Joss Stone. Photo: David Venni
Summer open air festival celebrates Luxembourg TEXT: COLETTE DAVIDSON
The Echterlive Festival, held from 11 to 14 July in Echternach, Luxembourg, is celebrating its 44th edition. But this year, the festival is offering a twist – for the first time, it will swap out its regular programme of classical and jazz music for a variety of musical genres and more local bands. Visitors will also be able to experience the festival’s extensive Food and Art Village, where local specialties will be on display. The Echterlive Festival has long been a mainstay on the international classical and jazz music circuit. Like similar festivals across Europe, Echterlive has hosted some of the world’s best musicians in its two-month concert series. Now, in an attempt to boost visitor numbers and add new vibrancy, festival organ28 | Issue 66 | June 2019
isers are changing their tune. Instead of two months of concerts, this year’s festival will take place over the course of one long weekend, with four days jam-packed with an eclectic variety of musicians as well as interactive arts and crafts workshops. An extensive food village featuring food trucks from around the region will round out the festivities. All of this, with local heritage in mind. “The idea is to promote the products of the region through the festival,” says Echterlive Festival director Maxime Bender. “Visitors will be able to have an experience in Echternach that they can’t have anywhere else.”
Luxembourg’s heritage The festival, as in previous years, is held in Echternach, an historical abbey
town dating back to the tenth century in Luxembourg’s Mullerthal region. Organisers hope that festival-goers will not only attend the event to experience great music but also to discover more about Luxembourgish history, food and craftsmanship. The first night of the festival will feature Luxembourgish bands while the second night will be devoted to jazz musicians. The third night will showcase world music, notably Malian singer Vieux Farka Touré, and the fourth and final night will see singer Joss Stone as well as Donny McCaslin – who featured on David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar – take the main stage. In keeping with its hope of getting festivalgoers to learn more about Luxembourg