Bochum/Siegen.
Thursday is festival day: That applies in June in Bochum as well as in Siegen. Among others, Alexander Marcus, Sido and Elif come to the races.
According to scientific studies, people spend several years of their lives waiting. Walent-Tony Cerkez should know the feeling. The managing director of the event agency Vibra Agency has been organizing festivals at universities since 2008 – it all started in Paderborn back then – and in 2015 there was also the first Campus Festival in Bielefeld. And the agency already wanted to expand its range for 2018 and 2020. The goals were Siegen and Bochum, but various difficulties made planning and holding the events difficult.
It should last until 2022 until the first “Campus Spring Break” at Bochum’s Centennial Hall due to the corona. Then, with acts like Finch, Nura and the 257ers, almost everything went according to plan: “It was very good in terms of organization and atmosphere. The main problem, like all other festivals after the pandemic, was finding enough staff. But we managed to do that in the end so that at least there were no complaints. The bands thought it was great, the area is also great and gives us a lot of potential for expansion,” recalls Cerkez, who is looking forward to the second edition on June 8th.
Campus Spring Break and Studi Festival are set to grow
He attaches particular importance to the term “enlargement”. In the coming years, the “Campus Spring Break” is to grow: “As with other campus festivals, we want to develop a dynamic here that students come here with their fellow students year after year and that as an integral part of university life alongside research and teaching see where to party once a year.”
In contrast to most other festivals, Vibra Agency plans its events on Thursdays and not on the weekend for good reasons: “We want to appeal to all students. And for many, Thursday is traditionally the “Vice Friday”, when you take it easy, some are already on their way home on Friday.”
Thursday also helps with the acquisition of various bands, as Cerkez explains: “With the Thursday date, we live a bit from the big festivals that start on Fridays at the weekends and where many of our acts then play big shows. Many artists then say, ‘I’d rather take a festival the day before in front of the target group of students, in front of a lot of people, than a small club show.'”
You could probably also say: A warm-up for the following big events in front of a cheerful audience with mostly shorter sets, which of course cost less money and thus allow the ticket prices to be at a pleasingly low level.
Line-ups with stars from rap, electro and indie
In 2023, big names from the fields of hip-hop, pop and electro could be won again. Rap star Sido even plays a full concert as a headliner, and Elif, Dardan, Paula Hartmann, Money Boy, Haiyti and Mehnersmoos can also look back on a few chart successes. And then there would still be the “all-purpose weapon, in terms of atmosphere at a festival, which causes total demolition”, as the organizer puts it. Alexander Marcus has been entertaining the masses since 2008 with his slapstick Electropop, the so-called Electrolore. The Berliner is the only artist who will be on stage in Bochum as in Siegen.
Meanwhile, the premiere of the “Studi Festival Siegen” is only scheduled for this year – albeit as an indoor instead of an outdoor festival on June 29 in the Siegerlandhalle. The main problem on site is the HTS ramp. The construction site at the multi-purpose hall has been making traffic routes, logistics and space availability more difficult for several years. The positive: The organizer and city council have now agreed on the rent – that was different in 2018, when the “Studi Festival” was originally supposed to celebrate its debut, which is why the event was initially postponed. However, it was not planned that further years would pass before the first edition, mainly due to the pandemic. “We absolutely wanted to go through with it this year and not postpone it again,” emphasizes Cerkez.
Carnival feelings in Siegen with a cross beat
The party is about to get even bigger. With Querbeat, Vibra Agency was able to engage true experts to set the party mood. The 13-strong brass pop ensemble has been heating up carnival events and festivals since 2001. Roy Bianco & Die Abbrunzati Boys with their Italo Schlager sound are enjoying increasing popularity, especially among young audiences. Paula Carolina also takes care of indie pop. There is a special sale with tickets for €30 on Thursday, May 11, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the university canteen.
“Campus Spring Break”, June 8th, 3 p.m., Nordwiese, An der Jahrhunderthalle 1, Bochum. The complete line-up and tickets for around €50 (students around €45) are available campus-springbreak.de. “Studi Festival Siegen”, June 29, 4 p.m., Siegerlandhalle, Koblenzer Str. 151, Siegen. The complete line-up and tickets for around €39 (students around €31) are available studifestival-siegen.de.
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