Gonzalo Ortega
Logroño, (EFE). – The RockLand Art Fest, which will be held in Santo Domingo de la Calzada for the next three days and with a performance by twelve bands, plans to triple the attendance of its previous edition, which was about 4,500 spectators, with the aim of reaching 15,000 , its director, Sergio Moreno, told EFE on Thursday.
As a result of this large influx of public, most of them between 30 and 65 years old, the organization has chartered twelve buses from different points in the north of Spain, such as Logroño, Bilbao, Vitoria and Pamplona; and has set up the management of shuttle buses between the festival site and the Bañares campin.
Moreno has assured that, after receiving different information, he contacted those responsible for the campsite and, thus, offer facilities to the more than 600 guests who will be exclusively for the festival staying in this space in Bañares, in bungalows and motorhomes.
RockLand Art Fest has doubled its budget, from half a million euros in 2022 to over a million in 2023; and will feature twelve national and international bands to enjoy three days of live music, with groups such as Crystal Fighters, The Hellacopters, Ilegales, Franz Ferdinand and The Offspring.
“The commitment to a much more international edition came last year when we took stock, realizing that we had to take a step forward as far as world bands were concerned,” explained Moreno, about the event that will fill Santo Domingo de la Rock music street between the 14th and the 16th of July.
Belako, Superzippers, Himalayas, Cobardes, The Gulps, Sports Team and The Stranglers will also perform to complete the poster for this second edition of RockLand Art Fest.
THE GREATEST CHALLENGE: THE CHANGE OF LOCATION
Sergio Moreno, also manager of the organizing company Rock InTrio, has detailed that the internationality of the festival implies an “infinitely higher” production and space by the leading bands, for which reason “the change of location from the main stage to the athletics tracks in Santo Domingo has been our biggest challenge”.
The new stage, which can accommodate up to 18,000 people, “I think it will be very well received by the people, although the rest of the stages will be very similar to those of last year,” he added.
RockLand Art Fest 2023 has the main stage on the athletics tracks, along with two secondary stages at the Paseo del Espolón kiosk and on Madrid street, where both days you can enjoy a rock vermouth with free access.
Moreno has indicated that, according to his data, the festival attendees will be, the majority, between 30 and 65 years old; and it is expected that “they will return to Santo Domingo de la Calzada and its surroundings an economic return of close to two million euros.”
In addition, he has stressed that his objective is to include this festival in the international circuit of rock bands and tours, so that La Rioja would become an obligatory stop for them. EFE