Festivals - After a rainy night: last day of the Fusion Festival
With DJ Matthias Tanzmann, the Hamburg duo Extrawelt, and Techno-DJ Josh Wink, the Fusion-Festival in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern began on Sunday in its fifth and final day. The attendees of the largest music and pop culture event in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern apparently weathered the stormy night before well. "It rained, but most people were impressed by that," said a spokesperson for the organizer Kulturkosmos Müritz to the German Press Agency. The German Weather Service (DWD) had warned of thunderstorms and heavy rain, predicting up to 35 liters per square meter within a few hours beforehand.
"The people are in good spirits and celebrating peacefully," said the spokesperson. The festival on the former military airfield in Lärz started on a Wednesday evening and was supposed to last until Sunday night. On Monday, smaller concerts and events were still planned until late in the afternoon. The police were planning to conclude their assessment of the festival on Monday.
According to the organizer's statements, over 70,000 visitors came to the 25th edition of the festival. To ensure that the Fusion ran smoothly, about 10,000 people were working at the techno and culture festival, as the organizers explained. Over 3,000 artists, mostly from music, art, theater, and artistry, were on the program.
Before and during the festival, there was a heated debate about the festival's stance on the war in Israel. After the festival management clarified in February that those who deny the existence of Israel and celebrate Hamas were not welcome, a boycott call followed promptly. When they reversed their stance in June, the other side reacted with confusion and wrote an angry open letter.
The leadership of the festival reportedly organized workshops and lectures on the topic of Israel and Palestine - and declared: "Freedom of opinion and art are the foundation of Fusion." This does not apply to disrespect, discrimination, or aggressive behavior. They observed the social trends towards antisemitism and anti-Arab racism with great concern. "We want to create a place with the Fusion where people can meet respectfully, regardless of origin, gender, nationality, or religion."
- Despite the German Weather Service's warnings of thunderstorms and heavy rain, the German Press Agency reported that festival-goers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, including the Fusion-Festival in Lärz, weathered the stormy night well.
- Techno-DJ Josh Wink joined DJ Matthias Tanzmann and the Hamburg duo Extrawelt to kick off the final day of the Fusion-Festival in Mecklenburg-Vorpommernia, organized by Kulturkosmos Müritz.
- The spokesperson for Kulturkosmos Müritz praised the festival-goers for their good spirits, despite the threat of a storm that could have delivered up to 35 liters of rain per square meter.
- The Fusion-Festival, one of the largest music and pop culture events in Mecklenburg-Vorpommernia, started on a Wednesday evening and was scheduled to conclude on Sunday night, with separate concerts and events on Monday.
- Over 10,000 people worked tirelessly to ensure the smooth operation of the 25th edition of the Fusion-Festival, which attracted over 70,000 visitors and offered over 3,000 artists from various fields such as music, art, theater, and artistry.
- As controversy surrounding the festival's stance on the war in Israel continued, the event organizers organised workshops and lectures on Israel and Palestine, underlining their commitment to freedom of opinion and artistic expression while rejecting disrespect, discrimination, and aggressive behavior.
- Although peacefully celebrating music, art, and theater in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the festival-goers couldn't escape the social trends towards antisemitism and anti-Arab racism, as the festival leaders aim to foster a respectful environment welcoming everyone regardless of origin, gender, nationality, or religion.
