Nearly 60,000 people made a pilgrimage to Ebreichsdorf in the Baden district on Saturday to see the cult band Metallica live. However, when we left there was pure chaos. A new departure concept will be presented in the coming days.
Bus waiting areas were stormed, barriers ignored, wild crowds, collapsing guests – the panic spread as we left the “Racino Rocks” festival in Ebreichsdorf in the Baden district. In a few weeks, the three-day hip-hop festival ‘Rolling Loud’ will take place at the same location, with approximately the same number of visitors every day. A new departure concept will be presented in the coming days. A meeting has already taken place with emergency services and authorities.
According to Ebreichsdorf’s mayor Wolfgang Kocevar, who was also among the 60,000 Metallica fans, the conclusion was clear: the arrival would have worked very well, but the departure needed to be improved. “Anyone who goes to a big concert should take into account that it will take a few hours before leaving. However, new path concepts, better lighting and signage are necessary. The organizer will present a new departure concept in the next ten days,” Kocevar told Monatrevue.
Little criticism from Ebreichsdorf
There would have been little criticism from the population. Some residents of Wiener Strasse could not reach their homes and there were no complaints about noise pollution.
The community came away empty-handed
Ebreichsdorf itself does not receive a cent from the mega event. Because the entertainment tax was abolished in 2017. “The municipality is currently investigating this and finding out how other host communities are dealing with this. It is also an obligation for the municipality to collect all possible taxes, as long as the local clubs are not affected,” Kocevar said.
In contrast to Ebreichsdorf, other cities or municipalities – such as St. Pölten, Wiener Neustadt or Krems – receive a percentage of the ticket revenue from such events. In Ebreichsdorf they also plan to introduce this tax to recoup the effort put into meetings and planning, Kocevar explains. The municipal council is expected to consider it in June.
After the first concert, it was impossible to say whether the community would have benefited from the festival. “We have to wait for the second event and then draw a conclusion with the organizer. Ultimately, of course, it must yield something for the municipality,” says Kocevar.
Source: Krone
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