Tears and Hope at "The Last Dance" at Highfield

Association: High Fee Demands from Top Bands

The bands’ fee demands have risen dramatically in recent years—in some cases even tripling—says Johannes Everke, managing director of the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry. This is partly understandable, he says, because artists mostly make their living from live performances. On average, revenue from record sales accounts for only 5.2 percent of their income.

“It’s such a shame it’s ending; we’d already made plans for 2027,” says Emma from Würzburg. The 19-year-old is hoping for a fresh start in two years. “But then it has to be even better than this year, because we’ll have to wait two years.”

“It breaks our hearts,” shouts Joshi from the Berlin band ZSK into the crowd. “Of course I think it’s sad. But it’s awesome that we got to play there one more time. This is our biggest show of the festival season,” says Paul from the Dresden band 01099. He hopes it’s just a temporary end. But he also knows that the costs of festivals have risen immensely since the pandemic. “Audience behavior has changed, too. I get the feeling there are a lot of people who aren’t as familiar with it anymore—going to a festival, camping there.”

This year’s musical highlights were Kraftklub, SDP, the Beatsteaks, and Deine Cousine. Kraftklub from Chemnitz, in particular, really got the crowd going on Saturday night. All the way to the very back of the crowd in front of the stage, people sang along to the songs, knowing the lyrics by heart. “I hope we’ll see each other here again someday,” said frontman Felix Kummer after the performance.

“We’re satisfied but also sad,” emphasized Ruth Lößer from the organizing company. She noted that Highfield had once again set an example of peaceful and respectful coexistence. She declined to comment on the festival’s future. She stressed that they would use the break to their advantage.

Since 2010, Highfield has been held on a peninsula on the flooded open-pit lake in the small town of Großpösna near Leipzig. Prior to that, the Hohenfelden Reservoir near Erfurt had been the festival’s home for twelve years. Following controversy over trash and vandalism, it moved from Thuringia to Saxony. According to reports, attendance rose from 25,000 to as many as 35,000 at its peak.

Two years ago, a fire on a Ferris wheel cast a shadow over Highfield: Two gondolas burned to the ground, and 16 people were injured, some of them seriously. The investigations into negligent bodily injury and negligent arson are still ongoing.

• Highfield Festival

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