Sacred Ground 2019: Festival Preview

by | indieBerlin

Sacred Ground Festival takes place this weekend (Friday 12th – Sunday 14th July) in Brandenburg.

The festival, celebrating its fifth anniversary, is held once more in the picturesque Uckermark region, an hour or so north of Berlin. With a three-day line-up including Tora, Axel Boman and The Teskey Brothers, there’s a reason the festival was named in as one of the top boutique festivals for 2019.

Its natural surroundings make up a crucial part of the Sacred Ground identity. The Founders – artist-producers Ry X (Australia) and Frank Wiedemann (Germany) – aim for nothing less than “transforming the idea of what a music festival can be”, and that involves much more than the music.

Sacred Ground’s organisers take sustainability and doing things their own way seriously. They don’t allow attendees to bring in food or drink, preferring to provide their own carefully selected options for all. Plastic use is restricted, as is non-sustainable travel (tip – take a group ticket on the train and it’s way cheaper anyway).

The festival foregoes VIP and backstage areas to create more space for its two stages, one dedicated to ambient artists and the other catering for the louder and livelier. In addition, you’ll find a circus tent, a herb garden cafe and a thirteenth-century church hosting ‘secret sessions’.

On Friday, the Main Stage welcomes Austrian techno due HVOB, with the Cologne/Berlin-based label Kame House taking over the Ambient area. Saturday looks a highlight in terms of musical diversity, with a rhythmic set from ‘African Nomad’, Floyd Lavine; Curses’ live interpretation of his own punk-rock-disco sound, and an appearance from Berlin electronica veteran Gudrun Gut.

Sunday is all about the ambience, when Ry X himself will wind things down with his unique blend of folk and electro.

Now that we’ve given away our tips, we’re happy to say that there’s still time to book tickets for the full weekend (or for individual days if you’re scared of tents). And if you can’t be there in person, you can always stick on the excellent festival playlist available right here.

 

by Luke Davis

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