Metallica concert

New concept in the works after departure chaos

Mayor Wolfgang Kocevar and City Councillor for Transport Claudia Dallinger at "Racino Rocks"

(Bild: Thomas Lenger/Monatsrevue)

Almost 60,000 people made the pilgrimage to Ebreichsdorf in the district of Baden on Saturday to experience the cult band Metallica live. On departure, however, there was pure chaos. A new departure concept is to be presented in the next few days. 

Bus waiting areas were stormed, barriers ignored, wild crowds, collapsing guests - panic spread at the departure from the "Racino Rocks" festival in Ebreichsdorf in the district of Baden. In a few weeks' time, the three-day hip-hop festival "Rolling Loud" will take place on the same site with roughly the same number of visitors each day. A new departure concept is to be presented in the coming days. There has already been a meeting with the emergency services and authorities.

The problem is that people must not feel cramped, locked in or unsafe.

Bürgermeister Wolfgang Kocevar

According to Ebreichsdorf's mayor Wolfgang Kocevar, who also mingled with the 60,000 Metallica fans, the conclusion was clear: the arrival had worked excellently, but the departure needed to be improved. "Everyone who goes to a major concert has to expect the departure to take a few hours. However, new route concepts, better lighting and signage are necessary. A new departure concept is to be presented by the organizer in the next ten days," Kocevar told Monatsrevue. 

Little criticism from Ebreichsdorf
There was little criticism from the local population. Some residents in the Viennese streets were unable to get to their homes and there were no complaints about noise pollution. 

Municipality left empty-handed
Ebreichsdorf itself does not receive a cent from the mega-event. This is because the entertainment tax was abolished in 2017. "The municipal council is currently looking into this and finding out how other host municipalities handle it. It is also mandatory for the municipality to collect all possible levies as long as the local clubs are not affected," says Kocevar.

In contrast to Ebreichsdorf, other cities or municipalities - such as St. Pölten, Wiener Neustadt or Krems - receive a percentage of the ticket revenue from such events. In Ebreichsdorf, they are also planning to introduce this levy in order to recoup the costs of meetings and planning, explains Kocevar. The municipal council is due to discuss this in June.

Whether the municipality would have benefited from the festival cannot be said after the first concert. "We have to wait for the second event and then draw a conclusion with the organizer. In the end, of course, it also has to bring something for the municipality," says Kocevar.