Germany’s Full Force Festival called off for 2025
German festival Full Force will take a break in 2025 due to “several challenges [the organisers] cannot easily overcome”.
Launched in 1994, the Goodlive-promoted event brings some of the biggest metalcore, hardcore and punk acts to Ferropolis, Saxony-Anhalt, each year.
“Over the past weeks and months, we have made every effort to ensure that the festival can take place as usual, but the “most metal place on earth” will unfortunately have to remain silent next year,” reads a statement from organisers.
“The reasons for the cancellation are complex and confront our team with several challenges that we cannot easily overcome regarding the upcoming year,” it continues.
“We would like to offer you a festival that meets your needs, but the current circumstances unfortunately make it impossible for us to hold the festival as usual next year.”
Last year’s edition took place across three days in June and was headlined by Electric Callboy, Gojira and Papa Roach.
“The ‘most metal place on earth’ will unfortunately have to remain silent next year”
Organisers say they are currently working on preparing and implementing the 2026 edition of Full Force.
The news comes months after Goodlive announced that MELT – which also takes place annually at Ferropolis – would not return after 2024.
The decision to discontinue the 20,000-capacity festival, which has taken place since 1997, was partly due to “insurmountable changes in the festival landscape”.
The swansong edition took place in July with over 120 artists, including Sampha, James Blake, Sugababes, DJ Koze, Romy, Marlon Hoffstadt, Overmono and Skepta.
Goodlive, which was acquired by Live Nation GSA in 2022, also promotes festivals including Splash! Heroes Festival and Superbloom Festival.
Read IQ‘s recent interview with Goodlive’s Fruzsina Szép on the 2024 editions of Superbloom and Lollapalooza Berlin.
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Germany’s Goodlive cancels Melt festival and more
German promoter Goodlive has cancelled the 2021 editions of Melt, Splash, Full Force and Heroes, days after CTS Eventim announced that its stable of summer festivals are taking another year off.
Goodlive’s best-known festival Melt was scheduled to take place between 4 and 6 June 2021 at the Ferropolis open-air museum, in Gräfenhainichen, Saxony-Anhalt, featuring acts including Arlo Parks, FKA twigs and Jamie XX.
“After months and months of hard work, so many different ideas and concepts and hundreds of calls with other festivals, politicians and experts, we have to admit to ourselves that the decision is ultimately out of our hands,” reads a statement on Melt’s website.
“Believe us when we say that we have tried everything to meet you guys in Ferropolis this summer, but due to the current political situation, the uncertainty of the pandemic and lack of prospects we simply cannot continue planning the festival for 4–6 June 2021.”
“Due to the current political situation, the uncertainty of the pandemic and lack of prospects [Melt]i cannot continue planning”
Similar statements have appeared on the social media pages of Splash (originally scheduled for the weekends 8 July and 15 July in Ferropolis), Full Force (25–27 June, Ferropolis) and Heroes (18-19 June in Geiselwind and 23 July in Freiburg).
Each of the statements adds that the festival is “doing everything in our power to get together and have a party later this year, even if it might be in a different setting”.
Goodlive’s newest festival, Superbloom, is still scheduled to make its delayed debut outing at Munich’s Olympiapark and Olympiastadion (75,000-cap.) this September, at the time of writing.
Elsewhere in the German festival market, Superstruct-backed events Wacken Open Air and Parookaville have not yet given up on their 2021 editions.
“[Wacken Open Air’s] late date, on the last weekend in July, allows us to observe the further development of the situation”
“We sympathise with our colleagues, for whom this decision was certainly not an easy one,” said Thomas Jensen, co-founder of Wacken, regarding the cancellation of the CTS Eventim festivals.
“Our late date, on the last weekend in July, allows us to observe the further development of the situation – for example with regard to the progress of the vaccination campaign and upcoming decisions by the federal government – and allows us a longer preparation time,” explains Jensen. “We remain hopeful and continue planning.”
The 2021 edition of the German metal festival is scheduled to take place between 29 and 31 July in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein. The sold-out event will be headlined by Amon Amarth, Slipknot and Judas Priest.
The Parookaville team is considering postponing the electronic music festival from 16–18 July at Weeze airport to a weekend in September, saying they are “examining all possibilities”.
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Superbloom festival to debut in Munich
Miley Cyrus and David Guetta are among the headliners for the inaugural Superbloom festival, which is taking place on 5 and 6 September in the German city of Munich.
Promoted by Goodlive, Superbloom will see performances from acts including the Pussycat Dolls, DJ Snake, AnnenMayKantereit, Apache 207, Bishop Briggs, Liam Payne and Parcels.
Located in the grounds of Munich’s Olympiapark and Olympiastadion (75,000-cap.), the festival will also feature a firework display from RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq the World, as well as comedy from Kaya Yanar and live podcasts.
Advance ticket sales are now open, with weekend passes priced at €155 (£130).
Goodlive is also behind German electronic music festival Melt!, hip-hop and rap festival Splash!, metal festival Full Force and touring yoga festival Wanderlust.
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