STOCKHOLM (CelebrityAccess) – Live Nation’s Lollapalooza Stockholm has opted for a hiatus in 2024. Except during the pandemic years, Lollapalooza has taken place in Stockholm every year since 2019. The decision surprises many in the industry as it has been a highly anticipated annual event for music fans.
Lollapalooza Stockholm’s official Facebook (FB) shared the announcement.
The festival organizers also released a statement: “Lolla Stockholm will take a break for 2024. We will use this time for thorough reevaluation and to implement improvements across the board, with the goal of making Lollapalooza Stockholm an even more extraordinary experience when it returns. Stay tuned!”
The 2023 edition of the festival, held earlier this year, featured a star-studded lineup including Travis Scott, Kygo, Lizzo, Mumford & Sons and more – establishing Lolla Stockholm as a significant player in the Nordic festival market.
News of Lolla’s 2024 hiatus follows concerning information regarding Sweden’s open-air festivals as Sabaton Open Air announced an “indefinite hiatus” in 2022, Gefle Metal Festival organizers Edward Janson and Chris Rotenius announced it would take a break for 2024, saying it been difficult “make ends meet every year.” Rock festival Gravefest announced they would “take one year off” due to “structural maintenance,” and alternative music festival Subkultfestivalen released a statement in October saying the fest has been “hit hard by the pandemic, inflation, lost grants and fierce competition,” as a crowdfunding campaign was launched on GoFundMe. On Monday (December 11), Malmo’s Big Slap Festival announced it was ending and wanted to “end at the top,” releasing the following statement.
“Since 2013, we have been dreaming of making Big Slap bigger and better each year. We have achieved all our goals and fulfilled our dreams, all thanks to you! Our fans have been the best in the world, and we love you more than anything. Thank you all for helping us get here! Some journeys end at the top! A new journey will now begin with a new brand, format, and a new vibe sooner than you think! Stay tuned. Thank you, Malmö, and thank you to all Big Slappers once again. We love you!”
Big Slap’s Founder, Ali Eftekhari, told the Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan, “We do not think 2024 is a good year for such large festivals in either Sweden or the world. Most major festivals are struggling now.”
According to Sweden’s national public broadcaster SVT, Live Nation, the organizer of Lollapalooza Stockholm, denies that the current challenging times with high interest rates and inflation play a role in the festival’s hiatus. The Swedish edition of the American music festival has had “three fantastic festivals so far,” and LN does not want to comment on “when the festival will return.”
