The 4th edition of the European Festival Awards has seen a record-breaking turn-out of festival-fans rallying to support their favourite events and artists. More than a million public votes have been cast across 49 European countries, highlighting the phenomenal passion for music festivals throughout the Continent.
The final shortlists in categories ranging from Best Major Festival to Anthem Of The Year can now be revealed. The winners will be announced and presented with their accolades at the European Festival Awards gala ceremony which crowns the opening night of the Eurosonic Noorderslag conference and showcase in Groningen, Holland on Wednesday 9th January 2013. The event features a 3 course gourmet dinner, drinks reception and after show party and is a unique opportunity to celebrate with the leaders of Europe’s festival industry.
Tickets to the event are available now from €30 euro at eu.festivalawards.com
Steve Jenner, Festival Awards co-founder, comments: “The European festival industry has its challenges like any other at this time, but clearly public demand is not one of them. This year’s shortlists give a revealing snapshot of the vibrancy and direction of the market. It is interesting to see so many electronic-focused events shining through in this year’s results.”
More than 250 European Festivals representing 33 countries had applied to take part in this year’s awards.
And the Shortlists are… BEST MAJOR FESTIVAL 1. EXIT Festival (Serbia) 2. Heineken Open’er Festival (Poland) 3. Hurricane & Southside (Germany) 4. Optimus Alive (Portugal) 5. Rock Werchter (Belgium) 6. Roskilde Festival (Denmark) 7. Sziget (Hungary) 8. Tomorrowland (Belgium) 9. Wacken Open Air (Germany) 10. Woodstock Festival (Poland)
BEST MEDIUM-SIZED FESTIVAL 1. Area4 Festival (Germany) 2. Electric Picnic Music & Arts Festival (Ireland) 3. Heineken Balaton Sound (Hungary) 4. Lokerse Feesten (Belgium) 5. Melt! Festival (Germany) 6. OFF Festival (Poland) 7. Pohoda Festival (Slovakia) 8. Rock-A-Field (Luxembourg) 9. Smukfest (Denmark) 10. Ursynalia – Warsaw Student Festival (Poland)
BEST SMALL FESTIVAL 1. Absolutely Free Festival (Belgium) 2. Appletree Garden (Germany) 3. Bialystok Pozytywne Wibracje Festival (Poland) 4. Grape Festival (Slovakia) 5. Mini-Rock-Festival (Germany) 6. Plai (Romania) 7. Tauron New Music Festival (Poland) 8. Vestrock (The Netherlands) 9. We Love Green (France) 10. Winterthurer Musikfestwochen (Switzerland)
BEST NEW FESTIVAL 1. Electro Magnetic (Germany) 2. Dimensions Festival (Croatia) 3. Hadra Trance Festival VI (France) 4. Liss Ard Music Festival (Ireland) 5. Mair1 Festival (Germany) 6. Pestivals (Latvia) 7. Ronquieres Festival (Belgium) 8. Vestrock Junior (The Netherlands) 9. Warriors Dance Festival (Serbia) 10. XO Live (The Netherlands)
BEST INDOOR FESTIVAL 1. Blues in Hell (Norway) 2. Dia De La Musica (Spain) 3. Eurosonic Noorderslag (The Netherlands) 4. I Love Techno (Belgium) 5. Le Printemps De Bourges (France) 6. Reeperbahn Festival (Germany) 7. Sensation (Denmark) 8. Sensation (Netherlands) 9. The Rolling Stone Weekender (Germany) 10. Waves Vienna (Austria)
BEST EUROPEAN FESTIVAL LINE-UP 1. Melt! Festival (Germany) 2. Optimus Alive (Portugal) 3. Primavera (Spain) 4. Pukkelpop (Belgium) 5. Rock am Ring / Rock im Park (Germany) 6. Rock Werchter (Belgium) 7. Roskilde Festival (Denmark) 8. Southside / Hurricane (Germany) 9. Tomorrowland (Belgium) 10. Way out West (Sweden)
ANTHEM OF THE YEAR 1. Die Toten Hosen “Tage wie dieser” 2. Florence & The Machine “Shake it out” 3. Foster the People “Pumped up Kicks” 4. Jack White “Seven Nation Army” 5. Lykke Li “I follow Rivers” 6. M83 – “Midnight City” 7. Mumford & Sons “Little Lion Man” 8. Of Monsters and Men “Little Talks” 9. The Black Keys “Lonely Boy” 10. Will and the People “Lion in the morning sun”
HEADLINER OF THE YEAR 1. Bon Iver 2. Florence & The Machine 3. Foo Fighters 4. Jack White 5. Mumford & Sons 6. Pearl Jam 7. The Black Keys 8. The Cure 9. The Killers 10. The Stones Roses
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR with Eurosonic Noorderslag 1. Alabama Shakes 2. Alt J 3. Anna Calvi 4. Azealia Banks 5. Dope D.O.D 6. Dry the River 7. Ewert and the Two Dragons 8. Jessie Ware 9. Kraftklub 10. Of Monsters and Men
ARTISTS’ FAVOURITE FESTIVAL * 1. OpenAir St.Gallen (Switzerland) 2. Optimus Alive (Portugal) 3. Oya Festivalen (Norway) 4. Parades de Coura (Portugal) 5. Primavera Sound (Spain) 6. Pukkelpop (Belgium) 7. Rock Werchter (Belgium) 8. Way out West (Sweden) 9. Roskilde (Denmark) 10. Woodstock (Poland)
PROMOTER OF THE YEAR with Virtual Festivals Europe * 1. Everything is new in Lisbon (Portugal) 2. ID & T (The Nederlands) 3. Live Nation (Belgium) 4. Luger (Sweden) 5. Pukkelpop (Belgium)
GREEN OPERATIONS AWARD with Yourope and The GO Group ** 1. Boom Festival (Portugal) 2. Maifeld Derby (Germany) 3. Open Air St.Gallen (Switzerland) 4. Way Out West (Sweden) 5. We Love Green (France)
* Decided by industry jury of top journalists, booking agents and other market experts.
