Huge line-ups announced for 2023 festival season
A number of major festivals have announced the first acts for their 2023 editions, signalling a bumper festival season ahead.
In South America, Lollapalooza has revealed lineups for its Chile, Argentina and Brazil editions, all set for March next year.
Drake, Billie Eilish, Blink-182, Tame Impala, Rosalía and Lil Nas X have been confirmed as headliners, with acts including Jane’s Addiction, The 1975, Armin Van Buuren, Jamie XX, Kali Uchis and Tove Lo set to support.
These festivals will mark first-time South American performances for Billie Eilish, a newly reunited Blink-182 and Lil Nas X, and will serve as Drake’s first time performing in Argentina and Chile.
The eleventh edition of Lollapalooza Chile takes place 17–19 March at Parque Bicentenario de Cerrillos. The eighth edition of Lollapalooza Argentina takes place on 17–19 March at Hippodromo de San Isidro in Buenos Aires. And the tenth edition of Lollapalooza Brazil takes place 24–26 March at Autódromo de Interlagos in São Paulo.
Lollapalooza in South America is produced by Perry Farrell, C3 Presents, Lotus Producciones (Chile), DF Entertainment (Argentina), and Time For Fun (Brazil).
Lollapalooza will mark first-time South American performances for Billie Eilish, a newly reunited Blink-182 and Lil Nas X
Primavera Sound has also given fans a taste of what’s to come in 2023 with the announcement that Depeche Mode will headline the Barcelona and Madrid editions.
Next year’s festival will take place at its usual location of Parc Del Fòrum, Barcelona, on the first weekend (1–3 June).
On the second weekend (8–10 June), the festival will take place in the Ciudad de Rock (City of Rock) in Arganda del Rey, Madrid, for the first time ever.
Primavera Sound has taken place in Barcelona for 20 years and has recently expanded internationally with sister events in Los Angeles, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.
Elsewhere, Rock Werchter (cap. 88,000) has secured Belgian singer Stromae for next year’s instalment, after he stole the show at this year’s Rock Werchter Boutique.
Belgium’s biggest festival, promoted by Herman Schueremans and Live Nation Belgium, will return to Werchter’s Festival Park between 29 June and 2 July, 2023. More names are due to be announced soon.
Meanwhile, fellow Belgian behemoth Tomorrowland has detailed the third edition of Tomorrowland Winter, which returns to the French ski resort of Alpe d’Huez from 18–25 March.
Rock Werchter has secured Belgian singer Stromae for next year, after he stole the show at this year’s Rock Werchter Boutique
The festival offers sets from more than 100 DJs across eight stages, as well as skiing, snowboarding, dog sledding, paragliding and snowmobile rides.
Axwell, Steve Angello, Steve Aoki and Tony Romera join previously announced artists Afrojack, Amber Broos, Amelie Lens, ANNA, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Joris Voorn, Kölsch, Lost Frequencies, Mandy, Martin Garrix, Netsky and Ofenbach on the bill.
In Austria, Nova Rock has already lined up a slate of artists for its next offering, including headliners Slipknot, Tenacious D, Parkway Drive, Bilderbuch and Die Ärtze.
Yungblud, Papa Roach, Motionless in White and Nothing But Thieves are also set to perform at next year’s festival, promoted by Nova Music Entertainment (part of CTS Eventim’s Barracuda Music).
The annual hard rock event will return to Pannonia Fields, Nickelsdorf, between 7–10 June, 2023.
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Elena Barreras named head of Primavera Pro
Elena Barreras has been installed as the new head of music industry conference Primavera Pro.
Primavera Pro 2023 will be held at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) and the Parc del Fòrum from 31 May to 4 June.
Barreras, who has more than 20 years of music industry experience – 12 of them with Primavera, succeeds longtime colleague Almudena Heredero in the director role.
“I am very happy to take over the management of this project, which is so special and different in its kind,” says Barreras. “Primavera Pro is not just a professional meeting, it is something that goes beyond that. It is a space which is in constant motion, that is diverse and where we can continue to discover the future of music. It is a global and enriching experience and I am very proud to be able to continue to see it grow and to grow with it.”
“Apart from making Primavera Pro expand, we want to try out new formats and open up to other themes and sectors”
New monthly activities are being prepared from October onwards to expand Primavera Pro to a year-round brand.
