In a spectacular showcase of music, culture, and collective joy, the European Festival Awards 2023 has crowned its champions. The air was filled with anticipation as festival enthusiasts and industry insiders eagerly awaited the unveiling of the crème de la crème in the realm of European festivals. Let’s delve into the euphoria and discover the exceptional winners who have left an indelible mark on the festival landscape.
The winners were announced in Groningen, a city in the Netherlands, on January 17, 2024.
It is important to write words from livestream by Alexandra von Samson from YOUROPE Event Safety Group:
“Everyone who is applying is a winner in our eyes, because it is really about improving festivals, knowledge sharing and not just innovations or new technologies.”
Check out the nominees and winners listed below.
Best Small Festival
Winner: Maifeld Derby, Germany
Nominees:
FLASH FESTIVAL TUSCANY, IT
FOCUS IN THE PARK, RO
INOTA FESTIVAL, HU
JAZZ IN THE PARK, RO
LE GUESS WHO? FESTIVAL, NL
MAIFELD DERBY, DE
NOCHES DEL BOTÂNICO, ES
SHARPE FESTIVAL & CONFERENCE, SK
SOFIA LIVE FESTIVAL, BG
STARS IN TOWN, CH
Best Medium-sized Festival
Winner: Pohoda Festival, Slovakia
Nominees:
BILBAO BBK LIVE, ES
CLOUT FESTIVAL, PL
CODRU FESTIVAL, RO
HEINEKEN BALATON SOUND, HU
LOVEFEST, RS
MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL, CH
NOSTALGIA RETRO/DISCO/DUTURE, RO
ORANGE WARSAW FESTIVAL, PL
POHODA FESTIVAL, SK
ROCK FOR PEOPLE, CZ
Best Major Festival
Presented by: See Tickets
Winner: Hurricane Festival, Germany
Nominees:
BEATS FOR LOVE, CZ
COLOURS OF OSTRAVA, CZ
ELECTRIC CASTLE, RO
HURRICANE FESTIVAL, DE
NATURE ONE, DE
NEVERSEA FESTIVAL, RO
OPEN’ER FESTIVAL, PL
PRIMAVERA SOUND, ES
SÒNAR, ES
ULTRA EUROPE, HR
Line-up of the Year
Presented by: IQ Magazine
Winner: Glastonbury, United Kingdom
Nominees:
GLASTONBURY, UK
LOWLANDS, NL
MAD COOL, ES
OPEN’ER FESTIVAL, PL
ØYA FESTIVALEN, NO
PRIMAVERA SOUND, ES
ROCK EN SEINE, FR
ROCK WERCHTER, BE
ROSKILDE FESTIVAL, DK
SZIGET FESTIVAL, HU
Newcomer of the Year
Winner: Balming Tiger, South Korea
Nominees:
BALMING TIGER, KR
BOYGENIUS, US
CAT BURNS, UK
DAVID KUSHNER, US
SKAAR, NO
SON MIEUX, NL
TALK, CA
THE HAUNTED YOUTH, BE
WIZKID, NG
YARD ACT, UK
Promoter of the year
Winner: Alter Art, Poland
Nominees:
ALIAS, FR
ALTER ART, PL
ARTMANIA, RO
FKP SCORPIO, DE
GADGET ABC ENTERTAINMENT, CH
MAD COOL, ES
OYA FESTIVALEN, NO
PRIMAVERA SOUND, ES
ROSKILDE FESTIVAL, DK
SZIGET CULTURAL MANAGEMENT, HU
Agent of the year
Winner: Tom Schroeder, Wasserman Music
Nominees:
ANNA BEWERS – WASSERMAN MUSIC
CHARLIE MYATT – 13 ARTISTS
DAVID BRADLEY – WME
ETIENNE ZILLER – ASTÉRIOS SPECTACLES
JAMES WHITTING – WASSERMAN MUSIC
JON OLLIER – ONE FIINIX
JULES DE LATTRE – UTA
STEVE ZAPP – ITB
SUMMER MARSHALL – CAA
TOM SCHROEDER – WASSERMAN MUSIC
The Award for Excellence & Passion
Winner: Eric Van Eerdenburg, Netherland
Nominees:
ALEXANDER SCHULZ, DE
ANDERS WAHREN, DK
CLAIRE O’NEILL, UK
ERIC VAN EERDENBURG, NL
MAIJU TALVISTO, FI
MICHAL THOMES, CZ
NIKA BRUNET MILUNOVIC, SI
NIKOS LORIS, GR
STEPHAN THANSCHEIDT, DE
VLAD YAREMCHUK, UA
The Green Operations Award
Winner: Boom Festival, Portugal
Nominees:
BOOM FESTIVAL, PT
DEPARTMENT FESTIVAL, SE
ROSKILDE FESTIVAL, DK
THE GREEN GATHERING, UK
WE LOVE GREEN, FR
The Event Safety Award
Winner: OpenAir St. Gallen, Switzerland
Nominees:
HAPPINESS FESTIVAL, DE
OPENAIR ST.GALLEN, CH
POHODA FESTIVAL, SK
POL’AND’ROCK FESTIVAL, PL
ROCCO DEL SCHLACKO FESTIVAL, DE
The Brand Activation Award
Winner: Heroes & Hype Festivals & Unilever Axe, Germany
Nominees:
HEROES & HYPE FESTIVALS & UNILEVER AXE, DE
MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL &
AUDEMARS PIGUET, CH
ROCK FOR PEOPLE & KOMERČNÍ BANKA, CZ
RUISROCK FESTIVAL & UFF, FI
SUPERBLOOM FESTIVAL & FC BAYERN
MÜNCHEN X ADIDAS, DE
UNTOLD & REGINA MARIA, RO
The Take a Stand Award
Winner: Sziget Festival, Hungary
Nominees:
PROVINSSI, FI
POHODA FESTIVAL, SK
ROSKILDE FESTIVAL, DK
SONRAÌZ, ES
SZIGET FESTIVAL, HU
The Lifetime Achievement Award
Ruud Berends, Netherlands
