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In our latest European festival preview, IQ rounds up the biggest events taking place across the continent this weekend.
Pukkelpop, which runs from 15-18 August, will star acts such as Fred Again.., Sam Smith, The Offspring, Stormzy, Goldband, Charlotte de Witte and Inhaler. Royal Blood have replaced Queens of the Stone Age on the bill due to the latter’s frontman Josh Homme requiring “continued medical care” at home in the US.
Held near Hasselt, Belgium, the lineup also features the likes of Sugababes, The Vaccines, Skrillex, Jorja Smith, The Smile, Marc Rebillet, Denzel Curry and Loverman, who is stepping in for Rachel Chinouriri.
In the Netherlands, A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise(16-18 August) sold out within 15 minutes of going on sale back in February. The Mojo-promoted event will welcome acts to Biddinghuizen including Fred Again.., Air, Justice, Skrillex, Peggy Gou, Froukje, Idles, Nas, The Smile, Nas, Denzel Curry, Jorja Smith, Sugababes, Big Thief and Wargasm.
Dutch metal festival Dynamo Metalfest (16-18 August) will take place in Eindhoven, topped by Dimmu Borgir, Saxon, Amaranthe, Igorrr, Clutch, Skindred and Forbidden.
Set for Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland’s Electric Picnic (16-18 August) will be headlined by Noah Kahan, Calvin Harris and Kylie Minogue. The sold-out festival will also host Gerry Cinnamon, Kodaline, Raye, CMAT, Faithless, J Hus, Kasabian, Lankum, Nas, Peggy Gou, Teddy Swims and Tom Grennan, among others.
All tickets have also been snapped up for Beautiful Days (16-18 August) in Escot Park, Devon, UK. Artists include Richard Ashcroft, The Saw Doctors, Levellers, Richard Hawley, Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Damned, Toyah & Robert, Fisherman’s Friends, Hard-Fi, Inspiral Carpets, Badly Drawn Boy and Utah Saints.
Family festival Camp Bestival (15-18 August) in Western Park, Shropshire, is headed by Faithless, Paloma Faith, McFly, Rick Astley, Orbital, Jake Shears, The Darkness, Hak Baker and Level 42, while Green Man (15-18 August) in Brecon Beacons, Wales, is topped by Big Thief, Sampha, Jon Hopkins, Sleaford Mods, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Explosions in the Sky, Arlo Parks, Black Country, New Road and Ezra Collective.
In St Giles, Dorset, Gilles Petersen Presents… We Out Here (15-18 August) will showcase performances from the likes of André 3000, Sampha, Floating Points, Kae Tempest, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Mount Kimbie.
Headlined by Becky Hill, Snow Patrol and Richard Ashcroft, the 10th anniversary of Hardwick Festival (16-18 August) will be held at Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield in County Durham. Other names include Jack Savoretti, The Charlatans, Blossoms, Soul II Soul, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Jamie Webster, Heaven 17 and Lightning Seeds.
Rock festival ArcTanGent (14-17 August) also celebrates its 10th birthday, returning to Bristol with a lineup topped by Explosions in the Sky, Spiritualized, Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders, Mogwai, Electric Wizard, And So I Watch You from Afar and Bossk.
Elsewhere, Hamburg, Germany-based music and arts festival MS Dockville (16-18 August) will host headliners Jeremias, Ashnikko and Meute, alongside acts such as Zoe Wees, The Vaccines, Mayberg, Bilderbuch, Disarstar, Makko and Mine.
Fekete Zaj Fesztivál (15-19 August) in Gyöngyös, Hungary, has booked acts including The Jesus and Mary Chain, Clan of Xymox, Unto Others, Whispering Sons and Author & Punisher.
Switzerland’s Open Air Gampel (15-18 August), meanwhile, boasts artists like The Offspring, Deichkind, Yungblud, Alan Walker, Milky Chance, Alligatoah, Tom Walker, Grandson, Less than Jake, Lany, Royel Otis and Kool Savas.
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Organisers of Germany’s MS Dockville have been handed a major boost in the run-up to this weekend’s festival after securing a new five-year deal to stay at its existing home.
Hamburg-based festival promoter Kopf & Steine has announced it has extended its contract with the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) until 2028. Its previous site agreement ran until next summer.
MS Dockville has been based on the site a former industrial in the port of Hamburg, directly on the Elbe, since 2007.
“We are very pleased about the extension of our site usage contract,” says Frank Diekmann, MD and shareholder of Kopf & Steine. “This is a confirmation and support for a unique concept that is unparalleled in Hamburg and Germany. We look forward to continuing to develop this over the next few years and giving Hamburg one of its indie landmarks.”
“A summer in Hamburg without MS Dockville is possible, but pointless”
The festival, which attracts around 60,000 people a year including 10,000 campers, runs from 18-20 August. Its 2023 edition will feature artists such as Girl in Red, Giant Rooks, Danger Dan and Arlo Parks. Weekend tickets cost from €129.
“A summer in Hamburg without MS Dockville is possible, but pointless,” adds Dr. Carsten Brosda, senator for culture and media. “The festival combines culture of different varieties with the unique atmosphere of the port of Hamburg and has therefore been a flagship for the cultural city of Hamburg from the very beginning.
“The fact that we can now offer the MS Dockville a secure perspective at its location for another five years is an important commitment of the city to the festival, which should also enrich the culture of Hamburg in the long term.”
Other Kopf & Steine events to be held at the location include Habitat Festival, Spektrum and Vogelball.
Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion and Morgenwelt owner Björn Hansen took a stake in Kopf & Steine via their joint venture KJ Projects back in January.
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Festival for Festivals, an online event organised by German music festival platform Höme, will raise money for events by encouraging fans to recreate the festival experience at home and selling wristbands and merchandise.
Events participating in the Festival for Festivals initiative include Superbloom, Das Fest Karlsruhe, Rock of Ages, Maifeld Derby, Sea You Festival and MS Dockville.
From 21 to 23 August, German festival fans around will be encouraged to dig out their camping chairs and pitch their tents to transform their homes and gardens into their favourite festival site, as large-scale events remain outlawed until the end of October.
Festivalgoers will be able to don festival wristbands and t-shirts by purchasing the Festival for Festivals box, with all proceeds going to participating festivals. Priced at €35, the box also contains a Höme magazine, adhesive tattoos, a reusable plastic cup and a festival-scented air freshener.
“We will celebrate our festival landscape together in a virtually connected way”
Fans can choose to support an individual festival from the Festival for Festivals list or donate the money to a joint festival fund. A lucky few will also receive a golden festival wristband in their box, granting free access to all participating festivals next year.
Festival for Festivals is also releasing an app in August, which will feature interactive challenges for festivalgoers to compete in, as well as broadcasts of past festival performances and talks.
“In the past few weeks, we have all felt what we will miss due to the absence of the festival season this year, but we have also seen many – be it festival fans or organisers – sharing their enthusiasm for this huge, diverse festival landscape,” comments Höme co-founder Johannes Jacobi.
“This is where we want to start with the Festival for Festivals, by collecting money to support festivals, initiatives, artists and service providers, but also giving the festival fans a stage – and celebrating our festival landscape together in a virtually connected way.”
Festival boxes can be bought here until 19 July.
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