Features
East Europe Focus 2024 Index Page
Welcome to our annual focus on East Europe, where we once again take a snapshot of the state of business, current challenges and opportunities, as well as the future potential of the region with the help of some of the country’s most experienced live professionals.
The war in Ukraine is sadly still ongoing. Some of the things the organizers of the country’s biggest festival, Atlas, have to go through are simply inconceivable. Production costs are also still an issue in the current economy.
But there’s good news as well, as several markets are experiencing an economic upturn. What is more, some of the biggest names in music have brought their stadium tours to the region, breaking sales records, and showcasing some of East Europe’s state of the art event locations. In any case, there’s plenty to delve into. Check out all features and interviews below.
Main Story:
Unique Sites, Affordable Prices & Rich Culture: The Diversity Of East Europe
Interviews:
Vlad Yaremchuk is the programming director of Ukraine’s Atlas festival, which hasn’t had a normal edition since 2019, first because of COVID, then because of the Russian invasion. This year, Atlas officially returned July 19-21 to Blockbuster Mall in Kyiv in a reduced capacity and renamed Atlas United. We spoke with Yaremchuk about the incredible effort it took to make it happen.
Pollstar speaks with Stefan Elenkov, founder and CEO of Fest Team, based in Bulgaria, and promoting across the Balkan region. It recently expanded its business by acquiring Charmenko, one of the most experienced promoters in the region. We asked Elenkov about the state of business, the live infrastructure across markets, as well as the history of his company, Fest Team, which launched in 2012.
‘Changes Are Felt A Lot Stronger & Sooner In Small Markets’: Q’s With Girts Majors, CEO, Positivus
Positivus Festival 2024 was the last edition to take place on the green island of Lucavsala located on the Daugava River in the heart of Riga, Latvia, where it had only moved in 2022, leaving its former coastal location about 100 kilometers outside the city. Now a fully-fledged city event, there’s a lot that has changed, as Positivus CEO Girts Majors tells Pollstar.
Features:
Revolution Through Evolution: EXIT Festival Is Building Bridges
Several festivals in the Balkans are the creative manifestations of a youth rebelling against dictatorship. That revolutionary spirit never left EXIT founder and CEO Dusan Kovacevic, who said, “the reason I am doing the events is to mobilize new generations for positive causes. And to help them grow personally, spread consciousness, and share support. We advocate for a New Earth. We need to change this old matrix of wars, greed and environmental destruction, and create new forms of communication between each other.”
News:
80,000 Fans, $15M Local Impact: Ed Sheeran Sets Baltic Ticket Sales Record
Ed Sheeran performed for two consecutive nights at the newly renovated Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, Lithuania, Aug. 3-4, gathering more than 80,000 fans, and setting a new ticket sales record in the Baltic states for a show by an international artist, according to L Tips Agency, the local promoter of the show alonside AEG Presents, and FKP Scorpio.
Sziget’s ‘Spectacular, Vibrant & Diverse’ 30th Anniversary
Sziget festival in Budapest, Hungary, concluded its epic 30th anniversary party, which took place Aug. 7-12 on Óbuda island, the Island of Freedom, right on the Danube river, counting between 60,000 and 70,000 daily guests, who saw some 1,000 shows spread across 50 stages.