After two festival days with performances by 70+ acts at Tempelhof Airport and Arena Berlin, Berlin Festival 2011 came to a successful close on Saturday night. With its new concept, new stage setup, and additional venues, which mirrored the capital’s manifold concert and club culture, Berlin Festival started on Friday with exciting performances by James Blake, Austra, The Rapture, The Drums and many others.
Over 15,000 festival-goers ventured to Tempelhof Airport on Friday and Saturday to take in the vivid genre mix from indie rock, dubstep, folk and psychedelic to house, techno and hip hop. With a roof over their heads and two indoor hangars, visitors didn’t even have to care about some drizzle at the beginning. Instead, you saw faces gleaming with euphoria everywhere.
With headline shows by Primal Scream, Suede, Boys Noize and Beginner, the programme at Tempelhof finished at midnight, and more than 7,000 festivalgoers went on to Club Xberg at Arena Berlin. The shuttle buses, travelling between the airport and Arena, brought everyone to Club Xberg safe and sound with just a little bit of waiting time at the airfield.
With its four venues, Arena, Arena Club, Glashaus, and Badeschiff, Club Xberg offered everything from chilled out label specials with beach bar atmosphere (e.g. Greco-Roman) as well as great performances by Mr. Oizo, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Public Enemy and Skrillex sending all festivalgoers into ecstasy with his brute electronic soundscapes.
In addition to the genre spanning stage programme, Berlin Festival put forward an extensive range of fringe events. Apart from the always crowded Silent Disco Noize, the media lounges with foosball and table tennis, as well as the Design & Record Label Market, our Art Village, which was curated by Jan “Yaneq” Kage, celebrated its premiere with Jim Avignon, Poet, Nomad, 44flavours and numerous other artists. They were busy sawing, toasting, spraying and performing – Berlin’s street and urban art at its best. This year’s Berlin Festival Art Prize, which was awarded by Melvin Benn, CEO Festival Republic and Partner of Berlin Festival, went to Superblast, Maike Gräf, and Gobsquad To@aster.
Check out the highlights HERE, courtesy of ZDF.kultur.
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