You are now on Primavera Sound, is it really a mess there as some attendees claim on social media?
Swartenbroux: “We are of course very spoiled at the Belgian level when it comes to festivals, but things are indeed getting out of hand here. There are queues everywhere. The crowd control is completely different from usual, so you are constantly in the crowd. Whether you’re on your way to the bathroom, the stage or the bar, you’re constantly in a flow of people. It doesn’t feel safe to go from one stage to another. Once you get to the stage itself, it’s not too bad. So it’s not like it’s overbooked.
“It’s not going well at the bar either. Rumor has it that the bar staff are severely underpaid Portuguese students, not trained to work at such a busy event. At a Belgian festival, a pint is just ready. Here everything is tapped at the moment. At the bar in front of the mainstage stage, there was only one payment terminal for the entire bar. It’s all going wrong, so much so that I’m worried about having to queue there later.”
There would also be insufficient access to water, is that correct?
“It’s hot here and you only have two water tents. I just saw that the organization has added two more. That water access is the most important thing that had to be solved. People are constantly passing out and they are really thirsty. It takes an hour and a half to queue for a tap. That is not responsible. You are also no longer allowed to take bottles with you.”
How is the atmosphere there?
“This just isn’t possible. No one was really happy yesterday, everyone was frustrated and grouchy. For example, a lot of people have only experienced Tame Impala standing in line in front of the bar.
“It’s just such a shame. Everything has come to a standstill for two years and this is the opener of the festival season for many people. A lot of people who are here for the first time – for me it’s the third time – say: ‘Wow, is this the festival you were so excited about?’ It is not the first time that they organize a festival. Certainly that water supply is hallucinatory for a festival in Barcelona. That is madness.”
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