| DesertFest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Genre(s) | Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Doom, Sludge & more |
| Location | London, England Berlin, Germany Antwerp, Belgium New York City, New York Oslo, Norway |
| Venue(s) | Various |
| Years active | 2012 - Present |
| Promoter(s) | Desertscene, Sound of Liberation |
| Associated Events | DesertFest London, DesertFest Berlin, DesertFest Antwerp, Desertfest Athens, Desertfest New York, Desertfest Oslo |
| Website | London Berlin Antwerp Athens NYC |
DesertFest is a series of annual events that take place in various countries of Europe. The events showcase bands from the whole of the stoner rock scene. Currently, there are four incarnations of Desertfest; DesertFest London, DesertFest Berlin, DesertFest Antwerp and Desertfest New York.
History[]
DesertFest was first conceived of by Reece Tee and Jake Farey of the music promotions company Desertscene.[1] Desertscene started organising shows in London in 2009, the first of which was Truckfighters.[1] After gaining experience promoting individual bands and hearing the people at those shows' desire for a UK festival like Roadburn, they decided to create DesertFest, to take place in London.[1]
The first DesertFest London was officially announced on 26th July 2011 via a Facebook post,[2] but posters advertising the festival were placed at London's High Voltage Festival.[3] Early on in development of the first edition of the festival, the team behind DesertFest partnered with Sound of Liberation to make a German equivalent, DesertFest Berlin.[4] The first band announcement for DesertFest London took place on 24th October 2011.[5]
The first edition of DesertFest London took place in Camden, London between 6th and 8th of April 2012, with the first DesertFest Berlin taking place in Berlin between the 19th and 21st of April the same year.[6]. The venues for the first edition of DesertFest London were The Underworld, Purple Turtle and The Black Heart,[6] with DesertFest Berlin taking place at Festsaal Kreuzberg and Astra Kulturhaus.[7] The events have remained annual, taking place within the months of April and May, though the venues of the London edition have changed.
In April of 2014, DesertFest Antwerp was announced, with the first edition set to take place in Antwerp, Belgium between the 10th and 12th of October the same year.[8] The venue for the Belgian leg of DesertFest is the Trix.[8] Like the London and Berlin legs of the festival, DesertFest Antwerp has become an annual event, though unlike the London and Berlin editions, takes place in October.
On March 24th 2016, Desertfest Athens was announced, with the first edition to take place in Athens, Greece on the 7th and 8th of October the same year.[9] The venue for the first edition of the Athens leg of Desertfest is Iera Odos.[10] A second edition of Desertfest Athens would happen next October but a third event would not follow in 2018. To date it's the only edition of DesertFest to be no longer active.
On 15 November 2018, Desertfest would announce a new edition: Desertfest New York. With the premier festival reaching the United States for the first time after years of rumors, it would be announced that the inaugural Desertfest New York would be set for 26 - 28 April, with venues and the first announced bands set for 23 November.[11] Despite the CO-VID19 Pandemic, subsequent editions would follow in 2022 and 2023.
The inaugural Desertfest Oslo would be set for the Spring of 2024.
Individual DesertFests[]
Banner at DesertFest London 2013 (Credit JJ Koczan)
- Desertfest Athens
- DesertFest Antwerp
- DesertFest Berlin
- DesertFest London
- Desertfest New York
- Desertfest Oslo
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Heavy Chronicles Interview with Reece Tee of DesertFest, accessed 15th June 2015
- ↑ The DesertFest Facebook announcement of the inaugural DesertFest, accessed 16th June 2015
- ↑ The DesertFest Facebook poster for first DesertFest London seen at High Voltage Festival, accessed 16th June 2015
- ↑ The DesertFest About (cache from May 13th 2015), accessed June 14th 2015
- ↑ The DesertFest Facebook first band announcement, accessed 16th June 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Sleeping Shaman DesertFest announcement, accessed 16th June 2012
- ↑ Desertfest Berlin 2012, accessed 2nd July 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Obelisk DesertFest Belgium 2014 Announced for October, accessed July 2nd 2015
- ↑ TheDesertFest Facebook Hey guys, please welcome Desertfest Athens to the family..., first accessed 25th March 2016.
- ↑ Desertfest Athens Facebook DESERTFEST ATHENS 2016..., first accessed 24th March 2016
- ↑ The ObeliskAccessed 15 November 2018