“Apart from making Primavera Pro expand, we want to try out new formats and open up to other themes and sectors,” adds Barreras. “The idea is to make the project more cross-sectional and to continue collaborating with the local fabric. To explain everything that will change and mark the professional relations of future generations.”
Heredero, meanwhile, was recently named as the new director of Primavera Sound Madrid. The Madrid leg debuts at the City of Rock in Arganda del Rey from 8-10 June 2023, a week after its flagship Barcelona edition (1-3 June).
“There are challenges that can only be taken on with pride and enthusiasm,” says Heredero. “The fact that Madrid is going to host its first edition of Primavera Sound is one of them. On the one hand, it is an important but natural step, after years of tours organised by Primavera Sound as a promoter and events like Primavera Club that have already linked the two cities.
“On the other hand, from a professional point of view and as vice-president of the Association of Women in the Music Industry (MIM) since 2019, I can only be happy to accept the challenge of directing a music festival that demands as much responsibility and professionalism as Primavera Sound.”
“We are thrilled by the response and the welcome that Los Angeles and its public have given us”
Primavera held its maiden US edition in Los Angeles last weekend, welcoming 50,000 attendees from 50 countries to the State Historic Park from 16-18 September. Artists included Arctic Monkeys, Lorde and Nine Inch Nails.
“We are thrilled by the response and the welcome that Los Angeles and its public have given us,” says Primavera Sound director Alfonso Lanza. “It has been a challenge, but also an honour, to have transferred the philosophy and the differential factor of a festival created in Barcelona two decades ago to one of the nuclei of the music industry.
“This is one of our main objectives: that the model and concept of Primavera Sound be understood and enjoyed in any part of the world where it is held.”
Primavera’s 20th anniversary celebrations continue with events in São Paulo, Brazil from 31 October to 6 November, Santiago in Chile (7-13 November) and Buenos Aires, Argentina (7-13 November), and the Primavera Weekender in Benidorm, Spain (18-19 November).
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Primavera Weekender returns as Spain reopens
Primavera Weekender is set to return after the government of the Valencian Community announced that standing festivals could once again take place.
The rollback of restrictions came into effect on 9 October, less than a month before the festival is due to take place in Benidorm on 5 and 6 November.
Primavera Weekender debuted in November 2019, ahead of the celebrations planned for Primavera Sound’s 20th anniversary in 2020, which would have also included festivals in Barcelona, Oporto and Los Angeles before Covid-19 struck.
Ultimately, only Primavera Weekender 2019 went ahead, with the 2020 edition also called off.
Taking place once again at the Magic Robin Hood holiday park in Benidorm, on Alicante’s Costa Blanca, Primavera Weekender 2021 will aim to replicate, as much as possible, “what a festival was before the pandemic”, say organisers.
Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Extremadura, Madrid, Navarre and the Basque Country have also reopened
However, access to the festival will not be possible without a Covid passport. In the coming days, organisers will report further details related to the regulations that govern nightlife and events.
The sold-out festival will welcome 1,000 attendees and some 30 artists including Mogwai, Kings of Convenience, Los Planetas, Thurston Moore Band, Maria Arnal i Marcel Bagés, Pa Salieu, Danny L Harle and La Zowi.
Alongside the Valencian Community, seven other regions – Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Extremadura, Madrid, Navarre and the Basque Country – have also dropped all coronavirus restrictions.
The remaining seven communities – Andalusia, Aragon, Balearic Islands and Catalonia, Canary Islands, Cantabria and La Rioja – are still reckoning with various restrictions.
The news will come as a relief to Spanish music venues which have endured the broadest restrictions in Europe, despite having the third-highest (73%) vaccination rate in the continent.
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Catalonia welcomes back three major festivals
Catalonia has hosted a triple whammy of festivals in the past fortnight, which will help determine the blueprint for how major events could take place in Spain going forward.
Cruïlla, Vida and Canet Rock took inspiration from 27 March’s Love of Lesbian test concert at the Palau Sant Jordi arena which they helped to organise, along with Primavera Sound (which organised the Primacov test), Sónar and Festival de Jazz de Barcelona.
In line with the recommendations from the test concert, all three festivals took place without social distancing and with attendees wearing mandatory FFP2 masks. Entry to the festivals was dependent on a negative result from a Covid-19 rapid test.
