GOTHENBURG - City of Festivals

TEXT: MICHAEL HELANDER
PHOTO: YANIV COHEN

Iceland Dance Company performs “We are all Marlene Dietrich” From August 4 onwards, Gothenburg will be hosting an uninterrupted celebration for people of all ages.

MORE PEOPLE WILL BE enjoying themselves in the streets, parks, cafes and the arenas of Gothenburg in August this year than ever before. If you appreciate non-stop entertainment, good food and great music, then plan your visit for Gothenburg’s festival extravaganza.
       This year, the annual City Festival is also known as the ‘EM-festen’, or the European Championships Party. The streets, squares, parks and pavements will already be filled on August 4 when the festival kicks off. But unique to the festival this year is the Opening Ceremony at Götaplatsen, right in the heart of the city centre, for the European Athletics Championships. This is the first time that the opening ceremonies are being held outside the sports stadium. .
        The saying “there is something for everyone” is apropos for Gothenburg in August. Ten venues around the city will highlight the star-studded line-up of musical artists, cultural performances, and activities for the entire family. Simple Minds, known worldwide for their smash hit “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” from The Breakfast Club movie soundtrack in the 80s, will be in town to provide an outdoor performance in the heart of the city. .
       And make sure to bring your kids for this festival, as the city has set aside a special place to cater to their young senses. Trädgårdsföreningen, one of several beautiful central parks in Gothenburg, will become the biggest kid’s party in Sweden, with activities planned the entire week for younger as well as older children. .
       After you’ve danced the nights away at the city festival, you’ll have just five days to rest before the Gothenburg Jazz Festival hits town on August 18. American Scott Hamilton is featured at the festival and will delight audiences with his throwback style and solid swing tenor saxophone. Other Scandinavian jazz artists and bands have been confirmed including the Red Hot Four from Denmark, Jazzin Babies from Norway, and Jan Lundgren from Sweden, and the program continues to develop with jazz performers coming from around the world. .
       If you long for entertainment in a cultural environment that will allow you to sit back and relax instead after the City Festival, then the bi-annual Göteborg Dance and Theatre Festival is for you. Contemporary performing arts from Asia will be highlighted at this year’s festival featuring Mr Ong Keng Sen, the artistic director for TheatreWorks, an international performance company based in Singapore. The Göteborg Open Lab at the Festival is a seminar program that has developed into an artistic laboratory where the audience actually has the chance to participate in the artistic processes. This year artists will have free hand to explore the themes of myth and memory. The Göteborg Dance and Theatre Festival begins on August 18. So, pack your bags and we’ll see you in Gothenburg! .

DATES TO REMEMBER.
Aug 4 – City Festival kick-off.
Aug 6 – Opening Ceremony for the 19th European Athletics .
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CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Aug 10 – Simple Minds city concert.
August 18 – Gothenburg Jazz Festival.
August 18 – Göteborg Dance & Theatre Festival.
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CITY FESTIVAL FACTS.
800 festival events scheduled.
160 musical concerts.
10 venues around town.
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WEBSITES.
City Festival - www.goteborg.com.
Gothenburg Jazz Festival - www.gothenburgjazzfestival.com.
Göteborg Dance & Theatre Festival - www.festival.goteborg.se