Photo Credit: Katarina Cvetko
By: Katarina Cvetko
After traveling around America for the last couple of months, I have finally made my way over to Europe to kick off the summer of festivals! Last weekend, I attended Summerburst Festival in Stockholm, the first of 18 festivals I’ll be hitting up this summer. It did not disappoint! From the location to the lineup, Live Nation put together yet another amazing event. Here’s what I loved about it:
THE LOCATION
Held at Stockholm’s Olympic stadium, the two-day festival is just a short walk away from the city center making it super accessible. If walking isn’t for you, a train station is situated right outside, and multiple Uber pickup points surround the venue. It’s incredibly easy to get to and from the event. And the venue itself is unique, with the exterior resembling a castle, and the interior built as a sporting arena, giving the festival the perfect Nordic vibe.
THE SPONSORS
One thing I loved about this festival was seeing how fun and interactive the official sponsors were, giving festival goers plenty to see, do, and take home around the grounds. As well as handing out free novelty items, they also provided practical items such as hats and sunglasses, which were used by the majority of the crowd throughout the entire weekend! I also noticed them handing out free bottles of water and energy drinks.
The best part was the activities! As soon as you enter the stadium, to your right, there was a ball pit where people teamed up to try and find as many white balls as possible in 30 seconds and were entered into the running to win a major prize! To your left, a free photo booth style set up with instant printouts for you and your friends! I absolutely loved the way these sponsors incorporated their brands into the event.
THE ENERGY
My favourite thing by far about this festival was the energy! If you’re not familiar with European crowds, they are extremely different to American crowds. But the Swedish take it to the absolute next level! In addition to constantly dancing and singing along, this crowd took any and every opportunity to ‘hey ho’ and start row your boat lines in the middle of the stage. But the best thing to witness on this side of the world is when they open up the pit! When I say open up the pit, I mean they literally open up the entire pit, extending from one side of the stage to the other!
MY FAVOURITE ACTS
AXWELL /\ INGROSSO
They say that seeing these guys play in their home country is unlike anything else in the world, but nothing could have prepared me for the next 75 minutes! As the setup drew to a close and the sun was setting, the Swedish house duo took the stage, and the entire crowd went wild! Just imagine every single person in a packed stadium from the front rail all the way to the very back, singing every single word, to every single song, and jumping at every single drop! It was pure madness and I loved every second of it! Check out a video of them playing More Than You Know and catch a glimpse of the insanity!
BASSJACKERS
Over at the Garden Stage, Dutch duo Bassjackers filled out the entire space with their dance floor anthems. Their set had the crowd dancing and jumping with pits opening up for almost every single drop! I also ran into my friend Nathan aka Nathan’s Crazy Dance Moves, an internet sensation who is known for starting flash mobs at festivals all over Europe with his whacky and wild dance moves! The energy at this set was absolutely unreal and the duo easily made this small stage feel like the main stage!
THE VERDICT
Would I go again? Absolutely! Europe is my favourite place in the world to party and the vibes at this festival are unlike anything I’ve experienced! With a flawless combination of international names and the perfect location, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t start your summer here! Not to mention, it is one of the many international festivals covered by Live Nation’s Festival Passport which means the only thing you need to worry about is getting there!