The festivals worked with the same medical partners behind the Love of Lesbian concert – the Germans Trias Hospital and Fight Aids and Infectious Diseases Foundation – and gained the approval of Catalonia’s Ministries of Health, Culture and Home Affairs.
Vida festival kicked off the week’s festivities with a three-day event in Vilanova de la Geltrú between 1–3 July that attracted a total of 27,200 attendees.
Typically, 30–40% of Vida’s line-up is international artists but this year the festival opted for an entirely domestic bill, with headline performances from Vetusta Morla, Nathy Peluso and Love of Lesbian.
“I believe that Barcelona is once again the centre of the world in terms of organising events and live music”
Catalonia’s festival frenzy continued with Canet Rock on 3 July, held from 6 pm to nearly 6 am, with an audience of 22,200 people.
The Canet de Mar-based festival also opted for a domestic-only line-up, featuring Doctor Prats, Oques Grasses, and Itaca Band.
Cruïlla rounded off the week with more than 50,000 attendees at the Parc del Fórum (also home to Primavera Barcelona).
The three-dayer took place between 8–10 July and was the only festival that opted for an international bill which including the Irish indie band Two Door Cinema Club.
“We have the feeling of total success, we can feel proud and happy, and we can get our chest out. I believe that Barcelona is once again the centre of the world in terms of organising events and live music,” says Jordi Herreula, Cruïlla.
“[Rapid Covid-19 screening] could become a solution that can be extended to the rest of society, however, the model is subject to improvements that we will outline in collaboration with the scientific community.”
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More major Spanish festivals pull the plug on 2021
Spain’s 2021 festival season has diminished once again with fresh cancellations from major festivals Mad Cool and Bilbao BBK Live.
Other marquee Spanish festivals including Primavera Sound and Sónar Barcelona were previously called off, while Arenal Sound, Festival Internacional de Benicàssim and Cruïlla are still forging ahead with this year’s events.
Live Nation-promoted Mad Cool (cap. 60,000) was set to take place between 7–10 July 2021 in Madrid but this morning (20 May), the organisers confirmed that this year’s event is cancelled due to the “current force majeure circumstances” of the pandemic.
“It has been a very painful decision to come to, as our desire (and probably yours) was to find ourselves all together again at Mad Cool in 2021,” they said in a statement.
“However, we would like to let you know we think this is the appropriate, sensible and right decision to make. Health is more important than anything.”
“[Mad Cool] would like to let you know we think this is the appropriate, sensible and right decision to make”
The fifth edition of Mad Cool will take place in 2022 from July 6–9. All purchased tickets for Mad Cool 2021 will be valid for the 2022 edition of the festival, while refunds and ticket changes will be available between 7–21 July.
A line-up announcement for 2022 is expected to be made before 7 July, with the organisers noting that “we are keeping as many artists as we can from 2021 and also adding some new ones so we can have the best line-up ever”.
The likes of The Killers, Haim and Cardi B had all been set to play at the 2021 edition of the event.
The cancellation of Mad Cool follows that of Bilbao BBK Live, which was called off on Tuesday (18 May) due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions.
The 15th anniversary of the Spanish event was due to take place between 8–10 July 2021, with the likes of The Killers, Pet Shop Boys, Supergrass and FKA Twigs.
“We appreciate [fans’] patience, and we share the same frustration for missing out on the festival yet again”
“First and foremost, a big thank you to all of you for your patience and resilience during these tough times,” a statement read.
“We feel your support now more than ever. As you can imagine, Bilbao BBK Live will not be held as originally planned nor on the scheduled date. We will have to wait a bit longer as the highly anticipated reunion is postponed to 2022.”
The post continues: “We appreciate your patience, and we share the same frustration for missing out on the festival yet again. All we can think about is how incredible the reunion is going to be after this long wait, and we guarantee it will be worth it.
We will return even more eager to celebrate and enjoy live music. See you next year!”
The line-up for Bilbao 2022 will arrive by 8 July.
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Yourope restructures, relocates to Germany
European festival association Yourope, which represents 108 festivals including Sziget and Primavera Sound, is restructuring and relocating.
Founded in 1988, the association has ties with London, Roskilde and St.Gallen but as of April 2021, the organisation is based in Bonn, Germany.
