Congés Annulés music festival powers on despite pandemic
Range of acts, but concert-goers must adhere to corona hygiene measures
Cancelled your holiday? Then the Congés Annulés festival is made for you... Photo: Paulo Lobo
Initially up in the air, the Rotondes concert venue in Luxembourg City's hip Bonnevoie neighbourhood has decided to power with their annual Congés Annulés festival, if with a few corona modifications.
Just as well, given that the name of the festival translates as "cancelled holidays". And despite the challenges of the pandemic, the Rotondes has managed to pull together a stellar line-up of - sold-out - concerts.
This weekend alone, concert-goers can look forward to the afro-beat rhythms of post-punk quartet “No Metal in This Band”, the vintage pop sounds of “La Bofia” and the local hip-hop collective, De Läbbel.
On top of that, on Sunday, the Rotondes will be screening “Desolation Center,” a music documentary that explores the anarchistic desert shows in Southern California that became trailblazers for festivals such as Burning Man, Lollapalooza and Coachella.
While still offering a plethora of events - which also include live DJ sets and a vinyl flea market - a few things will look different this time round.
First off, the theatre has decided to move all of events outdoors and make them free of charge. Concerts will be seated, masks are compulsory, and prior booking is required. The Rotondes courtyard and Buvette remain freely accessible for visitors during the festival - though the rules to keep Covid-19 at bay obviously need to be adhered to.
And while spectators can still expect a diverse line-up of musical acts, most bands will be local.
Michael Reinertz is the culture critic of the Luxembourg Times. Photo: Guy Wolff
And while spectators can still expect a diverse line-up of musical acts, most bands will be local.
"It’s difficult to plan anything. The situation is constantly changing, and you can’t anticipate the hygiene restrictions. When you book a band, you don’t even know if they will be allowed to play. You just don’t know what’s coming next,” said concert programmer Marc Hauser.
If you are interested, note you can only reserve one ticket per person, and you cannot return once leaving the concert venue. All unredeemed tickets will be redistributed on a first-come-first-served basis after 8:15 pm, so if a concert is fully booked, there is still hope at the door.
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