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Techno Party Draws Tens of Thousands to Former U.S. Missile Base in Germany
🇩🇪 Germany /Culture & Society

Techno Party Draws Tens of Thousands to Former U.S. Missile Base in Germany

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • The Nature One techno festival attracted approximately 55,000 visitors to a former U.S. missile base in Rhineland-Palatinate.
  • The event featured around 350 DJs across 20 stages, including prominent artists like Fatboy Slim and Paul Kalkbrenner.
  • Police reported a calm and peaceful atmosphere, with politicians also attending to observe operations.

Tens of thousands of electronic music fans converged on a former U.S. missile base in Rhineland-Palatinate for the annual Nature One festival. Organizers reported that around 55,000 visitors celebrated under the motto "rave.now.together" on the Pydna missile base near Kastellaun throughout the weekend, concluding by Sunday morning.

Overall, it was a very quiet operation. The atmosphere was peaceful and also positive towards us.

— Police spokespersonDescribing the conduct of festival attendees and the overall security situation.

The festival showcased a massive lineup, with approximately 350 DJs performing across 20 different stages. Highlights included sets from internationally renowned artists such as Fatboy Slim, Paul Kalkbrenner, Paul van Dyk, and Sven Väth, drawing a diverse crowd of electronic music enthusiasts.

Law enforcement officials described the event as largely peaceful and successful. "Overall, it was a very quiet operation. The atmosphere was peaceful and also positive towards us," a police spokesperson stated. While final checks were pending, the police expressed satisfaction with the safe return of attendees. Organizers celebrated "perfect festival weather" after three years of challenging conditions, noting the "great" mood and impressive artist performances.

After three years with rain and cold nights, we finally had perfect festival weather again. The mood among everyone involved was great, we saw great performances by the artists.

— Festival organizersExpressing satisfaction with the weather and the event's execution.

Notable attendees included Rhineland-Palatinate's Minister-President Gordon Schnieder and Interior Minister Achim Schwickert, who met with emergency service personnel to review operational procedures. Economics Minister Michael Ebling was reportedly impressed by the festival's scale and peaceful ambiance. The event involved around 650 members from the German Red Cross across several states, underscoring the extensive logistical and safety measures in place.

A postponement to autumn is not practical, as the night temperatures are then significantly lower and the event experience as well as the technical planning would be severely impaired.

— Festival spokespersonExplaining the decision to maintain the traditional early August weekend timing.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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