Features
European Festivals: Big Editions For Melt! & Standon Calling, Boomtown Sustainability
Ben McQuaide – Jorja Smith at Melt! Festival 2019 in Germany
The young prodigy of British soul was visibly impressed by the audience’s zeal
Melt! Festival, in Gräfenhainichen, Germany, attracted almost 25,000 visitors to its 22nd edition, July 19-21, which marks a new high for the Goodlive promoted event.
Fans from more than 50 nations saw sets by Jorja Smith, Bon Iver, Skepta, Solomun, Four Tet, Bilderbuch, Kaytranada, RIN, and Stormzy, who had replaced A$AP Rocky last minute.
Apart from a short thunderstorm on Saturday night, the festival went smoothly. Organizers are particularly fond of the Forest area, opened in 2018. A calm haven in the day, it also features the Forest Stage, which saw performances by Tom Trago, Denis Sulta and Eclair Fifi, Bluestaeb, Melodiesinfonie and S. Fidelity, Donna Leake, and more.
Over in the U.K., Standon Calling celebrated its biggest edition yet, July 26-29, in Hertfordshire, England.
More than 15,000 festival-goers saw main stage performances by Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Rag’N’Bone Man’s, Wolf Alice and more. Lewis Capaldi attracted the biggest crowd the Standon Calling main stage has ever seen, according to the promoters.
The Manc Photographer – Lewis Capaldi
Performing in front of some 15,000 fans at Standon Calling, July 28
IDLES, Kate Nash, as well as Indie up and comers Inhaler graced the Laundry Meadows stage, while Erol Alkan and Crazy P Soundsystem celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Groove Garden at Standon.
Boomtown, which launches Chapter 11, Aug. 7-11, is offering discounted tickets to fans who arrive by public transport or bicycle.
The festival’s sustainability coordinator Emily Ford also told the Canary, that the event is “standardizing packaging across all traders and bars to ensure it’s 100% biodegradable including everything from the lining in all coffee cups, coffee cup lids, bar cups and food boxes” to removing 225,000 plastic bottles.
“Waste volunteers” will help people put things in the right bin, the waste contractor, and the recycling team and local composting facility will ensure all serveware that is disposed of correctly will be sent to an industrial composter and turned into soil within 12 weeks.
Charlie Raven – The Town Center of Boomtown
Just one of many festival areas designed with a great love for detail
The festival is set in the Matterley bowl in Hampshire, England, and has grown from a capacity 1,000 to 66,000 since launching in 2009. It is still run as a truly independent event, creating an entire fantasy city each year offering countless stages and venues scattered around 14 unique areas.
Going to Boomtown is a theatrical experience, with a storyline that has been evolving since Chapter 1, and including actors, who bring the film-like street sets to life. Citizens are encouraged to become part of the story.