It’s been a hot summer of festivals for ETC gear across Europe - and our fixtures and consoles have been keeping busy! From France and Scotland to Germany and Norway, ETC technology has been lighting up stages and festival sites across the continent. Here’s a look at just a few of the festivals where ETC’s products and support have been helping bring this summer’s shows to life.
GigaPix Takes on Hellfest in France
One of France’s biggest and most iconic metal festivals, Hellfest brought four days of huge performances, six stages and around 240,000 fans to Clisson this summer. Across the festival’s sprawling 117-hectare site, around 180 bands took to the stages, including Iron Maiden, Bring Me The Horizon, Limp Bizkit, Deep Purple and The Offspring. Over on the War Zone stage, ETC’s new GigaPix fixtures lit the action where the line-up included music artists Hatebreed, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Social Distortion and Malevolence.
Working with technical production company B Live, which was responsible for the festival’s two main stages and the War Zone, a total of 15 GigaPix fixtures were supplied for Hellfest. The main stage was designed by Teddy Prieur, Project Manager at B Live, who played a key role in ensuring that GigaPix was a part of this iconic festival. His design helped bring the 15 GigaPix fixtures to the stage, creating a strong ETC presence in one of Hellfest’s busiest areas and helping deliver the bold, high-impact looks the festival is known for.
Hog Consoles Run World’s Largest Indoor Jazz Festival in the Netherlands
ETC’s Hog consoles took over the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam over the summer, with a total of nine consoles powering the lighting across the festival’s 17 stages. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the world’s largest indoor jazz festival featured more than 150 performances, making it a major showcase for Hog control. A range of consoles, including Tour Hog, Flex Hog and Stage Hog, were selected, allowing technical teams to deliver everything from intimate jazz sets to large-scale performances throughout the festival. Thanks to Improve for their support in this!
ETC Support at Edinburgh Fringe, Scotland
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival once again transformed the city into a hub of live performance, with thousands of shows taking place across hundreds of venues. Amid the fast-paced demands of the festival, ETC gear was highly visible throughout the Fringe, with staff on hand to support technicians, lighting designers and production teams throughout the busy season.
ETC’s support team visited venues across the city, providing hands-on technical support, answering questions and sharing advice alongside the extensive range of ETC equipment in use throughout the festival. From Eos family consoles and ColorSource fixtures to Source Four LED Series 2 and much more, ETC gear was present across the venues. We also hosted free drop-in training sessions such as ‘Lighting Design Essentials’ at the University of Edinburgh, covering topics including Eos programming, magic sheets and macros, busking, colour tools, effects and data distribution. In addition, the dedicated ETC in Edinburgh resources provided festival teams with access to training videos, technical resources, software downloads and a direct support helpline.
It was great to be back in Edinburgh, connecting with users and offering our support during one of the busiest periods in the theatre calendar.
More Hog at Haldern Pop Festival in Germany!
ETC’s Hog consoles were also part of the 43rd edition of Haldern Pop Festival in Germany, a much-loved event known for its unique atmosphere and its talent for discovering emerging indie artists. This year’s lineup brought together established acts such as Sportfreunde Stiller, Asaf Avidan and The Notwist alongside newer artists including Friko, The Love Buzz and Naika.
Behind the scenes, Hog consoles, including the Tour Hog and Tour Wing, worked alongside Source Four fixtures across the festival. At the MainStage, Oliver Ranft was at the controls, while Kevin Höhne took on the role of LD Talent and Rolf Wenzel served as Lighting Designer.
Held every August in the small village of Rees-Haldern in Germany’s Lower Rhine Valley, Haldern Pop welcomes around 7,000 festival-goers for a diverse programme of music across a collection of unique venues and stages. From a 1920s mirrored tent to the village church, its unconventional settings are a big part of what gives Haldern Pop its distinctive character - making it a fitting home for ETC’s Hog control.