A summer fairytale: that was the BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL 2024

Innsbruck has a new summer festival, and that's a good thing! The first BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL took place from 18 to 20 July 2024 with a colorful mix of music on the new stage in the middle of the city, with free admission and in a perfect setting. The declared aim of building bridges between people, cultures and cities was clearly achieved.

For my blog article announcing the new festival, I was able to talk to Sarah Brandacher and Eva Schumacher from the organization team of the Innsbruck Marketing and let's put it this way: my curiosity was aroused and quite high.

A large part of the varied program and I can only describe the start of this new festival format as "successful". After three evenings spent standing and dancing in the Maria-Theresien-Straße wonderful impressions, new musical discoveries and a little bit of bliss predominate. (And then there are the very tired legs)

TOI. opened the BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL early on Thursday evening in hot summer weather with rock, funky, soulful, pop sounds and lyrics in Pitztal dialect (a challenge!). The rousing music immediately created a great atmosphere, but the Maria-Theresien-Straße still had to fill up properly.

We continued with CubaBoarisch 2.0 and the exciting mix of Cuban and Bavarian sounds. The band's announcement that the celebrated joie de vivre of the Caribbean is very similar to that of the Alpine region and finds expression in the respective music was eye-opening for me - and convincingly presented. The music really got under your skin, and the Bavarian lyrics to Cuban music (or vice versa) were a real treat!

As I looked around, more and more people were flocking to the stage, there was a lot of dancing, and the backdrop was almost kitschy: the view between the colorful houses on the street to the stage and directly to the Nordkette in the sunshine, dusk and night was magical. The bridges between cultures and generations were obvious and tangible. I met some acquaintances and was able to observe people of all ages, including many children who, for once, were allowed to stay up late during the vacations.

The last performance on the main stage that evening was provided by South Tyrolean singer-songwriter Max von Milland and his band. With the first song "Hoi" with the lyric "I sog hoi" it was already clear: it doesn't get any more South Tyrolean than this. Right after this song, Max von Milland asked the crowd: "Innsbruck, do you understand me?" - The cheers were not only pretty clear (yes!), but also made it clear that several thousand people had gathered here.

But the festival day was not over yet: In the mariatheresia you could enjoy DJ Allspice and the professional dance crew of the Street Motion Studio to party the night away. Even though I skipped the aftershow myself, I have it on good authority that the dance floor was quickly filled to capacity. A great end to the first day of the BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL.

It came as it had to: after a hot Friday, it thundered from around 4:30 pm with heavy downpours in places. I really had to swallow. The festival management announced that the start would be postponed to 7:15 pm due to the weather.

For the second day of the BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL, I swapped my summer dress for good shoes and a raincoat. When I got to Maria-Theresien-Straße, water was being pushed off the stage. I think everyone was wondering whether concerts could even take place that evening ..

They could! (Breathe a sigh of relief.) Friday was dominated by local artists who are internationally successful. TANYC started late, but with a strong voice and catchy pop sound. Most of the visitors stood in front of the stage with umbrellas, but there was also dancing.

If the saying "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad equipment" is extremely internalized anywhere, then it is here in the Alps. This became very clear, as I saw many people packing their rucksacks in protective covers, completely unaffected by the rain, and the outfit dominated by shorts and a rain jacket with a hood.

It only drizzled in between, but unfortunately it rained during the second concert by Susan Wolf again. She came on stage in rubber boots, but was still soaking wet after just two minutes. For me, she is my new musical discovery of this festival. I was captivated by the great voice and touching music of this likeable, authentic woman with Tyrolean roots and her ensemble Danish Vikings from Denmark.

For the most famous name of the evening, the heavens closed and it was dry for the concert by Manu Delago. In no time at all, Maria-Theresien-Straße filled up with people who were probably just as curious as I was. I had never seen the exceptional artist Manu Delago live before. He came to the festival stage with a total of 16 great musicians and offered an incredibly varied best-of program in an hour and a half.

Manu Delago mostly played his handpans or drums himself. Sometimes purely instrumental, sometimes with very clear vocals, the music built up a great tension that was almost palpable. Even the location was incorporated into the program, as wind instruments played from the first and second floor windows of the houses to the left and right of the street. A great end to the second day of the BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL!

