Berlin Fest Gets Off The Ground

It may be a long way from becoming one of the highfliers of the German festival market, but a year off and a change of venue looks to have gotten Berlin Festival off the ground.

Melt Festival chief Stefan Lehmkuhl, whose company has taken over the running of the event and moved it to the city’s Tempelhof Airport, reported crowds of about 8,000 on site for the first day and 9,500 on the second. It was a little up on the 7,500 per day he targeted at the end of June.

Berlin Festival only uses a small part Tempelhof, well-known as Hitler’s favourite airport and with a site capacity of 100,000-plus, using a hangar to house the 6,000-capacity main stage area and the surrounding area for a second stage and a couple of club venues.

The Aug. 6-7 lineup included Deichkind, Pete Doherty, Jarvis Cocker, Dendemann, José González, Saint Etienne, and The Rifles.