The second day of Blockfest went better than the first.
The Gazelles drew crowds on the second day of Blockfests. PHOTOGRAPHER MINNA JALOVAARA
Blockfest, a hip-hop festival held in Tampere, continued on Saturday after Friday’s disappointments.
The wait for the wristband exchange point was unreasonably long yesterday, when people stood in line for up to four hours. On Saturday, the queues were almost non-existent. Blockfest apologized for Friday’s chaos on its social media channels.
For now, the organizers do not comment on whether they plan to give those who waited a long time any kind of compensation. Iltalehti interviewed the public in the festival area, and everyone is of the opinion that compensation should be received.
Friends Jenny, Iita and Aada applied for their wristbands in advance already on Thursday.
– But one of our friends queued for a wristband for four hours yesterday. That’s pretty much too much. He went to the last gig of the evening. Why was there only one wristband exchange point? wonders Iita.
Aada (left), Iita and Jenny give Blockfests a minus from the queues. Anna-Maija Lippu
– Compensation should really be paid, the tickets are expensive.
The trio also gives festari a minus for the drink queues and the payment wristband. You had to wait in line for up to three hours at the bar counter, and it took time to load money onto the wristband. You could only pay with a wristband at the event.
– It would be harder to pay only with your own card, and not load money onto the wristband. It’s hard to remember, there’s a lot of money left after the purchase, says Aada.
According to Jenny, there has been a good atmosphere at the gigs and with the people.
– People have had a positive attitude, for example they have come to praise our outfits. Outside the festival area, someone shouted “good ass”, but here you have been allowed to be in peace.
Friends Olivia, Alice and I am queued for their wristbands for about an hour, but on Friday they encountered many people who queued longer.
Olivia, Alisa and Oona were able to exchange wristbands after waiting for an hour. Anna-Maija Lippu
Oona thinks there are too few water points. There are three of them in a large area.
– Other festivals have also had problems this summer. Maybe after the corona virus, we haven’t been able to prepare for everything properly, Olivia thinks.
Restlessness in the audience
Enni and A tattoo queued for two hours for a wristband.
– Fortunately, the weather was good. However, we got to see the performers we wanted, says Enni.
Tatu is at Blockfests for the fifth time already.
Tatu and Enni praised the festival’s artistry. Anna-Maija Lippu
– In my opinion, at least the artist coverage is better this year than in previous years. Changing the wristband has gone better before.
Restlessness manifested itself, among other things, in the form of water bottles flying in the audience.
– It can go badly if the bottle hits. The screen on the stage showed that someone was waving an empty wine bottle in their hand, Enni says.
Friends Joel and Juho were in a good mood at the festivals, but the lack of staff at the sales stalls was a little disappointing.
– Drinking has taken an outrageously long time. Even if it’s already on the counter, you can get the drink slowly, says Juho.
Friends think the payment wristband is convenient. Compliments are also received by fellow partygoers.
– It’s calmer now that the event is K-18. It used to be a bit wilder when there were minors, says Juho.
Joel and Juho were in a good mood at Blockfests. Anna-Maija Lippu
– The group behaves matter-of-factly, takes others into consideration and does not trample on them. I hope the others have a good feeling here too, Joel continues.
Blockfest Security Manager Joni Qvintusin according to the event has gone well.
– Blockfest Friday went much calmer than expected from the point of view of order control. In the festival area, the arrangements work as planned and the cooperation with the authorities has worked very well in the area and outside of it. The second day of the event has also started calmly, and we thank the visitors of Blockfest for the wonderful festival atmosphere.
Among the performers on Saturday were, among others, Evelina, Gasellit, Cledos and JVG. The main performer was the American rapper Lil Uzi Vert.