Capital Dwellers Face Exodus as Leading Figures Decamp
Unleashing the Russian Festival Scene in 2024:
Gear up, music enthusiasts! The Russian festival season this year is set to rock with a plethora of fresh, electrifying events. Our resident expert, Igor Gavrilov, has been delving into the burgeoning world of new and emerging festival brands, offering intriguing insights into the future of open-air events in the country.
After a confident industry recovery in 2023, the domestic concert scene showed a staggering 70% growth, although street events and open-air festivals lagged behind. Obstacles like stringent safety requirements, lengthy approval processes, and the absence of former festival headliners hampered the growth of these events.
However, by the end of the 2024 summer season, the demand for entertainment, including festivals, had noticeably picked up. Enrico Mazavrishvili, the Director of Business Development at "Yandex.Afisha," predicts a whopping 40% increase in festival attendance this year. The Ticketscloud and MTS Live teams echo these sentiments, reinforcing the positive shift in the festival scene.
Industry pros attribute this resurgence to several factors: the market's quick adaptability, the arrival of new, innovative formats to replace outdated ones, the survival of "festival dinosaurs," and the growth of domestic musical tourism.
Classic events like the June "Wild Mint" festival in the Tula region and the August "Stereoleto" in St. Petersburg are maintaining their luster, featuring talented newcomers like "The End of Sunny Days" and "Lüdmila Ogorodchenko." The most intriguing event at this year's Stereoleto in St. Petersburg is a program celebrating the 70th anniversary of Mayak Naumenko, performed by Nikolai Foménko and the group "Garin and Hyperboloids."
The annual VK-Fest is expanding its reach, adding Chelyabinsk and Kazan to its roster. The largest alternative music festival, "Dobrofest," had a chance of a comeback, but its producers are still addressing organizational challenges, pushing its return to at least 2026.
However, the most exciting developments are happening at the regional level. These regional festivals are an integral part of the growing trend of domestic tourism with a modern soundtrack.
For instance, the Altai "SOUL Fest" near Gorno-Altaisk calls itself the festival of "soul transformation" and promises "harmony between the inner and outer world." The festival will take place in July.
Another innovative regional event is the "Cool!" festival in the Vladimir region, a charming blend of music and design, taking place in August at the "Krutoyak" resort, a cultural heritage site. Headliners include Haski, Mirele, and Saluki, with a separate program for young artists to contribute to the event's fairy-tale-inspired ambiance.
Launched in 2023, the festival idea was the brainchild of developer Alexei Olkhovoi and promoter Yevgeny Mashkov. "Kommersant" reports that the project's future looks optimistic, thanks to backing from Alfa-Bank.
Another new regional offering is the June "Rock Evening" in Kaluga, the third time the event is held but the first with a paid entrance. Organizers are aiming to develop domestic tourism and have invited popular groups, such as "Slot" and Lascala, for attendance.
Alexander Sokolov, founder of Alek Production and leader of the group "Block_A," shares his thoughts on the evolution of the event: "After last year's festival, we realized we're growing and becoming a regional event, although that wasn't our initial goal. This time, we're forced to rent the space and cover all sound and light rental costs. We've also invited more popular groups, and every organizer wants their expenses to be covered. However, our festival ticket prices are lower than market rates."
Meanwhile, in Rostov-on-Don, a new heavy music festival, Metal Castle, has debuted, focusing on hard-n-heavy genres. Taking place over two weekends in June and August at the castle-fortress in the village of Nedvigovka, the festival will feature headliners like "Epidemia" and Radio Tapok.
Despite the absence of specific forecasts for 2024 festival growth, economic analysts predict a continued upward trend, with projected GDP growth of 4.1% in 2024, although this may slow down in 2025 and 2026 due to decelerating private consumption and investment. Factors such as these may impact the capacity for organizing or attending festivals over the next two years.
Stay tuned for more updates on the summer festival season in Russia!
- Igor Gavrilov, our resident expert, foresees a significant increase in festival attendance in 2024, as the market adapts and new formats take hold, contributing to the growth of open-air events.
- Enrico Mazavrishvili anticipates a 40% increase in festival attendance in 2024, with classic events like the June "Wild Mint" festival and the August "Stereoleto" featuring emerging artists such as "The End of Sunny Days" and "Lüdmila Ogorodchenko."
- Innovative regional events like the Altai "SOUL Fest" and the "Cool!" festival in the Vladimir region are part of the growing trend of domestic tourism with a modern soundtrack, appealing to audiences with unique experiences and fairy-tale-inspired ambiances.
- The newest addition to the Russian festival scene is the heavy music festival, Metal Castle, debuting in Rostov-on-Don, featuring headliners like "Epidemia" and Radio Tapok, appealing to fans of hard-n-heavy genres.
