OpenAir St. Gallen hails ‘euphoric’ 45th edition

OpenAir St. Gallen organisers have hailed a “euphoric” 45th edition of the legendary Swiss festival.

The CTS Eventim festival welcomed 110,000 cumulative visitors across four days for the sold-out instalment.

Peter Fox, Kraftklub, Tash Sultana, The Lumineers, Aurora, Macklemore, Sam Fender and Marcus Mumford were among the acts that performed at the festival between 29 June and 2 July.

The 2023 edition saw organisers make a number of changes relating to infrastructure, partnerships, gastronomy and weather protection.

“The good weather during the intensive construction weeks did not last throughout the festival, but the additional ground protection measures and the new entrance and exit concept ensured that despite the downpour, a peaceful and completely sold-out festival took place – with extremely few medical and security incidents,” reads a statement from the organisers.

“A peaceful and completely sold-out festival took place”

“Due to the changed habits of festival visitors, the main entrance was moved to the west. In advance, the advantages and disadvantages were evaluated in consultation with the authorities and on the basis of complex simulations. After the 2023 edition, it can be stated that the separation of spectator and traffic flows is a complete success, which will be further optimised next year.

“On the site, the comprehensive additional soil protection measures brave the intermittent rain and effectively disentangle the visitors on the premises and between the various stages and quarters. The additional 20% toilet facilities also ensured short queuing times for the toilets.

“A lasting concern of the festival was the expansion of the vegetarian and above all vegan offer in the gastronomy. The audience responded extremely positively to this expansion of the food & beverage range. The two new partnerships with #WIRSINDZUKUNFT and Niuway were also characterised by sustainability. In the Very Ecological Person Zone of #WIRSINDZUKUNFT, the power of the sun, wind and muscle was used for warm showers. Niuway, in turn, offered a sustainable tent rental service that complemented the existing offering.”

OpenAir St. Gallen will return to the valley of the River Sitter, St Gallen, between 27–30 June 2024. Advance sales are now open.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.