Hove Festival lays down – Adresseavisen

Festival Republic, the British company that owns the Hove Festival confirms that there will be held a festival in 2015.

It has always been fierce competition in the festival market in Scandinavia. But next year starting a new festival in Odense in Denmark, and with massive financial support from the public, says Festival Republic.

With the new competitor goes Hove festival’s financial situation from being tight to be ” almost impossible “, says the company.

Hard competition

The Danish newcomer, Tinderbox Festival, is also in the home country become controversial for a million support it gets from Odense Municipality. The festival will take place exactly at the time of Hove has traditionally been arranged.

– It is of course difficult to compete for both artist and audience when you have competitors that have budgets Multiply, says Hove festival’s press manager Gaute Drevdal said.

But according to him must also local politicians in Arendal take their share of the blame for that there will be no festival at Tromøy next year.

– Local communities in southern Norway is schizophrenic in its relation to festivals. Via local politicians and local press, they have shown an ability to thwart festivals, as did the Quart festival in his time, he says.

Arduino age

Drevdal points out particularly Arendals decision imposing Hove 18 years of camping.

– The first in a decline in ticket sales of 27 percent, he said.

The loss of revenue due to the new age limit was according Drevdal far worse than expected.

Owner company Festival Republic opens, however, that Hove could return in a new guise at a later time if the conditions are right for it. The festival was held this year for the eighth time.

Downturn Arendal

The closure comes after two grim years. Last year showed a deficit of 3.5 million. When equity was already lost, and at the beginning of 2014 was the loss of 5.6 million, writes Agderposten.

Mayor Einar Halvorsen in Arendal told NTB that he was informed of the closure Monday. He was in a meeting with management Hove festival day.

– The reason is that we have not been able to cash in on the festival. Man had an audience failure last year and other years, expenses have been greater than income, says Halvorsen.

Belief in new players

According to the mayor’s new players have already started to see the possibility of stacking a new festival on the legs. The municipality owns the whole area Hove Festival has been hosted on, he emphasizes.

– I are convinced that it will come up a new festival in some way. Festival Europe is probably going through a period where you are struggling, it is something that goes in waves, but with the area we have available, I mean certainly it is viable to get started with a new festival with a different concept, says Halvorsen.

A dialogue has also taken place about the possibility of giving Hove hub status, which would entail state aid.

– We were not finished with this process, but now owners nevertheless decided to liquidate, says the mayor.