Since 1899 Silkeborg has been hosting an event called "Ildfestregatta", which means "fire party regatta". Currently this event is held every third year, and the last event was held on 13-16 August 2014. During the regatta the city streets are closed at night and you can experience live music all over town as well as different booths and an amusement park. The houses next to the Gudenå River are decorated with colored lamps and so are the many boats that entering the small port of Silkeborg.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 00:00 p.m. there is an unofficial Danish championship in fireworks, a competition on having the prettiest show. Each of the days a different company does a firework show and the winner is announced Saturday. Saturday evening the previous winner from three years before is doing a major firework show sponsored by Silkeborg Municipality. Today the fireworks are fired from a huge raft on the lake of Silkeborg just next to the town hall, but earlier the show was done from the roof of the old paper mill.