The move comes as Christof Huber, director of festivals at the Swiss Gadget ABC Entertainment Group who is also responsible for Yourope member festivals OpenAir St.Gallen and SummerDays, moves from general secretary to working chairman.
Huber will chair Yourope’s executive board and continue to ‘actively steer the association’s fortunes from the top’.
“The importance of our organisation became more obvious than ever last year, because especially in times when major events are impossible due to the pandemic, the need of the actors in this cultural field for exchange, international cooperation and speaking with a common voice grew once again,” says Huber.
“And despite these challenging times we succeeded in restructuring our organisation, expanding the network and securing even closer relationships with valued associates.”
“The importance of our organisation became more obvious than ever last year”
“I look forward to continuing to use my strength and experience for this purpose – together with our members and the new Yourope team.”
Assuming Huber’s former role as general secretary is Holger Jan Schmidt, who was previously anchorman and coordinator of Yourope’s sustainability-related working group Go Group (Green Operations Europe) and Take a Stand, the association’s social engagement initiative.
He will also run Yourope’s new office in Bonn, which will become part of the Bonn-based Compentence Network along with Schmidt’s Bonn Promotion Dept (BN*PD) and the IBIT (International Training Centre for Event Safety), which has been a key contributor to the steering committee of the Yes Group (Yourope Event Safety Group) for years.
“We have been a member of Yourope for almost twenty years – first with our festival, Rheinkultur, and for 10 years as an associated member with the Competence Network here in Bonn,” says Schmidt.
“I have identified with this institution from the beginning and travelled all over Europe with and for Yourope. To talk about festivals, to give festivals the opportunity to exchange, and above all to get to know and experience festivals and their philosophy.
“I couldn’t be prouder and happier to be trusted to take on this new role for Yourope and to continue to work on those issues that are close to my heart. And to do so from my hometown, which means a lot to me.”
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Road to recovery: A timeline of pilot projects
In August 2020, Germany paved the way for live music pilot projects with Restart-19, an experiment which saw thousands of volunteers to take part in a concert at the Quarterback Immobilien Arena in Leipzig with singer Tim Bendzko.
Since then, similar experiments have popped up across the globe. From Spain to Singapore, test events with as few as 50 participants and as many as 5,000 have taken place to prove to authorities (and the world) that when it comes to safety and security, the live music industry knows what it’s doing.
Below is a timeline of the pilot projects that have taken place since late summer 2020 – all of which have proved, in one way or another, that the live entertainment sector can reopen safely under certain measures – as well as the tests that are on the horizon in 2021.
August 2020
Restart-19
When: 22 August 2020
Where: Quarterback Immobilien Arena, Leipzig, Germany
Who: University Medical Center of Halle
What they said: “[T]he contacts that do occur at an event do not involve all participants. Therefore, events could take place under specific conditions during a pandemic.”
Participants: 1,500
November 2020
Konzerthaus Dortmund (study)
When: 2–3, 20 November 2020
Where: Konzerthaus Dortmund, Germany
Who: Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute Goslar, ParteQ
What they said: “Concert halls and theatres are not places of infection. […] With our study, we want to ensure that concert halls and theatres may again admit sufficient audiences when they reopen.”
December 2020
Primacov
When: 12 December 2020
Where: Apolo, Barcelona, Spain
Who: Primavera Sound, Germans Trias Hospital, the Fight Aids and Infectious Diseases Foundation
What they said: “A live music concert, staged with a series of security measures that included a negative antigen test for Sars- CoV-2 done on the same day, was not associated with an increase in Covid-19 infections.”
Participants: 1,047
Philharmonie de Paris (study)
When: 16 December 2020
Where: Philharmonie de Paris, France
Who: Dassault Systèmes
What they said: “The combination of face masks with a fresh-air supply built into every seat gives the indoor Philharmonie a similar profile to that of an outdoor space, with a very limited risk of spread from one side [of the venue] to the other.”
Back to Live (SG)
When: 18–19 December 2020 Where: Sands Theatre, Marina Bay, Singapore
Who: AEG Presents, Collective Minds
What they said: “[T]he outcome of such pilots will be critical to our ongoing efforts to allow events of a larger scale to resume in a safe and sustainable manner.”
