Southside Festival

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Southside Festival
Location(s) Tuttlingen, Germany
Years active 1999 - present
Founded by
Date(s) June
Genre(s) Rock
Website www.southside.de
The Hives Singer "Howlin'" Pelle Almqvist at the Southside Festival 2004
The Hives Singer "Howlin'" Pelle Almqvist at the Southside Festival 2004

The Southside Festival, also just Southside, is a music festival that takes place near Tuttlingen, southern Germany, usually every June. It is promoted by German private music television channel VIVA, which belongs to Viacom, the MTV Network's parent company, since the end of 2004. The festival and its guests are generally associated with the alternative part of mainstream music, although the festival has been becoming more and more mainstream over the years.

The Hurricane Festival, often referred to as the mother of Southside, takes place on the same three days in the very north of Germany (contrary to Southside, which is in the very south). Together they're a twin festival, since they are on the same days and usually have the same lineup with only few exceptions.

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[edit] History & Audience

After the great success of the Hurricane Festival, FKP Scorpio decided to make a similar event in the south of Germany. 1999 a former military airbase in Neubiberg, near Munich, was selected. In 2000 the festival was moved to another former military airbase, this time in Neuhausen ob Eck, which is near Freiburg and Stuttgart.

Because of the relative proximity to other countries (France, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are all less than 100km away), the audience is very multinational. In 2003, the calculated maximum capacity of around 40.000 people was reached and the festival has been sold out well in advance since.

[edit] Past lineups

(lineups partly differ from Hurricane)

[edit] Current Line-Up

[edit] 2007 Storm Incident

On the Thursday evening preceding the start of the festival, a storm demolished the tent stage and hurled large and heavy poles through the air. One such pole went through the roof of a paramedic van parked near the stage, killing one occupant and seriously injuring the other.The tent stage acts had to be canceled as a consequence.

Festival organizers considered canceling the festival, but decided against it on advice of police, local authorities and even the paramedics team. The two main stages also suffered damage but were sufficiently repaired in time.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 47°58′37″N 8°54′15″E / 47.97694, 8.90417