The Tønder Festival is held annually since 1975 in south west Denmark and has since become one of Europe's premier folk festivals.
Audiences at this year's festival from 23 to 26 August 2012 will see a revamped, revitalised festival with new stages and a main site pulsing with new life. While intimate concerts will still be possible in venues such as the Visemøllen, the festival will also see the opening of a new open-air arena.
The heart of the Tønder Festival has always been its two marquees on a former sheep-run. From now on the festival will focus even more activities on the main site, including new venues such as an open stage. Audiences will now have to to buy a wristband to get access to the festival site instead of purchasing single events.
All these changes, made necessary because of decreasing audiences in recent years, are for to constitute a new festival brand: Hand Made Music, acoustic as well as amplified music!
True, generation 60+, a great number of the audience, is soon no longer. Tønder will only survive if succeeding to attract younger people to the festival, at the same time not loosing its personality.
This is a big challenge. It might be a success but it also might fail big style. We wish all the best and 35 more festival years. May the circle be unbroken. Skål, Tom Keller.
Photo Credits: (1) Paul McKenna Band (by Walkin' Tom).
