Local Musicians to Showcase Talent at 2nd Culture Forest Festival This Weekend

The second edition of the Culture Forest Festival, organised by Syndicat d'Initiative d'Esch-sur-Alzette, is taking place once again at Parc Clair-Chêne in Esch-sur-Alzette on Satuday 28 and Sunday 29 May 2022.

Building on the success of a sold-out first edition in 2021, the organisers have put together a bigger and more diverse cultural programme this year, featuring mainly local bands, various food trucks and light art.

Within Syndicat d'Initiative d'Esch-sur-Alzette, which organises various events throughout the year in partnership with Ville d'Esch-sur-Alzette, two individuals are responsible for the Culture Forest Festival: Brigitte Bintz and Michael Agostini.

Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Brigitte Bintz explained that the organisation of the first edition in 2021 proved very challenging due to COVID-19 restrictions, with numbers limited to 150 attendees per day.

Nevertheless, the festival was a success and received mainly positive feedback as people were happy to be able to get out and experience live music again. The only negative feedback the organisers received was regarding the limited number of places (due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place at that time).

This year's challenges include other events taking place at the same time as the festival, such as the ING Night Marathon on 28 May.

Capacity is much higher this year, with the organisers aiming to draw 400 to 500 people per day to the festival. Numbers could be even higher but, as Michael Agostini noted, the organisers wished to create a more "familiar atmosphere" and avoid a feeling of crowding.

The focus of the festival is on bringing culture out into nature (the forest) - hence the name - and giving local artists a platform: all the acts are Luxembourgish, apart from one, Say Yes Dog, which is based in Berlin (although one of the band members is from Luxembourg). Despite this predominantly local focus, Mr Agostini explained that the organisers may be open in future to including other bands from the Greater Region.

This year, the organisers have tried to diversify the programme, both in terms of the line-up and gastronomy: more female and non-white musicians will be on stage and there are two more food trucks this year, offering a wider range of food options. There will also be more light sculptures this year as well as fairy lights in the forest, adding to the festive atmosphere in the evenings. Also new this year: the back of the stage has been removed, allowing spectators to see through to the forest behind the artists as they perform.

Regarding the origins of the festival, the Syndicat d'Initiative d'Esch-sur-Alzette first organised a food truck festival in Place de la Résistance in Esch-sur-Alzette in 2019, in response to public demand (as demonstrated in a survey). This venue already offers a mix of green spaces and urban life, but was not suited for another festival in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings. Instead, the organisers turned to Parc Clair-Chêne, a venue which they have decided to keep for the second edition of the Culture Forest Festival because they had received a lot of positive feedback regarding in relation to it in 2021.

Programme

Saturday 28 May

16:00 - 16:45  Authentica
17:00 - 17:45  V.I.C
18:00 - 18:45  Oke
19:00 - 19:45  Le Vibe
20:00 - 21:15  De Läb
21:30 - 23:00  Zero Point Five
23:00 - 01:00  Freezy & Almighty A

Sunday 29 May

16:00 - 16:45  Naomi Ayé
17:00 - 17:45  Manuela Rufolo
18:00 - 18:45  Say Yes Dog
19:00 - 19:45  Murphy's Law
20:00 - 20:45  Go By Brooks
21:00 - 22:30  The Disliked

Festival tickets are still available at: www.culture-forest.com

Culture Forest Festival line-up poster (credit: Moskito Productions SA)