Lollapalooza expands to Europe with Berlin festival
New York (AFP) - Lollapalooza, the Chicago-based festival that grew out of the US alternative rock scene, on Thursday announced an expansion to Europe with a first edition next year in Berlin.
The move comes amid rapid growth in the world's music festivals and marks the fourth international edition for Lollapalooza, which also has versions in Argentina, Brazil and Chile.
Lollapalooza's founder Perry Farrell, the lead singer of Jane's Addiction, said that he had long wanted to bring the festival to Europe and pointed to Berlin's reputation as a hub for up-and-coming artists.
"Berlin's energy, vibrant art, fashion and music scenes are a mirror reflection of what Lollapalooza is all about and I can't wait to share in this cultural exchange," Farrell said in a statement.
Jane's Addiction launched Lollapalooza in 1991 as a traveling festival around the United States that seized on an expanding appetite for non-mainstream acts, although the event declined as critics charged that it commercialized underground culture.
Lollapalooza returned in 2005 as an annual event in Chicago's Grant Park. The city is also home to an annual festival run by the music site Pitchfork, which has already expanded to Europe with an edition in Paris.
Lollapalooza Berlin will take place on September 12-13 at Tempelhof Airport, which has closed to commercial traffic but remains architecturally intact.
The airport was earlier the site of the Berlin Festival which brought acts including Bjork, Pet Shop Boys and The Killers to stages within view of disused runways, along with all-night performances from the German capital's well-known electronic scene.
The Berlin Festival, held in the past in early September, moved last year to the city's Arena Park and is next scheduled for May 2015, not clashing with Lollapalooza Berlin.
Summer music festivals, which have a particularly long tradition in Britain, have soared in popularity in recent years in the United States and become financially vital to touring artists.
Brazilian-based Rock in Rio is expanding to the United States by building a permanent festival grounds in Las Vegas, with mega-stars including Taylor Swift set to play the inaugural edition in May.
