Preparations underway

Ebreichsdorf gears up as a festival center

Metallica and frontman James Hetfield will be the first top stars at the new Ebreichsdorf festival site at "Racino Rocks" on June 1.

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

On Monday afternoon, the organizers presented the exact concept for the summer shows at the new open-air site in Ebreichsdorf, Lower Austria. Around 60,000 fans are expected on each of the four concert days, with the biggest concerns relating to the lack of camping and travel to and from the venue. In any case, the location itself has come to stay.

Summer is fast approaching and with it a new, lavish concert season. In addition to established venues such as Nickelsdorf (Nova Rock), Vienna's Happel Stadium (AC/DC, Taylor Swift, Coldplay) and St. Pölten's Green Park (Frequency), the Racino in Ebreichsdorf is also back in the line-up this year. On June 1, the "Racino Rocks" presented by the "Krone" will take place there with headliner Metallica, while the European version of "Rolling Loud" will take place from July 5 to 7. The hip-hop festival, which was founded in the USA, features Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti and local hero Money Boy, among others, and celebrated its premiere in Munich last year, where exuberant fans stormed a breakwater and made international headlines.

No injuries, nothing burns
"In contrast to many soccer events, there were no injuries, no containers burned and no one was harmed," explained Live Nation boss Marek Lieberberg at a press conference at Racino Ebreichsdorf, where around 60,000 fans are expected to attend "Racino Rocks" in less than a month. The organizers expect the same number of visitors every day at "Rolling Loud" one month later - the traffic and diversion system must be planned accordingly, as camping is not possible. "We still have something planned in this regard, which we will discuss in more detail later," explains event partner Klaus Leutgeb, who arranged the deal at the Ebreichsdorf event site for "several years".

The organizer team Klaus Leutgeb, Marek Lieberberg, Andre Lieberberg and Matthias Rotermund (from left)

(Bild: APA/ROBERT JAEGER)

Live Nation Austria Managing Director Matthias Rotermund and Festival Director Leo Schwärz have, by their own admission, "spared neither expense nor effort" to work meticulously on the traffic concept. "We have calculated around 12,000 to 14,000 cars per event day and made around 20,000 parking spaces possible. Of course, there will be waiting times, which cannot be avoided. However, we have several options for accessing and diverting traffic, depending on where the peak times are." However, music fans are strongly advised to travel by public transport. "When we have to transport around 60,000 people every day, you have to be patient." A deal has been negotiated with ÖBB for special trains. A total of 28 trains will run every ten minutes.

Transport concept is most important
Shuttle buses will take you from the festival site to Ebreichsdorf train station. At www.busfinder.com/racino-music-summer there are also buses that travel directly to Vienna and to a total of 103 stops across Austria. These buses cost an extra charge, while the trains and Vienna public transport are included in the concert and festival passes. According to Rotermund, a separate party zone has been planned to divide up people's departures. "The entertainment area will be open even longer so that departures are delayed in shifts. That way, everyone can continue partying for longer and doesn't have to go home at the same time as soon as the event ends." Of course, the question remains as to whether this will be accepted. The events themselves will end at 10.30 p.m. and the surrounding area, including the Party Dome, will be open until around 2 a.m. so that everyone can get home as stress-free as possible. For those who prefer a sporty approach: 1000 bicycle parking spaces are also designated in the program.

(Bild: APA/ROBERT JAEGER)

"It should be a compact festival of short distances," says Rotermund, "we have been working intensively on the traffic concept since 2019." The festival itself should also leave nothing to be desired. From the stage set-up and sound technology to the food court, the festival relies on regional suppliers from Lower Austria, has its own awareness teams and sustainability concepts under the "Green Nation" banner. Asked by the "Krone" about the mud and departure chaos at Bon Jovi's last major Ebreichsdorf concert in 2008, Leutgeb says: "There was no concept there and some of the cars were parked on the highway. We worked with the best international traffic planners and never relied on chance." In the unwelcome event of bad weather, they would be prepared with sufficient ground cover. "We have the unique opportunity to hold the event on a beautiful green meadow and not somewhere in the middle of nowhere."

Mammoth task festival
The lack of camping facilities will be cushioned as far as possible by the public transport options, the many parking spaces and, last but not least, the hotel industry in Vienna and the surrounding area. "We are clearly placing the metropolis of Vienna with its charisma at the center of the event," says Marek Lieberberg, "the visitors come from Vienna, will travel back there and also stay overnight." The pre-sales for the two events are highly satisfactory, and "Rolling Loud", which is unique in Europe, also attracts international guests. So far, around 50 percent of tickets have gone to Austria, but around 1,000 have also gone to guests flying in from the USA. The organizer team emphasizes in unison that setting up an open-air festival at a new location is a mammoth task, but they have been working on the location for around ten years. In the long term, they want to organize even more events from 2025 - for 5,000 to 60,000 visitors. "We are definitely here to stay," says Lieberberg, "you want to build, manage and develop a location like this."

Tickets and information
On June 1, "Racino Rocks", at which Metallica and Five Finger Death Punch, among others, will cause a sensation, will make its debut at the new Racino Ebreichsdorf open-air venue. The "Rolling Loud" hip-hop festival will follow from July 5 to 7 with Travis Scott, Playboy Carti and Nicki Minaj, among others. Visit www.oeticket.com and www.ticketmaster.at for tickets and all other information about this summer's new open-air highlights.