The next edition of Danube Festival is just weeks away, set to take place from 5th – 8th July. If you haven’t already clocked what’s coming, now is the opportune moment. Last month when the lineup dropped, the news brought with it an instant tantalisation. A roster made up of some of the most in demand dancing brands of the moment, welcoming a long list of the underground finest. Right in the heart of the clubbing capital of Europe, in the city of Berlin.
Stage splits are soon to be announced but, in the meantime, it is confirmed that over 60 artists will play during a schedule of over 55 hours. And the music won’t stop for a minute, throughout the event’s entirety. Whilst it isn’t uncommon for events to take place the whole weekend long in Berlin, what isn’t quite as common is having such a large, stellar lineup, all in the same place.
Festival partners hosting over the weekend include the UK’s finest taste makers Half Baked. The London based outfit are currently on a roll and you can catch them continent wide this Summer, as they celebrate 15 years delivering the good stuff. They’ll team up with friends from across the pond ReSolute, making the journey all the way from Brooklyn. This is for sure a hedonistic pairing that will fuel a night of freedom and fun.
Another mighty fine combination comes from Dutch masters of raucous musical marathons SlapFunk and the highly esteemed and established Yoyaku. Both label masters and brilliant bookers in their own right, each collective brings with them artist families already well bonded. This fusion of artistic expertise and well bonded friendship brings its own opportunities of collaboration at the controls, the chance for a rare back-to-back.
O Mato will also bring their own flair for the open air, big players in Berlin who frequent only the finest of spaces. From beaches to boats and regular takeovers at the likes of Club der Visionäre and Watergate, this is a crew that has Berlin nightlife running through its veins.
To say that there has been tricky manoeuvring with regards to the licensing is a massive understatement. With last years event going down to the wire, Marc from Danube Festival explains just how finely balanced the situation was, “Our primary goal had always been to establish an open-air festival in Berlin and Brandenburg and finally, we achieved this last year. What remains unknown to many is how it almost didn’t happen. In the weeks leading up to the event, we found ourselves in legal battles, appearing before German courts in three cases. One of these cases even reached the 2nd highest court of Germany and the final decision was taken just two hours before we opened the doors. Fortunately, the court ruled in favour of culture and open-air festivals in the region.“
This is sadly only half the story, as the hard work that the team has put into this year’s event was dealt a massive blow with the government departments previous assurances being reneged on. This meant that the team had to act quickly to save the festival from happening and the full statement can be found here.
After the pain of the ongoing legal battle from the last edition at Kiekebusch See, the painful decision was made to move the festival to a new venue this time around. Whilst it was a disappointing announcement for the organisers to make, in fact the new venue looks pretty damn good and will now take place at Anomalie Art Club.
It’s a relatively new space, with plenty of options for dancing both outdoors and in. The setup looks lush, with terraced gardens and industrial warehouse space brushed elegantly with artistic flair. And with the change, the festival goes on for even longer – so everyone’s a winner.
Speaking of winning, if you’d like to have a go at bagging yourself two free tickets to the event, head to Danube Festival Instagram and find this week’s competition post (set to close 31st May). And while you’re at it, feast your eyes on this delightful lineup.
Line Up:
100 HZ (live)
Alessia Ceruti
Anthea
Arno b2b Eli Verveine
Baby Tooth
Bako
Binh
Cap
Clovis b2b Topper
Dan Andrei
Desiree Falessi
Desyn
Dimitrios
DJ Masda
DJ Ronnie
DJ Senc b2b Samuel Deep
Doudou MD b2b Magda
Edward b2b Praslea
Elli.on
Elia Nafzger
Felix HK
Franzisk A Berns b2b Markus Sommer
Fumiya Tanaka
Hajdar Berisha
Hicham
Jamie Jar
John Dimas
Kafa
Lars b2b Jules
Malika
Marc
Mari.te
Miss I
Nastik
O.Bee b2b Tomas Station
O Mato DJs (Alexia Logidy & Jonas Koksal)
Omega Men
Oshana (live)
Penelope
Raresh b2b Sonja Moonear
Stolis
Thought Maschine
Tim
Telva
Unjack
Vincenzo
Vera
More info on Danube Festival
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