Corona? monkey pox? At the two festivals “Rock am Ring” and “Rock im Park”, many fans in the crowd will probably not worry about it. Celebrating together will be the main thing.
The countdown on the homepages is counting down the remaining days, construction is underway on the festival grounds, and many music fans can hardly wait:
After a two-year Corona break, the two legendary twin festivals “Rock am Ring” in the Eifel and “Rock im Park” in Nuremberg will be back on Whitsun weekend. From June 3rd to 5th, tens of thousands of visitors will celebrate, dance and sing along in front of the three stages at both locations – possibly even more than in previous years.
Fans crave live events
“Most fans are starving for live events,” says “Rock am Ring” spokesman Raphael Schmidt-Kretz. A few days before the start of the festival, the run for the last tickets began. According to the organizers, they are expecting more than 160,000 revelers at the famous Nürburgring race track and on the Zeppelin field of the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg.
Around 70 bands will heat up their fans at both rock festivals over the weekend. Headliners are Green Day, Muse and Volbeat. And Corona? Should be forgotten during the weekend if possible. “There are no special hygiene measures. The festival will take place as usual without restrictions, »explains spokesman Schmidt-Kretz. At “Rock im Park” there should be opportunities to wash hands and disinfectant dispensers on the entire site, adds spokeswoman Julia Popp.
Protection against Corona: Tests and masks recommended
The health department responsible for “Rock am Ring” in the Ahrweiler district recommends, among other things, tests before arrival, the Corona-Warn-App, masks indoors and in crowds as well as frequent ventilation of cars and tents. “It is also not advisable to share bottles, glasses, tobacco products, hookahs and the like,” it said.
The main thing is to celebrate and music again – not only many on the fan pages in social media agree on that. In an interview on the “Rock im Park” YouTube channel with the Munich band Sportfreunde Stiller, bassist Rüdiger Linhof says: “I’m just really happy to be up there after these years.” And singer Peter Brugger adds: “This is the year of the comeback of music, celebrations and yes, coming together.”
Police prepare for more work
But can the fans still festival after such a long break? In Nuremberg, the police and the city are preparing for more work. “Of course, after a two-year break, it will be the first festival of this size, especially for younger people,” says police spokesman Robert Sandmann. Robert Pollack from the regulatory office suspects that the newcomers are not yet familiar with the processes and rules of the festival, for example with regard to the ban on camping outside the designated area, nocturnal tent parties or looking after your own belongings.
It will probably only be possible to say afterwards whether some of the revelers will really let loose after the long festival lull – among other things when it comes to cleaning up. The mountains of rubbish that visitors leave behind on the Zeppelin Field are a nuisance in Nuremberg every year. In contrast to the Nürburgring, the site is in the city and is popular with families, sports enthusiasts and walkers.
Improved waste concept for more sustainability
There were 186 tons of rubbish in 2019 at the last “Rock im Park” before the Corona crisis. This means that the amount has been declining since 2015, says Pollack. But: “A lot of rubbish, from serviettes to grills, tents and sofas, is simply left lying around by visitors despite sufficient waste containers,” complained the responsible department head of the public order office in a report for the city council in May.
The organizers of the two festivals now want to become more sustainable with an improved waste concept: reusable cups and crockery at the catering stands, waste separation, free water dispensers and less packaging. At “Rock am Ring” there should even be a repair service for broken tents and bags, backpacks and jackets are to be made from sleeping quarters left on the site.
Fans and organizers are still hoping for good weather. Especially at “Rock am Ring” one has had painful experiences with it. In 2015 and 2016 there were numerous injuries in thunderstorms over “Rock am Ring”. In 2018, too, numerous tents were under water after heavy rain.
