I have visited the Rømø Motor Festival – RMF several times. Half of the times as an accredited photographer. Here are some tips for the visit.

But first a little about what the festival is. In 1919, a festival was started on Fanø, and at that time people drove very fast. A record of almost 240 kilometers / hour was set. In connection with the event in 1924, a fatal accident occurred. A 15-year young person died, and the festival closed was afterwards closed down. In 2016, a group of vintage car lovers gathered, and the festival was resumed, but this time on Rømø. It is easier to get to Rømø, because there is a dam from the mainland. You can only get to Fanø by ferry. The festival has now been held every year since 2016, and the race day itself is a Saturday in the latter half of August. It has quietly developed into an international event that is very popular among drivers.

Many of the participants generally start arriving in the week leading up to the race day, and if you visit the beach one of these days, you can see the participants practicing a little driving on the beach, having a barbecue party, or just coming to see the beautiful sunset. On one such occasion, I saw a Flemish rider whose motorcycle had just broken down. He knew what had caused it, but he was devastated that he couldn’t get a spare part and participate in the race. Another example is a young Englishman who has worked in Denmark for several years. He has now moved to the USA but still comes home to RMF. The two examples say a lot about the commitment of the participants.

To participate, you must have a car or motorcycle from before WW II. The race itself is a 200-meter-long track on the wide beach. You drive against another car or motorcycle, and your overall average speed is decisive for your position. But that’s not what counts for the participants. It’s more the social togetherness between the riders that counts. The social aspect really matters here. I have seen very few sour faces. Everyone is happy, smiling at each other and hugging each other.

If you are a driver, mechanic, accredited photographer or simply have permission to be in the inner circle, there are requirements for your clothing. It must be as the fashion was at the time when the cars and motorcycles were born. This makes the whole scenery very interesting for a photographer like me. It is not only the old cars and motorcycles. The whole scenery changes time zone, and you feel like you have been transported to a bygone past. A large number of the visitors have the same attitude, and that does not make the overall impression worse.

You can read the next part of the article about photographing RMF here.