Participants: 500
February 2021
Because Music Matters
When: 10–14 February
Where: Rockhal, Luxembourg
Who: Rockhal
What they said: “Building confidence among all our stakeholders that live events are a safe environment is so important.”
Participants: 100 per night
Back to Live (NL)
When: 15, 20, 21, 28 February & 6, 7, 20, 21 March 2021
Where: The Netherlands
Who: Fieldlab Evenementen
What they said: “We can now show that we can organise events in a very safe way. […] We hope this can lead to a tailor- made reopening of venues.”
Participants: Varies between events
March 2021
Love of Lesbian
When: 27 March 2021
Where: Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona
Who: Festivals per la Cultura Segura
What they said: The event had no impact on Covid-19 transmission among attendees, despite the lack of social distancing observed.
Participants: 5,000
The Berlin Philharmonic
When: 20 March 2021
Where: Chamber Music Hall, Berlin
Who: Pilotprojekt, Berlin department of culture
What they said: ‘Zero infections among the 1,000 people who attended the show is further proof that events can be organised safely during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.’
Participants: 680
April 2021
Jonathan theatre performance
When: 26 April–9 May 2021
Where: Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg (KVS), Belgium
Who: KVS and Belgium’s Ministry of Culture
What they said: “An important observation is that the CO2 value and the relative humidity have barely increased. We saw the figure increase from 500 ppm to 600 ppm, while the maximum permitted value is 1200 ppm. This is of course only a first indication.”
Participants: 50–250
May 2021
Events Research Programme
When: April/May 2021
Where: Sefton Park and Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool, Brit Awards in London, The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and more
Who: Festival Republic, Circus, BPI, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and more
What they said: “These test events will be crucial in finding ways to get fans and audiences back in safely without social distancing. We will be guided by the science and medical experts but will work flat out to make that happen.”
Participants: 300–21,000
TBC 2021
Denmark Trials
When: TBC 2021
Where: Denmark
Who: Dansk Live, Divisionsforeningen
What they said: “This should very much lead to a much-needed festival summer and many great concert experiences across the country in 2021.”
Paris test
When: TBC 2021
Where: Accor Arena, Paris
Who: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture, St Louis Hospital, Prodiss
Participants: 5,000
Marseille test
When: TBC 2021
Where: Dôme, Marseille
Who: The city of Marseille, Inserm, Béatrice Desgranges (Marsatac, SMA)
Participants: 1,000
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Spain to go ahead with pilot gig for clinical study
The Apolo hall in Barcelona will host a clinical study concert with more than 1,000 participants to determine whether concerts and nightlife can be safe spaces if certain measures are met, including screening attendees with Covid-detection tests.
The pilot gig, which was originally scheduled for October but was cancelled due to the second wave of coronavirus, will now take place on 12 December featuring DJs and bands including Marta Salicrú, Unai Muguruza, Renaldo & Clara and Mujeres.
The study expects to host more than 1,000 volunteers who will undergo a rapid antigen test, which detects coronavirus in minutes, on 11 and 12 December. Only those with negative test results will be permitted to attend the gig.
Then, before the doors of the venue are opened, a PCR test will also be carried out on half of the participants to evaluate the effectiveness of rapid tests as a screening strategy in large events.
During the concert, participants will have to wear a protective mask at all times, except when consuming beverages in designated areas, and use disinfectant gel.
The clinical study will determine whether concerts and nightlife can be safe spaces if certain measures are met
A week after the concert, on 20 December, a second rapid antigen test will be carried out on all attendees and a new PCR will be carried out on the participants who have already been tested on the day of the event.
The clinical trial is organised by Primavera Sound, the Fight Against Aids and Infectious Diseases Foundation, and the Germans Trias hospital in Barcelona.
The Spanish study follows in the footsteps of Germany’s Restart-19, which saw 1,500 volunteers spent ten hours inside Arena Leipzig on 22 August as part of a scientific experiment that aimed to show how coronavirus travels at indoor events.
The study comprised three concerts by singer Tim Bendzko: one with no social distancing at all, pre-coronavirus style; one with “optimised hygiene measures”, such as more entrances/exits and some distance between concertgoers; and one with full social distancing, with attendees seated 1.5 metres apart.
Key findings from the experiment showed that events “could take place in a pandemic”.
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