2008 in Denmark

Incumbents

• Monarch – Margrethe II
• Prime minister – Anders Fogh Rasmussen

  Events

February

• 16 February – The Royal Playhouse on Copenhagen's waterfront is inaugurated with the play Hamlet, featuring Nicolas Bro in the title role.

  March

• A 16-year-old teenager of Turkish origin was verbally assaulted with racial slurs by three Danish teenagers, and subsequently beaten to death with baseball bats and hammers.

  May

• 1 May - Han Kjøbenhavn is founded.
• 24 May – Prince Joachim marries Marie Cavallier in Møgeltønder.

  June

• June 2 - A suicide bomber strikes outside the Danish embassy in the Pakistani capital Islamabad with at least eight people dead.
• June 4 - al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the 2008 Danish embassy bombing stating it was revenge for the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.

  Date unknown

• The 25 øre coin is demonetised as the lowest-denomination coin in the country. It has been in circulation since 1874, when it was introduced on the decimalisation of the krone.

  The arts

Architecture

• 27 June – Lundgaard & Tranberg's Royal Playhouse in Copenhagen wins a 2008 RIBA European Award at the Royal Institute of British Architects' annual awards ceremony in London.
• 23 October – Schmidt hammer lassen's Performers House in Silkeborg wins the Grand Prix at the 5th LEAF Awards in London.

  Film

• September – Per Fly's film Manslaughter wins the 2005 Nordic Council Film Prize.

  Literature

Media

• 8 February – Erik Refner from Berlingske Tidende wins 1st prize in the Sports Features Stories category in the 51st World Press Photo Contest for a photo series of exhausted runners in Copenhagen Marathon.

  Music

• 19 November – MGP Nordic 2008 is held in Århus.

  Sport

• 8–24 August – Denmark participates at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China: two gold medals, two silver medals, two bronze medals.

  Badminton

• 9 March – Tine Rasmussen wins gold in women's singles at the All England Open badminton tournament.
• 16–20 April – The 21st European Badminton Championships are arranged in Herning, Denmark. With three gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals, Denmark finishes as the best nation.

  Football

• 1 May – Brøndby IF wins the 2007–08 Danish Cup by defeating Esbjerg fB 3–2 in the final.
• 6 September – Denmark draws 0–0 in an away game against Hungary in Group 1 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.
• 10 September – Denmark defeats Portugal 3–2 in Lisbon in the second round of World Cup qualification.
• 11 October – Denmark defeats Malta 3–0 at Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, in the third round of qualification.

  Handball

• 27 January – Denmark wins the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship, arranged in Norway, after defeating Croatia in the final.

  Motorsports

• 19 July – Denmark wins the 2008 Speedway World Cup final in Vojens, Denmark.
• 18 October – Nicki Pedersen becomes world champion in speedway by winning the 2008 Speedway Grand Prix series.

  Other

• 8 June – Matti Breschel wins the Philadelphia International Championship in cycle racing.
• 15 June – Tom Kristensen wins Le Mans for the 8th time when he wins the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans with Audi Sport North America.
• 29 September – Matti Breschel wins bronze in men's road race at the 2008 UCI Road World Championships in Italy.
• 2 November – Søren Kjeldsen wins the 21st and final Volvo Masters at Valderrama Golf Club in Andalucia at eight under par.

  Births

• 29 June – Prince Aristidis-Stavros of Greece and Denmark, youngest child of Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, and Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece

  Deaths

• 16 January – Otto Steen Due, classical philologist
• 10 February – Inga Nielsen, opera singer
• 26 February - Bodil Udsen, actress
• 28 February - Ove Guldberg, politician
• 27 March - Hans Chr. Ægidius, actor, writer and filmmaker
• 29 April - Claus Nissen, actor
• 11 May - Ole Fritsen, footballer
• 21 May - Ernst Meyer, actor
• 1 July - Mogens Glistrup, politician
• 5 July - Thomas Winding, author, radiohost and television producer
• 10 July - Jakob Ejersbo, journalist and author
• 16 August - Otto Leisner, television presenter
• 11 September - Preben Møller Hansen, writer, cook, politician, and trade unionist
• 20 September - Kamilla Bech Holten, television presenter and actress
• 1 November – Eric Danielsen, news anchor
• 16 November – Hilmer Hassig, musician
• 28 November – Jørn Utzon, architect