Rock and pop festivals in Germany

The stage throbs with stomping beats and heavy guitar riffs as young fans thrill to the music of this year’s top acts. Gripped by festival fever, thousands of fans are flocking to Germany to attend the more than 800 open-air events and spend a whole weekend partying to good music. Designed to appeal to all age groups, the festivals cover a wide range of musical styles: from indie to electro, from heavy metal to reggae – they offer something for every taste.

Fans enjoy the sun at the "Hurricane Festival" Enlarge image Fans enjoy the sun at the "Hurricane Festival" (© picture-alliance/ dpa) Every weekend a different festival draws the crowds. While album sales are in decline, the demand for festival tickets continues to grow, underlining the attraction and enduring popularity of live events. Several of the largest and best-known festivals, including Rock am Ring (Rock on the Ring), the Melt! Festival and SonneMondSterne (SunMoonStars), were sold out within minutes.

Woodstock, perhaps the most famous music festival of all time, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. It was an event that gripped the imagination of young Germans, as it did that of young people across the world, and helped a culture of rock, pop and jazz festivals to take root in Germany. Since then, though, the German festival landscape has seen a number of changes. Thanks in particular to professional organization, better sanitary facilities and the provision of sufficient security personnel, the element of chaos has disappeared from such events. Which means that music fans can devote their attention entirely to the fantastic selection of first-rate bands and DJs appearing, enjoy a carefree celebration and thoroughly savour the special festival atmosphere.

German band Jennifer Rostock perfoms at the "Southside Festival" Enlarge image German band Jennifer Rostock perfoms at the "Southside Festival" (© picture-alliance/ dpa) The biggest events in terms of numbers are the twinned festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park (Rock in the Park), featuring 90 bands from different musical genres and drawing a total audience of 142,000. On offer is a good mix of hard rock – provided this year by Korn and Slipknot – and the softer sounds of The Kooks, Placebo, Mando Diao and Kettcar. Close behind and worthy runners-up are the Hurricane Festival with 60,000 and the Southside Festival with 50,000 visitors. This year, music legends like the Pixies and the reunited Faith No More as well as established indie bands such as Lykke Li, Portugal.The Man and Tomte were among those performing.

Those more into electronic music are better served by the techno-oriented Nature One festival, which drew an audience of 61,000 this year. But dancehall and reggae can also be heard at German festivals, such as the Chiemsee Reggae Summer – set against the spectacular backdrop of the Alps – or the Summerjam in Cologne. No wonder, then, that fans are spoiled for choice!

Also very popular – and closer to the original festival idea – are smaller festivals that often come up with music’s next big thing. One example is the Taubertal Festival, which promises its 12,000-strong audience a programme of cross-genre music; another is the Haldern Pop Festival, whose 7,000-odd music-loving visitors can enjoy not only Britrock but also rising stars in the musical firmament.

German band Deichkind at the "Juicy Beats Festival" Enlarge image German band Deichkind at the "Juicy Beats Festival" (© picture-alliance/ dpa) That small festivals soon get bigger is demonstrated by the Melt! Festival held not far from Berlin. Bands appearing at this year’s event included Bloc Party, Gossip and Oasis. These, along with a number of prominent DJs, presented an incomparable blend of electro and indie. Other small festivals offering a unique atmosphere are Highfield, Immergut and Rock am See (Rock on the Lake).

"Open-air and free" is the motto of a number of festivals that receive public funding or have private sponsors. These include Olgas-Rock Festival and Rheinkultur (Rhine Culture), whose line-ups definitely need not fear comparison. Topping the bill this year, for example, are The (International) Noise Conspiracy and No Use For A Name.

Enjoying the music is, of course, the main thing, but environmental awareness is also taken seriously. Tickets for the Chiemsee Reggae Summer festival, for instance, include the rail fare to and from the event. And the Southside and Hurricane Festivals this year launched the Refuse Reduction Project, which is why there are now shops on the camping sites selling well-cooled drinks at bargain prices. The project was a great success and was well received by festival visitors.

For many music fans, three days of festival life mean a weekend getaway from everyday routine. It’s a chance to get together with their friends for a couple of days and party while listening to good music; a chance to see their favourite bands live and meet people that are on the same wavelength. This unique feeling has a fascination for an ever increasing number of people, so next year is sure to see fans flocking to the festivals again in their thousands. Owing to the great demand, advanced ticket sales for some of the festivals have already begun, with early-bird discounts. So it’s time to start looking forward to next year’s festival summer.