsen, they are celebrating more than the completion of their exams. They are also continuing a living tradition that connects the town’s history, community spirit, and generations of young people embarking on the next chapter of their lives.