BERLIN (CelebrityAccess) — Marek Lieberberg, the man behind Germany’s Rock am Ring, and Rock im Park festivals said that despite flagging attendance at the events, he felt they were back on track after several rough years.
The two festivals, which run concurrently, were held on June 1st through June 3rd this year. Rock am Ring, which takes place Nürburgring, and its younger sibling Rock im Park, which is staged in Nuremberg reported attendance of around 70,000 per event. That’s down from 90,000 for Ring and 75,000 last year, according to IQ Magazine.
However, Lieberberg, who is CEO of Live Nation Germany, was upbeat about the two events, noting to IQ magazine that there were “incredible performances celebrated by enthusiastic crowds” and an “exciting atmosphere.”
Lieberberg was also buoyed by the lack of disruptions for the event. The two festivals have been plagued with dangerous weather in recent years, including a lightning strike at Rock am Ring in 2016 that injured more than 50 fans and led to the cancellation of the final day of the show. The festivals have been plagued by non-weather disruptions as well after a threatened terror attack at Rock am Ring last year caused the event to be shut down on Friday while the festival grounds were evacuated.
Lieberberg told IQ that the industry response to the “first Ring and Park festivals in four years without any disruptions by inclement weather and/or alleged threats” was “absolutely overwhelming.”
As for the festival’s turnout this year – Lieberberg sounded a positive note despite lower turnout, telling IQ that an audience of 140,000 was a “testament” to the enthusiasm of Germany for the two festivals.
“We‘re back on track, and are confident of regaining some of those understandably absent fans next year,” he told IQ.