I started the third day of the festival with a focus on Innsbruck's twin cities at 11 a.m. at the BRIDGE BEAT BRUNCH in the Hofgarten. It had rained again in the morning, but the weather got better and better. Colorful deck chairs were set up and were quickly occupied. I grabbed a coffee from the food stalls, which offered a wide range of sandwiches, croissants and drinks. Not only were newcomers Jack & Ace introduced in short interviews, but also two of the bands that were to play in Maria-Theresien-Straße that evening.

The very relaxed atmosphere in the green courtyard garden, the close proximity to the artists and the songs they performed had something special about them. The unplugged sound anyway. It set the mood perfectly for the concert evening and I am delighted that this brunch was so well received by young and old alike.

The day was sunny and warm, but not as hot as Thursday. When I got to Maria-Theresien-Straße in the evening, there was already a lot going on and the atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed Tram des Balkans cheerful and exuberant. I tried the delicious BRIDGE BEAT GELATO at Tomaselli and tasted a mixture of nuts, cookies and caramel. The band from Grenoble had won the hearts of the audience in the meantime, but at the latest with an acclaimed yodeling interlude, they delighted everyone.

A delegation from Innsbruck's twin cities also attended the festival. Representatives from the cities of Grenoble, Krakow, Freiburg and Aalborg took to the stage with Deputy Mayor Georg Willi. They were all enraptured by the festival feeling in the city. Georg Willi compared town twinning to friendship: "With friends, you can celebrate together, exchange ideas, talk about problems and find solutions." This is another great message from the BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL.

Musically it went with the Kraków Street Band who presented a lively mix of folk, country, rock and blues. It became clear to me once again that music is a language that can be understood by everyone. Because regardless of whether the songs were sung in Polish or English, they were rousing and you couldn't help but clap along. It was the band's first time in Innsbruck, but hopefully not the last: "We hope to meet up again!" - We hope so too!

The last show of the BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL on the stage in Maria-Theresien-Straße was provided by D/troit from the twin city of Aalborg. Dressed in shirts and suits, the Danes looked very respectable. This impression lasted about 20 seconds, because the hip swaying and dance moves of singer Toke Bo Nisted were anything but serious. His shirt was quickly unbuttoned and soaked with sweat. The frontman, a ramp sow as you might expect, rocked the stage with his band and heated up Innsbruck once again. Classic soul, funk, R'n'B and rock'n'roll from the 60s resulted in cool, modern garage soul and an impressive concert finale with a colorful light show.

Finally, the festival ended at the aftershow in the p.m.k. and music from the twin city of Tbilisi. Again, I skipped this part of the program, but I'm sure that the music of Ninasupsa and Zesknel was still celebrated properly.

The Alpine cities Grenoble and Innsbruck have been linked by a partnership for 60 years. To mark this occasion, an art event was initiated as part of the BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL. In Andechsstraße, the Neue Heimat Tirol provided two large walls for a street art competition. Two large murals were created on a residential building.

Melanie Gandyra from Innsbruck created a painting depicting Tyrolean plant species threatened with extinction, thus addressing a highly topical issue. The composition of the second mural was created by the French artist NiKoDeM from abstract forms. The result is an exciting interplay of harmony and contrasts.

The new artworks are a colorful symbol of artistic bridges between different cultures and cities. Last but not least, they are a lasting reminder of the first BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL. A wonderful event!

The BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL thrilled me and attracted around 8,000 people in total. The colorful crossover concept offered an incredible number of facets, and I think there really was something for everyone. The impressions of my family, friends and work colleagues were consistently positive.

I was able to experience it as a summer fairy tale, but for such a "happy ending" it takes many players: thanks to the organizers of the festival, thanks to the musicians, thanks to all the staff in catering, technology, information, etc. and - last but not least - thanks to a wonderful audience in a unique city. Thank you, Innsbruck, it was great. It really makes your heart beat faster.

My conclusion (sorry for the language): Awesome shit!
I'm looking forward to next year's BRIDGE BEAT FESTIVAL.

Cover photo: © Randall Films, Ashley Wiggins