** Decided by the Green Operations Award jury, consisting of prominent European green initatives, associations and foundations.
Ticket Information:
Platinum tickets, giving a table seat at the European Festival Awards are €85.00, available now from eu.festivalawards.com/tickets/
Platinum ticket holders receive: -Table seat for Festival Awards show at Oosterport Congress Centre – Grote Zaal -Three-course gourmet meal with wine, beer and soft drinks at Kleine Zaal -Entry to after-show party -Copy of the European Festival Report
Show-only tickets are also available for €30 which include: -Gallery seat for Festival Awards show at Oosterport Congress Centre – Grote Zaal -Entry to after-show party -Copy of the European Festival Report
Last year’s winners: Best Major European Festival – Sziget Festival (Hungary) Best Medium-Sized European Festival – Off Festival (Poland) Best Small European Festival – Haldern Pop (Germany) Best New European Festival – Extrema Outdoor (Belgium) Best Indoor Festival – I Love Techno (Belgium) Best European Festival Line-Up – Rock Werchter (Belgium) YOUROPE Green ‘N’ Clean Festival Of The Year – Melt! (Germany) Artist’s Favourite European Festival – Southside / Hurricane (Germany) Best Newcomer association with Eurosonic Noorderslag – James Blake Best Headliner – Coldplay Festival Anthem of the Year – Coldplay ‘Viva La Vida’ Virtual Festivals Europe presents Promoter Of The Year – FKP Scorpio (Germany) YOUROPE Lifetime Achievement Award – Michael Eavis, Glastonbury (UK)
Said Fruzsina Szep from Sziget festival after receiving the Best Major Festival award and inviting everyone to join her in a drink of Palinka: “We were very much hoping to win this award and it really means a lot to us because 2012 will be the 20th edition of our festival.”
On receiving his lifetime achievement award Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis said: “42 years ago I started something on my farm towards the end of the flower power era in the 60’s and we had less than a thousand people and now we have 150,000 people registered to buy a ticket for 2013. Thank you very much to everyone and thanks to all the people who have been involved in our show and thanks to all the people who buy tickets every year. I hope there are a few more years to go yet, another 10 years maybe.”
About Festival Awards Europe: Established in 2009, in co-operation between Festival Awards Ltd, Yourope (the European Festival Association) and Eurosonic Noorderslag, Festival Awards Europe is the only event solely dedicated to recognising the contributions and achievements of the event organisers and performing artists that generate billions of Euros for local economies and brighten up the summer for tens of millions of festival-goers each year. Decided by a combination of public vote and industry juries, the awards are presented at a sold out ceremony taking place at Groningen’s De Oosterport in The Netherlands. Last year saw a record breaking edition with over 350,000 festival-goers casting votes and more than 200 festivals taking part. http:// eu.festivalawards.com
About Yourope: Founded in November 1998 – Today representing over 80 members from 26 countries. Yourope members are dedicated to improving the European festival scene in terms of: working conditions; health and safety issues; environmental awareness; exchange of knowledge and information; promoting the cross-border exchange of live music talent. The overall aim of the association is to collaborate, share experiences and to pinpoint areas that would benefit from a joint approach. Having gained respect within the industry and at government level, Yourope also has the power to lobby for all legal and industry issues relating to the European festival industry on behalf of its members and together with other associations in the live music business. Yourope also focuses on other key issues for festivals – such exchange of information regarding marketing and sponsoring, contracts, production riders or radio/TV/internet rights and more. www.yourope.org
About Eurosonic Noorderslag: Eurosonic Noorderslag is Europe’s most important live music industry conference and showcase festival for European talent. With over 2800 delegates, showcases by 260 artists and a conference with 100 panels, keynote speakers, interviews and meetings, EuroSonic Noorderslag is the key exchange and networking platform for European music, European artists, international music industry professionals and organizations. www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl
