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The Federal Council decision regarding the main events is here: the big music festivals in eastern Switzerland cannot take place due to Corona. Those responsible are very disappointed. The Open Air Frauenfeld wants to have a mega festival in 2021, and officials in St. Gallen hope that as many as possible will keep their ticket for next year.
No mud, no chilling on the lake and no hiphop party – the finale of Open Air St.Gallen, Arbon Summer Days and Open Air Frauenfeld is a fact.
(pd / lim / nat / sko) For a long time it was unclear whether those responsible for the St. Gallen outdoors, the summer day in Arbon and the outdoors in Frauenfeld would react to the crown pandemic. Now it’s clear: all three festivals will be canceled. This is because the Federal Council did not allow events with more than 1,000 people until the end of August due to the crown crisis, as announced on Wednesday.
Rejection of visitors and new main sponsor
Acts like Mando Diao, Placebo, Deichkind or Annenmaykantereit would have performed at the Open Air St.Gallen this year. For the festival, the cancellation comes at a particularly unfavorable time. The festival has seen a drop in visitor numbers in the past three years. Earlier this year, German ticket giant CTS Eventim became the new majority shareholder, with Aldi the festival having a new main sponsor.
There will be no snapshots of the babysitting stage this year.
Festival director Christof Huber speaks in a first statement of a “black day for music festivals.” The musicians and bands that would have come to Sittertobel this summer should now appear in St. Gallen whenever possible in 2021. Accordingly, tickets that have already been sold for the now canceled open air should remain valid, but may also return, as Huber explains. However, those responsible hope that as many music fans as possible will keep their tickets.
At Aldi Suisse, it was said last week upon request: “If the festival had to be canceled due to the current situation, of course we would be very sorry. Of course, however, we strictly adhere to the instructions of the BAG and, in any case, we accept them 100 percent ”.
Not only the Open Air St.Gallen is a victim of the corona virus, but also the Summerdays Festival in Arbon, which is also administered by Director Christof Huber. The best-known names this year would have been Peter Maffay, Kim Wilde, 77 Bombay Street, and Patent Ochsner.
Best atmosphere in a fantastic location: Arbon Summer Days fans.
Frauenfeld: a third of investments have already been made
The outdoor Frauenfeld should also stop this year, which from July 9 to 11 with headliners such as Kendrick Lamar, Sido or Loredana would have wanted to attract a total of 180,000 visitors from around the world to the Grosse Allmend. The largest hip-hop festival in Europe and the event with the highest number of visitors in Thurgau with 50,000 visitors per day would have been sold out for the fourth consecutive time.
Frauenfeld tickets remain valid until Mega Festival 2021
Like many of the organizers of the main Swiss festivals, the organizers of the Open Air Frauenfeld had hesitated before announcing an official ban on events from Bern. There is now certainty that the 2020 Open Air Frauenfeld has definitely been canceled and postponed to the summer of 2021. Media spokesman Joachim Bodmer:
“The ban imposed by the authorities leaves us with no other choice.”
He speaks of a sad and bitter emotional state, especially since the current cancellation “leaves a very large deficit”. Organizers have already spent around a third of the annual budget of around CHF 15 million. “But we are also relieved to know that we can now fully focus on the 2021 festival,” says Bodmer.
Now it is a matter of everyone doing their part to stop the pandemic as soon as possible. Because “the safety and health of everyone comes first”.
Open questions about assistance with public funds
Bodmer cannot comment on contract termination and legal matters. Similarly, the question remains unanswered whether First Event AG, as an organizer, has submitted a request for financial support to the cultural office. The canton had promised an amount of five million to help sports and cultural organizers. “We are and have been in constant contact with the authorities,” says Bodmer. It was too early to get detailed information.
Spicy: In the middle of April, the councilor Walter Schönholzer commented on a corresponding question on a TVO program:
Walter Schönholzer, Government member of the canton of Thurgau.
“If the canton has to provide support for events as big as the Open Air Frauenfeld, it goes beyond possibilities.”
After the current cancellation, officials would prefer to look to the future, before 2021. “The festival is not getting smaller, it’s getting bigger,” says Bodmer. Consequently, the OAF should last 2021 one day longer than before. Also, all tickets that have already been sold are still valid. Finally, information has circulated on the Internet, according to which ticket holders will receive vouchers for future events. Bodmer ends this and says, “The 2020 ticket can be exchanged for a 2021 ticket at no additional cost.”
Celebrating fans at the Open Air Frauenfeld: It will only be available again next year.
Cancellations worldwide
Outdoor festivals cannot be held in other countries either. The Glastonbury Festival in England, which attracts 200,000 visitors each, is canceled. The Roskilde Festival in Denmark was also canceled with around 160,000 visitors. The same applies to festivals in Germany: all major events in Germany are prohibited until August 31 inclusive.
