Nova Puts Hodokvas On Hold

Thomas Zsifkovits of Austrian promoter Nova Music says his company wants to continue with Hodokvas Festival but isn’t sure what form the event will take.

"There are so many small festivals with cheap ticket prices that it’s hard to bring in big acts because it’s hard to find the budget when entrance is so cheap," he explained.

Nova got involved with the 9-year-old festival in 2007, when senior director Ewald Tatar and Hodokvas chief Michal Taliga set up a new business called Nova Music Slovakia in order to expand the event.

Taliga has been involved with the event since it started in 1999. Despite its somewhat checkered history, it has grown to the point where it has become the country’s biggest festival behind Pohoda.

But the last two years have shown how hard it is to get more than 10,000 per day for a Slovakian festival, and now Zsifkovits is looking at a range of possibilities including a merger with one of the neighbouring events.

The July 4-5 Hodokvas lineup included Cypress Hill, I AM X, Sex Pistols, Skindred, Slobodna Europa, The Car Is On Fire, The Swan Bride and The Switch.