Events such as this require quite a lot of effort to run. What kind of planning goes into a festival like this?
A heck of a lot of planning goes into doing such an event. There are various aspects that need to be thought out and planned. From budgets for the event, marketing [and] advertising, social media, booking the bands, venues, equipment, stages, audio and visual to tickets, food and drinks, etc. This is a massive production and [it] takes a dedicated, hardworking team of professionals to pull it off.
What is the selection process for the performers scheduled to play at this event?
The selection process for the performers this year was extremely difficult. The well of talent and incredible music we have in the South African lineup alone would be more than enough, so it came down to a selection of genres that everyone would enjoy, ranging from the heavier rock of Fokofpolisiekar, to the indie pop party starters Shortstraw, to the anthems of Gangs of Ballet. Then, on the international side of things we decided on having a mix of newcomers and well-known [acts]. Skillet are world renowned for their heavy rock tunes, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus [for] their energetic, well-known songs, and then [adding] Airborne Toxic Event and [newcomers] The Curious Incident, we’re in for a jol.
Freedom Fest is set to take place in both Pretoria and Cape Town. Is there any specific reason for these two cities to host this event?
The reason for selecting Pretoria and Cape Town was the amazing venues that were available for us to use. SuperSport Park [in] Centurion is the perfect venue as it has wide open spaces and can accommodate both Pretoria and [Johannesburg audiences] with ease. It is within walking distance [of] the Gautrain station, [allowing] easy access for all. The West Coast Ostrich Ranch in Cape Town [was chosen] because of its awesome location and atmosphere.
Freedom Fest is a one-day music festival. What was the reasoning behind this choice?
We have Oppikoppi, Splashy Fen and Rocking the Daisies, but one thing we don’t have is a festival where you can rock out just as hard as you do at all the other great festivals and then go home, have a warm shower and sleep in your own bed that same night. We wanted to provide the same spectacular experience, just in your own back yard.
What was the inspiration behind the creation of this event?
A passion for music and the desire to see [both] awesome local and international bands perform live in South Africa.
Are there any special plans for future Freedom Fests?
[We want to] showcas[e] the top bands, both locally and internationally, and [give] up-and-coming bands the boost they need [to get] into the big leagues.
At the time of going to print, it was announced that Freedom Fest would be postponed until September 2015.
Image: Freedom Fest’s Facebook page
