FKP Scorpio boss Folkert Koopmans says the company is enjoying strong presales for its German festivals next year, despite price increases across the board.

The promoter wrapped up a successful 2023 festival summer with the Highfield Festival, organised with Semmel Concerts, which attracted 35,000 fans from 18-20 August.

Highfield featured acts such as Die Ärzte, K.I.Z, Marteria, SDP, RIN, Enter Shikari and Beatsteaks at the Störmthaler lake, just outside Leipzig. The presale has just begun for the 2024 edition, which will be held from 16-18 August.

The previous week saw the M’era Luna Festival take place before 25,000 fans in Hildesheim, featuring artists including Within Temptation and VV (Ville Valo). More than 60% of tickets for next year’s event, set for 10-11 August 2024, have already been sold. Acts will include ASP, Front 242, Saltatio Mortis, Lord of the Lost, Schandmaul, Die Krupps, Suicide Commando and Oomph!

Back in June, over 50,000 tickets were purchased on the first day of the presale for FKPs flagship Hurricane and Southside festivals, setting a new bar in the 20-plus-year history of the twin festivals in Scheeßel and Neuhausen ob Eck, respectively, which have a combined capacity of 143,000.

“We are still feeling the after-effects of the two pandemic years in many areas”

“The enormous popularity is the nicest confirmation for us,” says Koopmans. “We are still feeling the after-effects of the two pandemic years in many areas, especially in terms of price increases in all areas. And part of these costs, unfortunately, we have to pass on to the guests, even if we try to reduce this burden to a minimum.

“The fact that we have now organised successful festivals all around in the second year after the pandemic and that people have had a good time and trust us to offer them very special festival experiences again in 2024 makes us very happy.”

In addition, the 60,000-cap Deichbrand Festival sold out in 2023, and advance sales for next year have got off to a record-breaking start. The event will take place near Cuxhaven from 18-21 July.

“In a year in which many festivals and events have problems with advance ticket sales, to be completely sold out even before the festival begins is a terrific confirmation for us of the months of work and passion that everyone involved puts into the festival,” says festival MD Marc Engelke. “And after current record advance sales, more than 15,000 tickets have already gone through the store, which makes us extremely optimistic for the upcoming edition.”

“The positive feedback from our guests and the sensational advance sales inspire us”

FKP Scorpio CEO and head of festival booking Stephan Thanscheidt says further line-up details for next year will be revealed soon.

“My team and I are working flat out on the line-ups for 2024 and are sure we will be able to sign up great acts again and also reveal the first ones soon,” he adds. “The positive feedback from our guests and the sensational advance sales inspire us. We are very grateful for this appreciation and are already looking forward to the festival summer 2024!”

Speaking to IQ last month, Thanscheidt suggested the success of FKP’s festivals bucked the trend seen elsewhere in the country.

“Rising costs for virtually everything continue to take their toll,” he says. “Because of this, less demand and purchasing power, a lot of festivals are struggling, and we suspect their number to further decrease in the future. We consider ourselves very lucky that the demand for our remaining festivals such as Highfield and M’era Luna is stable, with the latter probably being sold-out shortly before the festival weekend.”

The company has tours later in the year with acts including The National and Queens of the Stone Age, and will also promote Taylor Swift’s Eras stadium dates in Germany next year.

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FKP Scorpio has cancelled three more of its summer festivals, saying the spread of the highly transmissible Indian (Delta) variant of the coronavirus in Germany makes going ahead with Highfield, M’era Luna and A Summer’s Tale this year impossible.

Alternative music event M’era Luna, which was scheduled for 7–8 August, and Leipzig rock festival Highfield, which was to have taken place 13–15 August, have both been postponed until 2022, while the relaunch of boutique event A Summer’s Tale, which went on hiatus in 2020, has also been delayed by a year.

Like flagship events Hurricane and Southside, which were called off in March, all tickets for the rescheduled events remain valid. Kraftklub, Casper, Deichkind and Limp Bizkit will headline Highfield 2022, with goth icons Sisters of Mercy newly announced for next year’s M’era Luna.

“The situation is still unpredictable because of the Delta variant, among other things”

At press time, FKP’s autumn events, including November’s Rolling Stone Beach and Metal Hammer Paradise, are still on.

There are currently no nationwide rules for major events in Germany, with the continually changing state-by-state rules making planning a festival a near impossibility at the time of writing.

“As with the Hurricane and Southside, we have done everything in consultation with experts to ensure that our August festivals can take place,” says FKP Scorpio managing director Stephan Thanscheidt. “However, despite falling incidences [of Covid-19], we were ultimately forced to postpone it again, as the situation is still unpredictable because of the Delta variant, among other things.

“For this reason, in order to protect the health of our guests and the teams, we have to wait another year until we can finally meet again in 2022 for an unforgettable festival summer. ”

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FKP Scorpio has announced that all acts billed to play the 2020 edition of gothic festival M’era Luna will be returning in 2021.

The promoter was forced to call off M’era Luna 2020, along with twin festivals Hurricane and Southside, Highfield, Deichbrand, Elbjazz and Limestone, when the German government imposed a ban on large-scale events until the end of August.

The 25,000-capacity festival will return from 7 to 8 August 2021, headed up by ASP, Gdansk and the Sisters of Mercy.

