SPRING | COVER FEATURE
With limited festival infrastructure available locally , much of the equipment is hired from abroad , including the mainstage that is assembled on the beach after being imported from Iceland each year . Lisberg says production costs have risen recently but the event has the backing of local authorities and sponsors such as fisheries .
Despite it coming with logistical challenges , Lisberg says the G ! Festival is a hugely rewarding endeavour , not least because of the impact it has on local artists : “ It is a real achievement to play at the G ! Festival , it is a chance for them to make things happen , and things do happen . There are many stories of artists successfully using the event as a springboard , because it is a showcase opportunity to play in front of the media and booking agents from Europe . Artists often land a new gig in another country at shows such as Iceland Airwaves . That ’ s one of the festival ’ s important roles .”
Swiss watch A festival with a similarly diminutive capacity and beautiful waterside setting but one that is able to attract the biggest stars in the international live music industry firmament ,
Switzerland ’ s Montreux Jazz Festival is set to be transformed this year .
With the Convention Centre , which has hosted the festival ’ s main performances for many years , undergoing construction work , the event ’ s organisers have partnered with Stageco to create a new main stage positioned on Lake Geneva .
Along with its new 5,000-capcity main stage , the festival will also
Sea Sessions Surf & Music Festival
host music in the Casino where the event first staged music back in 1967 . The new Casino Stage will consist of a half-seated and half-standing configuration with a capacity of 1,300 .
Held from 5-20 July , Montreux Jazz Festival will involve other new
“ It ’ s like a post pandemic symptom , people are just a little bit fussier .”
– Sea Sessions Surf & Music Festival ’ s Ray O ’ Donoghue
lakeside stages , many of them freeto-attend . With an attendance of 250,000 across the entire event , it is expected to contribute € 80m to the local economy this year .
Montreux Jazz Festival CEO Mathieu Jaton says festival operators in Switzerland have proven far from immune to the widespread challenges such as production cost increases , a fall in the number of
artists touring , and a sharp hike in the cost of booking acts .
“ Many festival organisers are facing challenges booking top artists due to the costs involved ,” he says . “ In 2024 there are far less artists touring than the past two years , and we are seeing a big gap between the impact on very big capacity festivals and the smaller events .
“ Some major artists are not touring festival anymore because the production costs are so high . There are some exceptions , such as Ed Sheeran , playing festivals able to pay the very high fees because of their huge capacities , but in Switzerland festivals with capacities between 15,000 and 20,000 are in the most difficult situation . It ’ s very difficult for them to book an artist able to attract 15,000 people without paying around € 1 million , historically they were paying around € 200,000 or € 300,000 for the same level artists .”
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