Have you ever wondered how much effort it takes to set up a festival from scratch? How everything is set up and how long it takes with how many roadies, assistants, specialists? Then read on to find out how Rock & Metal Day’z 2023 is built from the ground up. To say so, RMD’z from scratch.
Sunday, arrival
It all starts on a Sunday morning at 10:00 o’clock, when the first members of Made for Kids e.V. meet at the Motorsportarena campsite near Oschersleben. This will be their home for the next ten days. All we see is a green meadow, fixed shower and toilet containers and that is it. The first thing to do is to get settled, the campers are set up, the tents of the crew members are erected and then the first tent for the necessary equipment is put up. This is also where we will have our first dinner later in the day.
Monday, a long day
Monday starts early at dawn, we have to collect and set up the big tent for the backstage area. It will house a bar, benches and tables for the crew, guests and bands, and of course the fully equipped kitchen. The crew have to be fed and kept happy, otherwise the hard work won’t work.
As we build this huge tent, the first parts of the festival stage arrive, so the crew is split into two, one for the tent and one for the stage. A third crew is constantly busy bringing in food, drinks, tools, equipment and all sorts of gear.
More than 12 hours after the work started, the tent and the basic structure of the stage are in place.
Tuesday, Stage in Focus
Tuesday starts a little later, the day before was long enough and we don’t need to pick anything up, everything is in place and the second delivery of stage parts arrives just after breakfast. The stage is the main focus today, we hope to be ready no matter how late it gets.
A smaller team is taking care of the band pavilions, the backstage tent, the lights, the electricity and the water supply. Everything has to be clean and tidy.
And then there are the few people in the crew that you never see, they are too busy to do their job and suddenly they do it and everything works. These are our real magicians. Nobody sees them, but they get everything done.
Wednesday, Details Day
Wednesday is the day of the small and some bigger details. The stage and its technical equipment still need some work before the first sound check in the late afternoon.
The stalls, the drinks trolley, the barbecue etc. have to be prepared and ready. Late afternoon is also the time for the early birds to arrive. They are invited to spend some time on the infield, have a look around and enjoy the first fresh draught beer. We also get our “uniforms” for the weekend, the new crew shirts. They look good!
Thursday, Ready to Rock!
Thursday sees the official opening of Rock & Metal Day’z 2023 with the warm-up party. The first bands arrive and the last details have to be arranged before the doors open. One of the last things to be done is to put up the barriers for the pit in front of the stage and at 15:00 we can finally confirm: “We are ready to rock”. April Art are the first band of the festival and they start with an extended soundcheck that could almost count as a set in itself.
Festival Impressions
What follows is two and a half days of live music, fun and bands, so here are some impressions of the bands, crew members and some noticeable small details that are often overlooked but important for a running festival. We start with the bands in order of appearance.
Crew and some metal heads of the audience enjoying the festival the one or other way.
And then there were donations, raffle and other things.
If you think that’s all, here are some photos with smart details most of you don’t get usually.
The Day After
On Sunday morning the Rock & Metal Day’z 2023 are history, time to take down the tents and drive home for the crowd. It is also time for the crew to start dismantling the stage and the festival area. There is no rest for the wicked, but hard work awaits. Everything has to be cleaned up and ready for a Motorsport Arena event by Tuesday evening… Sure, it works, even though the crew is getting smaller every day.
After the Festival is Before the Festival
I hope you enjoy this little insight into how a small festival is built from scratch. Now imagine the big ones like SBOA, Rockharz, Wacken. They need even more time, more crew, more space, more planning, more of everything. And of course the festival didn’t start on the Sunday before. After the festival is always before the festival. A date has to be set for the next festival, bands have to be booked, etc. Once you organise an annual event, you are always busy organizing it without major interruptions.
Rock & Metal Day’z 2024
If you are curious now, come to Rock & Metal Day’s 2024 from 27th to 29th June. June. You won’t regret it, the line-up is great, the atmosphere is great, the food and drink prices are very fair. And you can stay on the campsite for free for a few more days until you move on to the Rockharz Festival from 3rd to 7th July. July. Both festivals are close to each other, only 45km apart.
Deutsche Übersetzung:
Building up a festival from scratch_deutsch
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Please buy physical music or download it from the bands official sources and don’t stream it for free because it steals your artists’ income.
Photos taken by Friend.X aka Mr. Deep
Proof reading by DeepL