Nova Rock starts with rain and shifts

However, it was assumed that the site would open on time, although there will be a shift on the Red Stage. The original opener Pöbel MC will perform on the Red Bull Stage in the evening hours. More rain was expected throughout the day.

It rained heavily on the Pannonia Fields in Nickelsdorf on Tuesday evening and during the night. According to the organizer, this put a heavy strain on the caravan areas. At the same time, it was pointed out that the preparatory work on the core site was “in full swing”. The program on the Blue Stage should start on time with the US rock band Vended, on the Red Stage the aim was 3 p.m.

Arrival without problems

The journey to the festival site went on Wednesday morning despite the rain without any major problems, according to the APA request from the Neusiedl am See district authority and the police. The paths are slippery, but the visitors are well prepared, said district governor Ulrike Zschech. Fortunately, the rainfall in Nickelsdorf was not quite as heavy as in other communities in the region, but of course one wishes for the sun. The traffic concept for arrival and departure, which was adjusted due to the rainy previous year, should now prove its worth. According to Zschech, advantages are expected, especially when leaving.

There was no traffic jam in the morning. “Everything is quiet, everything is fine,” said a police spokesman. The ÖAMTC emphasized that the weather was not ideal for the journey due to the muddy parking lots. If you have the opportunity, you can definitely wait and see if the weather gets better. Public transport in the direction of Nickelsdorf was also affected by the rain. Between Bruck an der Leitha in Lower Austria and Neusiedl, those arriving had to switch from the train to a rail replacement service due to storm damage.

More than 50,000 fans expected

The largest local rock event will again attract more than 50,000 fans to Burgenland every day until Saturday. Mask metal band Slipknot are popular as headliners, as are local art-pop bands Kapazunder Bilderbuch, British electro act The Prodigy and German punk institution Die Ärzte. Musically, there’s also fun entertainment with Tenacious D, while Casper and Marteria cater more to hip-hop heads. As a special highlight, a Falco tribute was scheduled for the final evening.

The 17th Nova Rock will not be the last in Nickelsdorf: the festival is contractually fixed there until 2026, but as director Ewald Tater emphasized in advance in an APA interview, a continuation beyond that is “considered”. After all, there was a lot of investment in infrastructure this year.

Tatar was “very satisfied” with this year’s line-up. The Burgenlander emphasized that “it was sometimes difficult to get the line-up together because not as many bands are on tour as in 2019. But that will change, I’ll notice that for 2024.” The post-corona consequences should soon be a thing of the past.

The fact that not only “hard” acts are represented is commented on differently in forums. Tatar: “The Nova Rock has changed direction since 2015 and will continue in this direction.” That was the right decision: “The number of visitors was lowest when the festival was just going really hard. Since then we’ve had visitor numbers between 200,000 and 220,000. I see that as confirmation. That doesn’t mean that it might not be in 2024 gets harder again. Of course, the line-up sometimes polarizes, but discussion is basically not a bad thing,” says the director.