Lowlands 2021 adds BMTH, Rag’n’Bone Man and more
A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise, one of the few major festivals in continental Europe still going ahead on its original dates this summer, has added a host of new international acts for the August event.
Promoted by Live Nation’s Mojo, Lowlands 2021 takes place from 20 to 22 August at the festival’s traditional home near the village of Biddinghuizen in the central Netherlands. The festival typically has a daily capacity of 60,000, and organisers are expecting to be able to go ahead without social distancing by the end of the summer.
The new names include British rock act Bring Me the Horizon, American rapper Machine Gun Kelly, UK singer-songwriter Rag’n’Bone Man and British neo-psychedelic act Django Django, as well as Sam Fender, Metronomy, Mahalia, Black Country New Road and drill act Headie One. They join previously announced confirmations including Liam Gallagher, the Chemical Brothers, Slowthai and Arlo Parks.
The latest Dutch government guidance says festivals and other large events should be able to go ahead from 1 July, depending on the pace of the Netherlands’ Covid-19 vaccination programme. The country also has a €300m cancellation fund designed to underwrite the costs of festival organisers, though some of its provisions – particularly a clause that could require promoters/organisers to assume sole responsibility for the loan portion (20%) of the fund, despite it benefitting the entire industry – are proving controversial.
Other Dutch festivals aiming for a relatively normal summer in 2021 include ID&T’s Mysteryland and Decibel Outdoor (both of which have a capacity of 60,000), whose COO, Rosanne Janmaat, told IQ last week the company is aiming for a similarly international DJ line-up this year.
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.
Lowlands forges ahead with international line-up
The Netherlands’ Lowlands festival has unveiled the first slate of artists for its 2021 edition, which is currently scheduled to take place between 20 and 22 August at Biddinghuizen.
The first 54 confirmations for the Mojo-promoted festival include a number of international artists including Arlo Parks, The Chemical Brothers, Liam Gallagher, Jack Garratt, Kaytranada and Slowthai, with more to be confirmed.
Though the organisers say the attendance of international artists is dependant on restrictions, they add that “the most important thing at the moment is that all these acts have wholeheartedly indicated that they will be there when the circumstances permit”.
“All these acts have wholeheartedly indicated that they will be there when the circumstances permit”
In a statement, the organisers have also said they assume the 60,000-capacity festival will be able to go ahead without social distancing measures but are working on ‘various scenarios to organise Lowlands safely, which could include quick tests’.
Last year, tickets for Lowlands 2020 sold out in five hours but due to a number of refund requests, a small number of tickets will be available for this year’s edition. A three-day festival and camping ticket costs €230. See the full line-up below.
The Netherlands has made a number of preparations to ensure its 2021 festival season has the best chance of going ahead including a series of test events, a €300 million event cancellation fund and the introduction of 100 new test rapid test centres for gig-goers.
And, while other major European markets, including France and Germany, are seeing the dissolution of their 2021 festival season, a raft of major Dutch festivals have already announced plans for this summer season.
Paaspop, DGTL, Dauwpop, Awakenings, Utrecht Central Park Festival and Zwarte Cross have all revealed details on their 2021 editions – though all have pushed back their spring editions until the autumn in order to be covered by the government’s event cancellation insurance scheme.
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.