Schlossgrabenfest in Darmstadt: Crowds in front of the Merck stage. Bild: Marcus Kaufhold
An urgent decision by the administrative court in Darmstadt had hardly any impact on the 2023 Schlossgrabenfest. Not only in Darmstadt it may have to be quieter in the future.
After the city, the organizer of the Schlossgrabenfest has now officially lodged a complaint against an urgent decision by the Darmstadt Administrative Court. This would certainly have had what it takes to attract around 120,000 visitors Pentecost spoiling the fun at the open-air party, which is being held for the 23rd time. A few hours before the start of the party, for which a good 60 bands were expected on three stages in the city over four days, the sixth chamber of the court responsible for immission control issues had partially agreed with a local resident – and strict noise limits for the live concerts and all other music performances fixed. The decision on the urgent application issued on May 25 stipulated, among other things, that the noise emanating from the fairgrounds in the plaintiff’s apartment about 100 meters away should be a maximum of 70 decibels during the day and only 55 decibels after 10 p.m.
The former corresponds to the noise of a passing car; and the specification for the night hours could be compared to a television set to room volume. Both are therefore “completely unrealistic limit values”, which probably cannot always and everywhere be adhered to even on a normal, i.e. party-free day in the city of Darmstadt, said event manager Thiemo Gutfried, who helped initiate the Schlossgrabenfest almost a quarter of a century ago, in the FAZ- Conversation.
Clearer rules
Like the city, he has now also decided to lodge a complaint with the Administrative Court in Kassel, because with a view to next year – when the City Festival is to be experienced from May 30th to June 2nd – legal certainty and reliability are needed. After all, it is about a unique and comparatively inexpensive concert experience for all citizens in Hesse, which, however, involves costs of a good two million euros plus a number of sponsorship funds. So it can’t be that the party has to be canceled at short notice due to complaints.
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The urgency of the decision made is incomprehensible to Gutfried anyway. After all, it had been known for months that the traditional event should take place as usual. In fact, no large measurements were taken during the concerts. Nevertheless, the whole thing must be regulated better and more clearly for the future, because such a court order could restrict or prevent every folk festival in Germany, from the fair to wine markets to open-air concerts.
“Elementary part of the cultural scene”
Mayor Jochen Partsch (Die Grünen) called the Schlossgrabenfest a “fundamental part of the cultural scene in our region”, which must continue to exist in the familiar form. The next thing could be the Heinerfest, which is planned from June 29th to July 3rd. Also for this celebration in the city, which is by no means so music-heavy, the city would probably have to use the LAI leisure noise guideline, which primarily protects residents, to which the administrative court referred.
The plaintiff, annoyed by the noise, has meanwhile announced that it was never about “preventing the festival, and we never requested it”. However, the city failed to find “viable solutions” in view of the “considerable burden”. But it is also true that the man who tried the court this time is said to have asked the organizer several times since 2015 for free tickets or consumption vouchers for his own visit to the Schlossgrabenfest. He was denied this special treatment this time.
What: FAZ
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