Festival moves

Organizer: “Salzburg has no place for rock”

Norbert and Melanie Dankl hoped until the end that they would be able to keep the rock festival in Salzburg - but in vain.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

First Pinzgau, then Salzburg, now Vienna! Organizer Norbert Dankl moves his "Lake Rock Festival" once again - and doesn't hold back with criticism as he says goodbye to the city of Mozart. .  

Norbert Dankl had a dream. He wanted to establish a new music festival in Salzburg with "Lake Rock". The Hollersbach native initially failed with his plan in his home town. There was even a petition against the rock festival, and people in Zell am See were also not happy with Dankl's plans. The organizer then moved on to the city of Salzburg - in 2022 and 2023, "Lake Rock" was actually held at the Messezentrum. But that's all over now.

"We simply haven't sold enough tickets for this year, and the costs are eating us up," sighs Dankl. This year's festival will now take place at the Gasometer Wien. "It's simply cheaper for us there. Hopefully we can finally cover our costs," says the Pinzgau native. Bands such as Eisbrecher, Any Given Day and comedian Bülent Ceylan will be performing in the Austrian capital on August 30 and 31.

The future of "Lake Rock" remains uncertain
"We would have loved to stay in Salzburg, but they don't want us here," says Dankl disappointedly. And: "There's obviously no place for hard rock here. We might have more chances with a different style of music," he says, ruling out a return to Salzburg. Will the Gasometer be a permanent home? "The best thing would of course be an open-air site with a camping area."