Building The St. Gallen Brand

Although it must still have more festivals per head of population than anywhere else in Europe, Swiss fests have a much better survival rate than they had at the beginning of the 2000s.

Back then, Out On The Green (Frauenfeld) and Leysin Festival had recently became casualties of an overcrowded market, while St. Gallen itself was only surviving due to the generosity of the city government and the forbearance of its suppliers. It owed 2 million Swiss francs ($2.15 million), which in 2001 was a very precarious position, and there was a suspicion that the local authority only bailed it out to see it through its 25th anniversary.

Christof Huber, head of Yourope, the European festivals’ organization, and OASG’s international booker for nearly a couple of decades, says the older Swiss festivals have become better at establishing their identities.

“I think the traditional festivals like Gurten, Nyon, Gampel, Montreux and St. Gallen have built up their brands even better than before, with clearer profiles, good advertising and good connections to their audiences,” he explained.

OASG reached its 39th anniversary June 25-28, when the acts helping to build the brand included Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Placebo, Paolo Nutini, Kodaline, The Chemical Brothers, and Royal Blood.