“We are very happy that we could reward the solidarity and patience of our guests in this manner,” says FKP Scorpio CEO Stephan Thanscheidt, who spoke on the recent IQ Focus Festival Forum panel.

“The rapid reconfirmation of our entire line-up would not have been possible for our visitors without a great effort of our team and our artists. Thanks for all parties, but especially to our guests who have kept us in this difficult time with a lot of support, the loyalty.”

“We are very happy that we could reward the solidarity and patience of our guests in this manner”

Scorpio has also reconfirmed a number of headliners for its Hurricane and Southside festivals, including Seeed, Martin Garrix, the Killers, Kings of Leon and Rise Against.

Thanscheidt references FKP’s ‘three-ticket solution’ programme, which offers all ticket holders three options: transfer tickets to 2021, opt for a credit voucher in accordance with government regulations, or ask for a cash refund.

Several festivals have announced a high rebooking count for 2021. In the UK, metal festival Bloodstock has confirmed 95% of its 2020 acts for next year, says festival director Rachael Greenfield.

Scotland’s Trnsmt has also retained a high proportion of acts for next year, including headliners Courteeners, Liam Gallagher and Lewis Capaldi, whereas From the Fields’ Bluedot Festival announced the rebooking of headliners Bjork, Groove Armada and Metronomy concurrently with the cancellation of its 2020 edition.

Primavera Sound today (27 May) announced its line-up for 2021, reconfirming acts including Iggy Pop, the Strokes, Tyler the Creator and the National.

A recent Festicket survey has indicated that appetite for next year’s festival season is high, with over 75% of 110,000 respondents saying they would book tickets for 2021 events within the next eight weeks.

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The eleventh edition of Rolling Stone Beach took place from 15 to 16 November, signalling the “successful completion” of the 2019 festival season for Hamburg-based promoter FKP Scorpio.

Four thousand fans attended the two-day, indoor event at Weissenhäuser Strand holiday and leisure park, which saw headline performances from the Specials and Elbow, as well as appearances by Maximo Park, Teenage Fan Club and the Charlatans.

FKP Scorpio, which is majority owned by German powerhouse CTS Eventim, now promotes twelve festivals throughout Germany, including Rolling Stone Beach sister festival Rolling Stone Park; twin festivals Hurricane and Southside; heavy metal event M’era Luna; and the newly announced Seaside Country Festival.

“Whether it’s a small-town, multi-day open air or an intimate indoor festival format, our festivals are as diverse as their audience,” comments Stephan Thanscheidt, CEO and head of festival booking at FKP Scorpio.

“Whether it’s a small-town, multi-day open air or an intimate indoor festival format, our festivals are as diverse as their audience”

“Each one has its own character and it is a lot of fun to develop it year after year for the benefit of our guests. We are proud to look back on the past months and are already looking forward to the festival season 2020, which begins with the Plage Noire here on the Weissenhäuser beach in April.

“The festival landscape has grown steadily worldwide in recent years and is constantly changing,” continues Thanscheidt. “Fortunately, our broad portfolio allows us to try out and develop a wide variety of formats. This may include innovations in accommodation and dining, elaborate designs and decoration, as well as a history in which guests can immerse themselves on site.

“Today, festivals are holistic live experiences that are just as memorable as the stage programme itself.”

The promoter has already announced the first acts for its 2020 events, with the exception of the Rolling Stone festivals and Metal Hammer Paradise. FKP’s A Summer’s Tale festival is taking a one-year hiatus in 2020.

More information on festivals and pre-sales can be found here.

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Anyone feeling unsafe at Hurricane, Southside, Highfield, M’era Luna, Chiemsee Summer, A Summer’s Tale and Deichbrand festivals this summer need only ask one question – “Which way to Panama?” – to receive assistance, as part of a new anti-harassment scheme being trialled by FKP Scorpio.

The idea, says FKP marketing manager Katja Wittenstein, is to provide festivalgoers with a simple question (“Wo geht’s nach Panama?” in German) that they can ask stewards, staff, police and paramedics in order to request help without having to divulge the nature of the situation.

The asker will then be taken to ‘Panama’ – or any private space away from the crowds – to explain what they have seen or experienced. Everyone who ‘knows the way to Panama’ will be wearing a green and red wristband emblazoned with ‘Panama’.

The introduction of Wo geht’s nach Panama? follows similar initiatives in Australia, where Laneway attendees can call an anonymous hotline to report “disrespectful behaviour”, and the UK, where 60+ AIF members have agreed to implement a zero-tolerance policy to any form of harassment and the provision of confidential welfare to victims of an assault.

Everyone who ‘knows the way to Panama’ will be wearing a green and red wristband emblazoned with the word

There were five sexual assaults at FKP Scorpio’s Bråvalla festival in Norrköping, Sweden, last year.

“When we heard about this concept, which originally came from England, we were enthusiastic about the clear logic and effectiveness,” explains Wittenstein. “Festivals are a lot of fun, but they can also lead to sensory overload: There are people everywhere, it is loud, it is lively, it is colourful…

“An unusual observation or encounter with other people can be felt to be threatening, and both women and men can feel oppressed or harassed.”

A similar scheme is also in use in the German city of Munster, where clubgoers need only ask for “Luisa” to receive help.

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