Wilsonic Disaster

Tibor Holoda’s efforts to re-invent Slovakia’s Wilsonic Festival ended in disaster and there’s now a serious doubt about the event’s future.

The festival had built quite a reputation for itself among techno fests between 2000 and 2009 – earning plaudits from worldwide electronic music portal Resident Advisor – until main sponsor Telefonica decided to spend its money elsewhere.

Holoda’s bid to restore Wilsonic to its former glory on a parkland area at Bratislava’s hydro power plant complex at Cunovo ended in tears as once again major sponsors pulled out, the whitewater site was flooded and a member of My Bloody Valentine s crew reportedly broke a leg just before the act was to hit the stage.

“We didn’t have a fire,” said Wilsonic press and communications manager Michaela Ivanicova.

She said she will have no idea what will happen to Wilsonic until the financial damage has been totted up.

The second day of the June 8-9 event was dropped and moved indoors to the city’s Refinery Gallery, but that only pulled about 1,000 people.  The organisers had hoped to get 8,000 to 10,000 on the Cunovoa site.

Danish electronic music producer and multi-instrumentalist Trentemoller and Slovakian acts Triple Sun and Nvmeri were some of a few acts to take to the stage.