Strawberry Music Festival II: Xi'an
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Over the past few weeks China has already seen a record number of large-scale summer music festivals, including Midi in Beijing, Zebra in Chengdu and Yixian Camping Music Festival in Hebei, as well as a handful of smaller one-off fests, each vying for a slice of the growing music market.
However, in the scramble, proper preparation often goes either overlooked or unnoticed. Strawberry drew heavy criticism from ticket holders when bottled water shortages, hour-long lines at the ticket window and sound system difficulties occurred within hours of start of the event, something that Helen Feng, lead singer of Pet Conspiracy who played Strawberry, chalks up to inexperience.
"Nobody in China wants to walk or crawl first, they just want to jump to the next step, so they end up jumping from small clubs to these giant festivals with multi stages," Feng explained.
Feng was outspoken in criticizing festival management when she was left to find her own ride to the hospital after injuring herself leaping from the stage during her Strawberry performance May 2.
"They (festivals) are getting better every year, but there is always bumps in the road, which is not just government but also just bad organization," she added.
In contrast, the Xi'an Strawberry, unlike its six-stage Beijing counterpart, is humbler in size, making it more manageable. Add on the pond-filled Tang Paradise Park with its central location and convenient transportation compared to the 10-kilometer hike to Tongzhou Canal Park and this festival has the potential for good times.
"I think we need more festivals outside Beijing anyway," added Wang Ge, music editor for The Beijinger. "You can't always have rock festivals in a city with horrible air quality and always be nervous about outdoor congregations."
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