A Picknick At Ferropolis

Stefan Lehmkuhl’s Melt Booking continues to make more use of the Ferropolis site at Gräfenhainichen, adding two more events to the Melt Festival it already runs there.

The first is called Melt Picknick, a one-day event with an early finish, which will be curated by German electro star Paul Kalkbrenner.

He’s kept things in the family by inviting his brother to join the lineup, although the two of them frequently work together and had a big German hit with “Sky And Sand.”

Lehmkuhl says it’s the German equivalent of The Chemical Brothers and capable of pulling a similar-sized crowd. Melt Picknick is May 30.

Lehmkuhl has also invited other promoters to use the 10,000-capacity site near Gremminger, which won the LEA for best venue in 2006, and it’s recently hosted shows by Linkin Park, promoted by Marek Lieberberg and Argo Concerts, a Metallica show promoted by Wizard and a KKT-promoted show featuring Die Toten Hosen and Die Arzte.

The other event is Ferropolis Frühlingsfest (May 13-15), a family entertainment programme aimed at the people living in the surrounding area.

Lehmkuhl says most of the events at Ferropolis attract thousands of visitors from all over Germany, and so his company decided it was time to put on something for the locals who put up with huge crowds descending on the area.

It features singer-songwriter and children’s entertainer Gerhard Schöne, while audience participation will be encouraged with a flashlight (or torch) concert, and various activities for the youngsters.

The 13th annual Melt Festival is July 16-18 and the bill includes Massive Attack, Blood Red Shoes, Die Sterne, Monika Kruse and Egotronic.