Haldern Pop is an annual German open air music festival, first held in 1984. It takes place in Rees-Haldern (

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

Focus

The Haldern Pop Festival cannot be limited to one genre. The focus ranges from experimental metal, punk and indie-pop to jazz, classical concerts and German folk music. Played on several stages in the village of Haldern. Next to the main stage, a mirror tent on the festival grounds will be used for the performances. The other stages are the pub "Haldern Pop Bar", the St. Georg church, a youth center and a recording studio in the village.

History

The festival started as an annual party on the premises of Haldern's Old Riding Arena organized by local

altar servers An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian liturgy. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell, helps bring up the gifts, brings up the boo ...

. During the first years (1981 - 1983), music was played from records only. The Haldern Pop festival was officially launched with live music on 23 June 1984. The organizers want to remain true to their concept of "the small, cozy festival in the

Lower Rhine The Lower Rhine (german: Niederrhein; kilometres 660 to 1,033 of the river Rhine) flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hook of Holland, Netherlands (including the Nederrijn or "Nether Rhine" within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta); ...

area". The venue (an old horse range) should be kept, which limits the number of visitors to about 7000 people. Haldern Pop has long been considered one of the most unique festivals in Europe. The curation of Haldern Pop by local festival organizer Stefan Reichmann has been awarded countless prizes over the years, including the "Helga Award" for best booking and best festival. In addition, the festival was highlighted as one of the best European festivals by the

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...

in 2011. The Haldern Pop Festival has acquired the reputation of being a trend setter in Europe. Many bands such as

Mumford & Sons Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band currently consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass), and Ben Lovett (vocals, k ...

(2009), IDLES (2017),

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...

(2014), or

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(1999) made their first steps at the Haldern Pop Festival.

Lineups since 1984

Haldern Pop Bar

When a pub was to be abandoned in the middle of the village, a concept for an off-day hotel was developed. Since 2009, bands who have a day off between two gigs get free board and lodging in exchange for an evening concert "on a donation basis" at the Haldern Pop Bar. Besides unknown new artists who are just starting their careers, well-known bands such as

Courtney Barnett Courtney Melba Barnett (born 3 November 1987) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for her deadpan singing style and witty, rambling lyrics, she attracted attention with the release of her debut EP ''I've Got a Friend Calle ...

or Nada Surf have already performed in the Pop Bar. Also bigger artists like George Ezra or

Orville Peck Orville Peck is a South African country musician based in Canada. He wears a fringed mask and has never shown his face publicly. He released his debut album ''Pony'' in 2019, followed by the EP '' Show Pony'' the next year. His second studio a ...

have been performing here before their world career started. The venue also houses the event agency Raum 3, which organizes the festival, the Haldern Pop Recordings label, Haldern Pop Booking agency and the Haldern Pop Shop record store, among others, so that a close cooperation is possible.

Record label

In 1999, the idea came up to release a sampler with music by the bands of the year. This led to the founding of the

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

"Haldern Pop Recordings", which as yet released works of e.g. William Fitzsimmons,

Giant Rooks Giant Rooks is a German indie band from Hamm, which was founded in 2014. In 2019 they won the 1Live Krone Award and the Preis für Popkultur. Their debut album ''Rookery'' was released on 28 August 2020. Members * Frederik Rabe * Finn Schwiet ...

The Soundtrack Of Our Lives The Soundtrack of Our Lives, often abbreviated T.S.O.O.L., was a Swedish rock band that formed in Gothenburg in 1995 and disbanded in 2012. The band's style draws heavily from sixties and seventies rock and punk, such as Rolling Stones and Igg ...

and Low Cut Connie.

Booking agency

In 2019, Haldern Pop founded a booking agency at the lower rhine area. The artists represented there include Mid City, Moon Hooch, Thirsty Eyes, and James Leg from

Black Diamond Heavies Black Diamond Heavies is a United States blues rock band originating from Nashville, Tennessee. The band is composed of John Wesley Myers aka Reverend James Leg, formerly of The Immortal Lee County Killers, on bass keys, Fender Rhodes, organ ...

References

External links

Official site (German, Dutch, English)
{{coord, 51, 46, 38, N, 6, 28, 50, E, display=title, region:DE-NW_type:landmark_source:dewiki Rock festivals in Germany Culture of North Rhine-Westphalia Tourist attractions in North Rhine-Westphalia Recurring events established in 1984